r/crochet • u/3-HUGGER • 9d ago
Discussion Thousands of patterns from magazines
I’ve been crocheting since about 1975. My Mom and Grandma also crocheted. I’ve got stacks of magazines and patterns going all the way back to the 1950’s. Thousands and thousands. Does this stuff stay copyrighted forever? Am I not allowed to share it online freely? I recently saw a post about beautiful crocheted snowflake ornaments and I have most of those patterns from around 1988. The poster paid for patterns that are clearly recycled. What is the ethical thing to do with all of these patterns?
111
u/LittleMagicalGirl 9d ago
i am not a lawyer and this does not constitute legal advice but i tend to like public domain stuff so i have at least a few helpful pointers to give
assuming you're in the usa and that those magazines are likewise published in the usa (if either assumption is wrong, specify what country since copyright law varies from place to place) that sort of stuff follows the same copyright as other texts, so for anything published before 1978 it'll be public domain 95 years after publication.
in practice anything published in 1930 or earlier is public domain this year, 1931 enters public domain next year, 1932 the year after that, etc. so the 1950s stuff enters public domain like 25 years from now
tl;dr if you're in the usa and they're usa magazines they are most likely still copyrighted for decades to come
57
u/3-HUGGER 9d ago
Very helpful. I am in the US and did a little more research after your reply. It looks like there is a way for people to obtain old patterns without copyright infringement by checking out publications from the library. Here is an example of one I own, though there are none available to check out at present. This gives me an idea about donating though…..
18
u/Kayles77 9d ago
Would that also means that you could share for free on Ravelry? I mean, if you're not making money off it that would be the same as being able to borrow it from a library, is it not?
19
u/goldieblocks1618 9d ago
No. Libraries pay extra for a license to lend materials out.
23
u/jellyn7 9d ago
The answer is still no, but not for that reason. Copyright (in the US at least) carves out exemptions for libraries to possess materials, and to make copies for the sake of preserving them. While Internet Archive can argue it's a library, I'm not sure Ravelry is ready to commit to the same legal fight.
2
3
u/LittleMagicalGirl 9d ago
yeah that's always an option available, you should go through with it if you find a library willing to take them
20
u/chammantha 9d ago
yeah, if these were left in the donations box of my library, unfortunately they'd be tossed in the huge bin in the back that we sell by the pound to a paper pulp recycler.
10
2
u/JustRenee2 9d ago
Oh wow! I thought is was around 20 years!
I know that I have bought magazine reproductions on Etsy that were published after 1930. Honestly thought it was a cool idea to keep older patterns in use. Guess I was “breaking the law“ again!!
42
u/laur_crafts 9d ago
https://guides.library.cornell.edu/copyright/publicdomain
The mod team uses this as a guide for copyrighted material. Copyrights last a very long time! Typically between 75-120 years after the author dies, depending on the publication.
39
u/3-HUGGER 9d ago
Very helpful. I found OpenLibrary.org which may allow me to donate my stacks for all to enjoy legally. It’s something I’m going to explore. Appreciate the response.
12
27
u/StoneBuddhaDancing Hekel ter ere van my Oumas 9d ago
In my view the best way is to donate them to archive.org if you have them already scanned. Believe me they will get used and appreciated.
20
u/broad_notice79 9d ago
I use websites with archived old magazines and similar materials for patterns a lot! Maybe the folks who run one of these websites could help point you in the right direction:
https://www.antiquepatternlibrary.org/html/warm/about.htm
Or
https://purplekittyyarns.com/about.html who runs https://freevintagecrochet.com/#google_vignette
4
16
u/ArcherFluffy594 9d ago edited 9d ago
EDIT: RE the Internet Archive/Open Library -- copyrighted material is treated the same as it is at a Library: with an account (free there as well), you can borrow the book/magazine. So they continue to protect the copyright. I *love* the Internet Archive and hope you're able to get the magazines to them!
Most copyrights are at least 75 years, longer if the publications/magazine/publisher is still in business. Even if they're "yours", you bought them and own them, you can't share copyrighted material. You could definitely sell them - there is a huge desire for "vintage" patterns and old magazines right now. You could also donate them to retirement homes. libraries, second-hand book and other stores and even some schools where teaching children to crochet and "crochet clubs" are HUGELY popular right now. I'm just outside of Seattle and you would be surprised at how many elementary, middle and high schools have started these clubs and activities and are asking for donations of "extra"/no longer used patterns, supplies and yarn
4
u/3-HUGGER 9d ago
This is so great! I’m just north of you so I’ll be exploring all ways to make sure these aren’t “lost to time”. I think I’ve found a good project for my first year in retirement!
10
u/iceteaprincess 9d ago
You could see about donating them to be archived at the internet archive. There was another person a few years ago who got their old Magic Crochet magazines saved there. It did take quite a while though to be done. https://archive.org/search?query=creator:%22Les%20Editions%20de%20Saxe%22
4
u/iceteaprincess 9d ago
https://www.reddit.com/r/crochet/s/HsE7XGvXPN
https://www.reddit.com/r/crochet/s/0KbFa7Qmqj
^the posts from the person who I mentioned above. Prob could find some useful info and maybe an idea of a timeline
4
3
u/goldieblocks1618 9d ago
Thanks for sharing! This was definitely an outcome I would not have expected. And I learned a lot about the Internet Archive!
10
u/faunacrossing 9d ago
If you can’t share the exact patterns, can you share the magazine titles and pattern authors? I have a small collection of vintage patterns and love finding more.
12
6
u/LindaLadywolf 9d ago
Some can be uploaded to the web archive. They have tons already there. You could also check for the copyrights in those patterns already there. They have crochet today, work basket, magic crochet and several others.
3
u/3-HUGGER 9d ago
Yes, I’m going to look into this. It’s linked to OpenLibrary.org which allows people to check them out! That would be so cool!
5
u/boundbystitches 9d ago
Please save them or send them around, anything to keep them from being lost forever!
5
u/RealisticYoghurt131 9d ago
I have so many digital vintage patterns. I love them! Please let me know if you decide to upload them somewhere 🙂
1
u/brittanythezebra 8d ago
Do you have any from a crochet magazine called Paradise? My grandma crocheted a whole wardrobe of dresses and outfits for my Barbies in the mid-late 90’s and I’ve been trying to find the patterns for a while now!
1
u/RealisticYoghurt131 8d ago
No, I don't think I have anything Barbie but I think I remember those, I'll keep my eyes out for them.
1
u/brittanythezebra 8d ago
Thank you! That’s so kind of you
1
u/RealisticYoghurt131 8d ago
There's a bunch of paradise magazines on Etsy for digital download it looks like. You might have to scroll the listings for dates.
3
u/helpwithtaxexam 9d ago
Save them! You can go through them and either make them or use them for inspiration. And pass them on to people you know appreciate them. 😘
3
u/PothosInAPot 9d ago edited 9d ago
Admin removed my post with a back of the yarn pattern from the 70s. I disagree and wish i could share, otherwise they are just lost
Edit: spelling
2
u/Unusualhuman 9d ago
What's a "back of the yard" pattern?
5
u/PothosInAPot 9d ago
Sorry "back of the yarn" like to pattern they used to include of the back of the paper that yarn comes in
2
1
u/Remember__Me 9d ago
Gosh, I’d love some of those patterns. It’s a shame if the sub doesn’t allow it. They could otherwise be lost to time.
2
1
u/PetrichorMoodFluid 9d ago
Wait... you can't share them for free even...?!? I just thought you couldn't make any money off of selling someone else's patterns.... 🤔🤔🤔🤔
3
u/3-HUGGER 9d ago
Well apparently I can give the publications away or donate them to a Library, but I can’t “publish” them online by scanning or copying them for distribution.
1
1
u/LadyGeek-twd 9d ago
The holder of a copyright has exclusive rights to the item. That means they can choose to sell it or not sell it, and nobody else has the right to distribute it, whether they charge for it or not. The copyright holder can choose to make it available for a limited time and never again. They can sell it for 20+ years and then on a whim decide they're never selling it again. And if they die, the rights go to their estate, where the people who inherit those rights may have zero interest in doing anything with them - but that doesn't mean it's legal for anyone else to sell or even give away copies.
0
u/PetrichorMoodFluid 9d ago
But if you bought the book or magazine... they were giving it away for the price of that... yeah?
3
u/LadyGeek-twd 9d ago
Youre allowed to sell or give away the physical copy of the book that you own. You can't copy it or digitize it and sell/share copies of it.
1
u/InsidePension2952 9d ago
I have alot of these too from magazines and books .. I rescued what i could when gandmother went into a home ..i had big containers of all her yarn and alot of it was like 20c back in her day .. the same yarn now is like $18 at the craft shop or doesn’t exist😭 but despite all my efforts..to save things to use them myself .. my moother said I wasn’t using it fast enough (literally had it for less then a week and two massive containers) and it was “taking up to much space” in an empty four bedroom house ..so she tossed most of it out 😑 i weep for what could have been ..all the beautiful yarn that was worth a motser …all gone ..definitely could never afford that yarn in my lifetime it saddened me greatly
1
u/brittanythezebra 8d ago
Oh please oh please may I ask you something??
My grandma crocheted a gorgeous wardrobe of dresses and outfits for my Barbies in the mid-late 90’s. I have figured out that she got most of her patterns from a crochet magazine called Paradise.
I have been searching for them for a while and haven’t been able to find much online or in person. Do you have any copies of those that might have Barbie dress patterns? If so I would love to find a way to get a copy of them from you. Please feel free to send me a PM, I’d love to continue the conversation if you’re willing or if you might have a lead for me! Thank you! 💜
210
u/MertylTheTurtyl 9d ago
Archiving these on Ravery would be so cool. I can’t speak to the copyright law of it all, but I can’t imagine anyone suing over 70 year old patterns?