I just wanted to reply to this thread to help clarify on how I feel about this. As a designer, much of my purpose in designing scroll saw patterns is so that people can make them for gifts and sell the finished items at craft shows. Many times people contact me requesting permission to change or modify my patterns to their own needs or liking. Not only do I not mind this, I encourage it. The satisfaction one gets from creating something is part of the process and certainly fuels people to continue making things. Creativity feeds the soul, and there are very few people here on this list or scroll sawing in general that are in it to make a lot of money. Most of us just want to make enough to justify our wood and tool purchases! I have heard of very few people who are financially 'rich' because of scroll sawing.
I have a gallery page on my site and I encourage people to send me pictures of their projects that they do. Some customers take two patterns and combine them to make other projects. I love this! It is a compliment to me and I love seeing what others do with my designs. Using them as a springboard for their own creativity is wonderful, I think.
What I (and most designers I know) frown upon, is others who buy our patterns and then change them slightly and sell the resulting pattern as their own. That is what I consider stealing. I realize that you can't copyright a concept, but some people can be downright blatant in their actions and it really hurts us. Others 'trade' our patterns to fiends or clubs and that also hurts.
Mass production is another no-no. Several customers have called me because they have CNC routers and want to know if I will send them my vector files so they can use my patterns on their routers. This is just like asking to steal, as far as I am concerned. It isn't fair to myself, or to other scrollers that may be sitting next to the guy at a show who had to spend hours cutting his plaques while buddy pushed a button and came up with 20. If someone wants to mass produce one of my designs, I deserve compensation from every one sold. It is difficult, if not impossible to enforce the copyright however, and I have resigned myself that people just have to live with their consciences.
I have spent literally thousands of hours learning how to make patterns that are the quality that you all have come to expect from me. I have been learning for almost fifteen years and still learn something every single day that hopefully will improve things and make them even better. I am not getting rich off of scroll sawing. With the economy the way it is, it is a rough go for all of us designers like everyone else. I see my colleagues like Charlie who has an incredible amount of talent and I know I am not alone in saying this. Like Charlie, I do this because I LOVE to do it. In these days where so many people dislike their jobs, I hold on with tooth and nail so that I can wake up every day and do something I love.
So with that, I will get off of my soap box and back to scrolling. Sorry for getting so lengthy. I encourage you all to feel free to add your own creativity to my designs. I am happy that you like the designs enough to feel that they inspired you. Thank you so much for asking.
Sheila
