I was just referred to a site where I suspect this is the case (there are 100's of favorite kids characters from TV and books) and I do not want to support the site if the designs have been obtained without permission. Your guidance would be appreciated.

great info.

I also have seen so many copyrighted designs over there, Hello Kitty is a good example. And I saw another day a popular character from Brazil, Monica, also copyrighted, in one popular site as well. I pass those designs, I think we have to respect the hard work of the authors.
This image is Monica, by Mauricio de Souza, and she is in cartoons, movies, my favorite character in Brazil, but many other countries doesnt know her. This is just to warn the Cuties she is copyrighted.
Love, Yoriko

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An interesting question and well answerd by others. There are far too many embroidery designs about that are not legal. My friend bought a set of designs that clearly have copyright on them though they are being sold as this persons/the sellers designs. I think there are many embroiderers about who are unaware of the copyright laws

2 comments

by sandynavas 13 Aug 2009

I don't feel that embroiderers are necessarily "UNAWARE" of the laws. Quite often I feel they just don't care because they truly don't think anyone will 'catch' them. International digitizers feel they aren't subject to US laws. (I'm not certain, but I always felt that copyright laws were international though.)

by mops 13 Aug 2009

They are. But many countries don't actively look for violations, but leave that to the copyright holder. In the Netherlands the sanctions are heavy, but the chance of being caught is not very high, unless it's Disney or Bruna.

I'd suggest the same things marjialexa and mpo14011 mentioned: 1. look if hey mentioned that they have a license or show the logo of the original clipart site; 2. ask them. 3. If they have designs from various cartoon characters, e.g. and Disney and diddles and Bruna's Nijntje and Beatrix Potter's bunnies and so on, you can be sure it's illegal - they would have to have spend a fortune on any of them.

ttt as you got your answer but here are flowers for all

TTT it is important to find out. *4u

Ask the designer for a copy of her license to use the designs, straight out. If it's the site I'm thinking of, she will not answer your e-mail. I've asked several times. Any designs that are licensed will say so, or should say so, on the website (or the package, or the coloring book, etc). Look in your Avon books, they are doing some Disney Tinkerbell things, and others, as well as NFL. Right on the photograph of the product, it says "Licensed, copyright Disney Corp. 2009" or whatever the name and date is. If it is a one-person digitizing operation and you are seeing Disney or NFL or NASCAR, you can be pretty sure they have not purchased a license. Licenses are expensive, it took the huge company Dakota Collectibles more than a year to line up the NASCAR license they have for their CD of designs. One digitizing gramma just doesn't have the bucks for it, unless she hit the lottery. Brother has the market "sewed up" (hee hee hee) on the Disney designs. I'm sure they would not have created the Brother Disney embroidery machine if Disney were going to give away licenses to just anybody. If it's "big name" stuff of any kind, be very sure the license will be expensive. That's how NFL, NASCAR, etc. make money, and plenty of it. Please be careful, and don't get caught in the copyright trap. So glad you asked, many new people here need to know, too. Have a good day! Marji

Check to see if there is a link back to the artist, or photographer, of the clipart.The artists of the clipart for digitizing designs require you to acknowledge them with a link back to their websites.
If it is a licensed design, check the price.They are much more expensive then normal designs because of the cost of the license.
Apart from that, there is one more thing you can do. Check the net. If you suspect some of these designs are being used without authorization,and that the artwork has been taken of the net, you will usually find the exact same image very quickly by typing in the name. If the image is the same without acknowledgment back to the artist/photographer, you can be pretty sure they are not legal, and if the digitizer copied them and claimed they are hand drawn, they are still not legal.

1 comment

by annesarts 10 Aug 2009

Thank you for the great suggestions. I'll check it out.