How to Copyright Sewing Patterns
Copyright law protects creative works that are put into material form. You can use copyright to protect written works such as books, poems, musical scores and essays, as well as visual works like paintings and photographs. You can also copyright a work that is a combination of text and illustrations, such as a sewing pattern. Although no action is necessary to copyright your works, you can achieve an extra degree of legal protection by registering a copyright for your sewing pattern.
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Instructions
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Do nothing. Copyright protection is automatic as soon as a creative work is put into material form. A pattern idea in your head is not protected by copyright, but as soon as you commit the pattern to paper, or draw it on a computer screen, it is automatically protected.
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Register a copyright for your sewing pattern online at the Electronic Copyright Office web page of the U.S. Copyright Office.
You can achieve an extra level of copyright protection by registering your sewing pattern and creating a formal record of its existence and authorship. You register by providing your basic identification information and uploading an image file of your work. Online registration costs $35.
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Add a copyright notice to your sewing pattern. In a readily visible location, add a C-in-a-circle copyright symbol, the date the work was first created, and the author's name. This copyright notice lets people know that your work is protected by copyright.
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Tips & Warnings
The Copyright Office publication, "Copyright Registration for Works of the Visual Arts," specifically mentions sewing patterns as works that are protected by copyright.
