Hobby Hell

Wall Street Journal illustrated yesterday the effects of crafty enthusiasts and their penchant for sewing into trouble.

In the article, Sewing and Suing, crafters are discovering what they thought was embroidery ecstasy in their own homes to hobby hell in the courts. Copyright infringement is becoming unravelled, which I believe, is due to the growing partnerships between the embroidery machine manufacturers and image companies.

When I bought my embroidery machine last Spring, I remember getting into a deep discussion w/the salesguy when he handed me a shrinkwrapped CD of imagery -just to play with. I didn't want it and almost refused it because of the pending lawsuits just waiting to happen. I can't help but think of this seemingly innocuous image CD as entrapment. Suzy Sewer isn't going to take the time to read the tiny print in a book that she'll probably never open; she's more excited to set up the machine and install the software -afterall, she paid for it, right?

Artists work their bums off to make a living and Suzy Seamstress believes she has the right to earn a few bucks, too. Unfortunately, it's at the expense of Annie Artist. The tiny print that talks about 'copyright infringement' should be in bold black letters across the front: "Repurpose these images, go straight to jail and don't pick up $200."

Perhaps, mfg should force Suzy to sign-off on a EULA (End Users License Agreement), making her painfully aware of the ramifications before allowing her to bring home the temerarious tool.