The Final Blow to Handmade!

[#1]

I do believe these congress / government people absolutely DO NOT care how many people are put out of business or loose their jobs. Soon there will be nothing produced in the USA???

First the CPSIA NOW this.

Design Piracy Prohibition Act
Read article here http://bit.ly/1186IQ

[BikiniSandi]

So now its going to be illegal to think for ourselves. What's next? Will anything that comes natural to human beings be legal when all is said and done? Will only the elite few with money be allowed to do anything?

What happens when the world comprehends just how broke our country really is? Our government is operating on borrowed funds and they can't pay their bills without borrowing more money.

Will we be so beaten down by all the crap that surrounds us that someone comes in and takes over our country? Or will we revolt as we have so many times before and begin anew?

[Former_Member]

Well they have us toy makers on the ropes too. Now the clothing. I just dont know what to say anymore about all of this except we need to revolt against our idiotic, lame brain, no good rotten government ! Its all BIG business and BIG government! Well fellow etsians looks like we all voted for "change" in the last election. Sad to say that all the change was going to come to us by the way of changing our careers and lives.

[NossubGallery]

littlethingsboutique says:
First the CPSIA, then the FSMA, now this... I would disagree, NOSSUBGALLERY. I don't think people actually WANT more government control. Too many people are busy living life, raising kids, working, that they don't really think about it (that was me, pre-CPSIA). The thought of what's next (Cap and Trade, nationalized health care, yadda yadda) makes me more than a little frightened for my kids and their futures.
=================
If you are correct, then the thought that people go to the polls and vote without thinking is throwing away one of the most important rights an American citizen has.

And perhaps even scarier is that people vote for what sounds good on the sound bite, without thinking how others, and even they, are going to be affected. And then, when something like CPSIA is passed, everyone is up in arms.

People should think before they pull that lever, not just have a knee reaction based on sound bites and who comes across better on TV.

OK - off the soap box.

[Former_Member]

yoursandi, I'm with you. It used to be that America was the one place where a person's individuality was celebrated, excellence was rewarded, and we were responsible to and for ourselves. It is profoundly sad to see that we (or as those *in power* would have it) now aspire to mediocrity, dumb down our kids in school so they cannot think for themselves, and the only individuality that is celebrated is that which is deemed "okay."

Wow... I'm apparently ready to rant tonight...

[studiostebbylee]

bumping ...
read about the proposed law...
sign the petition.

[isgood]

This new law is supposed to protect original works by fashion designers, correct? Why is this a bad thing?

[Former_Member]

I have been doing my homework only since November 2008. But I have been doing it, and watching my elected representatives like a hawk, and keeping notes on what all they are doing.

Guess what?
Republicans and Democrats are now 2nd and 3rd party in America.

The first party is Independant American Party**
The fourth party is Libertarian Party

Which one will you join?

**Not to be confused with Independant Party of America in NY which IMO is a party with badly corrupted leadership. Just watching what IPA did in a 5 month period made me sick.

[Former_Member]

How are you going to prove that you did it first?
First to trademark it?
By a raise of hands how many fashion designers have enough start-up capitol to trademark each and every pattern they have ever made?

Now.
By a show of hands how many mega-corporations for fashion have enough capitol to trademark each and every new pattern they find, the moment they find it?

[BikiniSandi]

I see more and more where originality of any kind is suspect in this country. When you find yourself afraid all the time and you can't sleep at night for fear of what tomorrow holds....then you must be living in the US.

[NossubGallery]

isgood says:
This new law is supposed to protect original works by fashion designers, correct? Why is this a bad thing?
=============
If I get the drift of this thread correctly - by not allowing others to be 'inspired' by the original work of the designer. :-)

[NossubGallery]

. . . and make a profit from other designer's ideas.

[isgood]

NOSSUBGALLERY says:
If I get the drift of this thread correctly - by not allowing others to be 'inspired' by the original work of the designer. :-)

. . . and make a profit from other designer's ideas.

==============

Oh, I see. *_*

[Former_Member]

So now some big fashion house can claim they,and they alone ,conceived the idea of an A-line skirt and anyone making an A-line skirt is infringing? OK Maybe that's simplistic ,but it wouldn't shock me to see them try. Who will be in charge of policing the world or is this only to stifle those in the US. The government is out of control...hope and change my a$$

[Former_Member]

TheHumbleSeamstress says:

Who are the idiots morons Pick the one that fits!!!
degenerates who came up with this crazy thing???
They need to be VOTED OUT of OFFICE!!! But we need NAMES!!!

-----------------------------------------------
We don't "necessarily" need names. Just vote out every incumbent. Then we can change the house and senate in one fell swoop. Two years after that we can change the rest of the administration.

Then we'll have to try to clean up the mess that they will leave behind...CPSIA, universal healthcare, cap and trade, the food safety bill if it passes and so many other things it boggles the mind.

[Former_Member]

Yoursandi, what you said before is something that has been on my mind too. I'm concerned that while American is busy fighting these internal battles, another country is going to see us as ripe-for-the-pickin'. Perhaps it's time to brush up on our Korean...or Farsi.

[BikiniSandi]

I noticed while looking around Walmarts the other day, that I need to learn Spanish in order to read what's in the box on the shelf.

At the same time, I do know exactly what you mean, NeedfulThings. I perceive that you also read, listen, and watch the world around you, and you think about what it all means.

[BikiniSandi]

AS for the fashion news...I saw one of those designers talking on tv a year and a half ago. She was angry about designs being stolen off the runway and put into stores before she could get her line ready.

Not everyone can afford to pay for one of her designs. The knock-offs she referred to are found in discount stores.

And there is really nothing all that new under the sun when it comes to fashion anyway. I see remakes from 1940 and beyond. Besides, how many people actually wear the stuff they put on the runways anyway? And the ones that do end up in a magazine being made fun of half the time.

[Former_Member]

NOSSUBGALLERY says:
isgood says:
This new law is supposed to protect original works by fashion designers, correct? Why is this a bad thing?
=============
If I get the drift of this thread correctly - by not allowing others to be 'inspired' by the original work of the designer. :-)


-----there is a big difference between 'inspiration' and 'counterfeit'...if someone's 'inspiration' is so similar that it could be considered 'counterfeit' - that's what it should be called.

[Former_Member]

The bill would treat designs as a creative product, like original works of art, as opposed to clothing, which is considered a “useful article” and not eligible for copyright protection under current laws related to apparel. It would amend the Copyright Act to include a three-year term of protection for fashion designs. Trends, on the other hand, would not be restricted, as long as the designs in question are not infringements.

http://www.fashionwiredaily.com/first_word/news/article.weml?id=2615

[blithebutton]

I don't like the law because it would open the way for huge companies to get a copyright on something they saw one of the little people make...and then turn around and sue the true creators for infringing. That's a scary thought.

My husband, who comes from Egypt, says there is more freedom there than here.

[craftsfromtheheart]

haven't designers always copied each other in one way or another?

[Former_Member]

I started a thread on it.

http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6177968



this section is not for discussing it.

[Former_Member]

What I mean isn't this section of the forums for discussing the child protection laws? This is something entirley different. Thus, i started a new thread in Business section about this as its not about children, or lead, or pthylates, or toxic anything.

So please move on over to the other thread...so it can get the real attention it desrves!

I assume people do not read this section IF they don't make items for children.

[Former_Member]

This is all very depressing - just when I was getting excited about what I was doing!

[Former_Member]

What bothers me about this proposed legislation is that it is being lobbied by DIANE von FURSTENBERG who copied an article of clothing from a Canadian designer. They are now in negotiations for a settlement. I guess she does not want to have to deal with these kind of lawsuits anymore when she gets inspired by new designers...