September 26, 2005
Pants Thief

I received this e-mail from a stranger this weekend:

Hi - I don’t often visit your website - but I remember it because of your thai pants pattern. I was wondering if you were selling it now on ebay? I saw this just before and I knew I had seen it before:

(link to the eBay Australia auction)

I hope it is you selling it! Good luck with your selling!

No, I don’t sell things on eBay. My pants pattern is free for anyone to use but I have not granted rights for anyone to sell it. It’s one of my all-time most viewed pages—it’s been looked at over 22,000 times since I published it last February.

So I wrote to Kathy the seller on Friday night to tell her that despite her claim in the item’s listing, she did not “own full rights” to the content in her 3 page e-book. I wished her well but asked her to stop selling my pattern.

I haven’t heard from Kathy yet, but someone bought the pattern for five Australian dollars on Saturday and it hasn’t been relisted.

I’ve mailed off the official paperwork to eBay’s VeRO program to assert my right of ownership. I don’t know what will come of it, but we will see.

What other of my works are out there being ripped off?

Posted by kuri at September 26, 2005 12:00 PM

Comments

I think this is scandalous! I have a good mind to email that person to say how brazen she is to sell a free pattern! Of course when it comes to copyright of designs and things, it’s a never ending battle. And I would guess that’s it’s especially so with the internet.

Good luck!

Posted by: Eva on September 27, 2005 07:09 AM

Kristen, please keep us updated on this issue. I’m actually more interested in eBay’s response to your claim, moreso than the fact that there are theives on the net. How eBay handles your claim will be a good indicator of how far they can grow.

Posted by: gen on September 27, 2005 10:46 AM

That’s awful!

Posted by: Jennifer on September 27, 2005 10:27 PM

Hi. I collect patterns for one-seam pants and yours is one of them. I’m writing you because I found a modified version of the one-seam pants while in Manila and thought you might be interested. The Manila version, sold at the monthly international bazaar, has no band; instead, fat velcros are used. The top panel has a printed lining/back in contrasting color. To close, you put together the velcros in front and flip the top panel, exposing the pretty lining.

Posted by: Therese on October 7, 2005 05:17 AM
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