Ever seen someone create selling a design that you know you created first?  Did your literally heart stop at the sight?

One of the benefits of being a designer at the Beehive is that we have an open venue to share information about the trials, travails and successes of our businesses.  Many of our designers are extraordinarily creative, and have, with hard work, time, and ingenuity, come up with innovative designs that provided a bright, wonderful new piece of clothing, jewelry, or home accessory for the marketplace to enjoy. 

In a heartbeat, that great joy of creativity can be stripped away when another creative person decides to steal the original designer’s idea, and hold it out to the public to be their own.  It is a sad fact that this happens more often than not.

In previous entries, I’ve spoken about the fact that my sister and I have a particular jewelry design that is the epicenter of our line, and is one that we have yet to see done by any other designer.   As we continue to grow, we’re told more and more by fellow designers that we’re likely to see our design created in the marketplace by other people, who will ardently take credit for the creation of the design.

In an effort to prevent this from happening, it is our goal to increase our brand awareness to the public through continuing to do festivals and shows, gaining the amount of retail accounts and relationships we have with boutiques and galleries, and gaining and maintaining relationships we with have with local and national press.

But in order to truly protect our designs, we have to go a step further to ensure the rights over our creations.  My friend and fellow Beehiver, Dana Clemons of the great baby line, plum.tree.studio, told me that I could get our woven design copyrighted very easily, and with minimal cost.  She insisted that we not take the long, arduous, expensive process of getting our design patented, when a copyright will do in the short term.

So, what does it take to get your designs protected?  New York attorney and jeweler, Sarah Feingold, wrote a wonderful article for Bead and Button Magazine regarding what steps you need to take to file your copyright.

Generally, U.S. Copyright law provides protection for “original works of authorship.”  This “authorship” includes jewelry, clothing and home furniture and article designs, as well as other designed materials.  The most interesting thing I learned from the article is that you do not need to fill out a copyright form in order to have rights over your design; registering your work, however, does allow you to prove ownership rights over your designs more easily.  You also do not need to signify that the work is copyrighted with the © symbol; your work is already copyrighted once the design, instructions to the design, or template is physically created or drawn out on paper.

Your copyright protection gives you the right to:

1.       Reproduce Designs and instructions

2.       Claim rights to similar works based on your design

3.       Distribute copies of the design’s instructions

4.       Sell copies of the design or instructions

5.       Transfer ownership of the designs or instructions

6.       Display the design or the instructions publicly

You can go to websites such as www.copyright.gov or www.legalzoom.com to download and submit your own copyright form.

My sister and I intend to copyright our design in the next week, and will report on how easy (or difficult) the process actually was.  In a future article, I’ll also discuss what you’re able to do if you do find that someone has copied your designs (be ready to get your legal brains on! Yay!). 

Until then, get to protecting your work, Creative People, and happy designing!

It's Halloween!  I thought it might be nice to take a break from all the talk of the dire straits of the economy and my personal soul searching and just have a little fun!

I’ve been planning for awhile about what to write here on the Beeblog, and  so towards the end of the week I finally  asked my Mom and Dad to scan some old Halloween pictures of me as a kid so I could post them and talk about the joy of homemade costumes. When I opened my e-mail and found the pictures there, I laughed until I cried. I couldn’t believe my eyes! Homemade costumes?  What were these costumes? What was I?

OK, just so you know up front, when my Mom made our costumes, we had to be something that could be later converted into pajamas.  This was fairly limiting, but you can see from the first picture my brother fared fairly well as a tiger, but me, I’m not so sure.  What is that thing on my head? I don’t remember, but I can tell you with all certainty that I insisted that it be there. I’m sure in my mind; it was a very important part of the costume.

Yes, that is me in the princess dress.  I do remember sewing the bow on the front of the dress, probably a hand me down from my cousin because that dress doesn’t look like pajamas at all. And that is me in front of the fridge.  I can’t believe this picture!  What was I?  I think the top was part of my “flannel clown pajamas”, but the mask?  Did clowns wear Zorro masked too back then?  We lived in South Carolina at the time where it is fairly warm, so I’m not sure if the scarf was for warmth or one of my own costume additions.  (Can you tell I grew up in an artist’s household?  There are drawings everywhere in this picture!)  And there I am in the last picture going over my stash of candy.  I remember it seemed like a lot at the time, but it looks pretty paltry by today’s standards.  Oh, and that was back in the day when you could get an apple in your trick or treat bag without fear of poisoning. Oh, how I wish I had that sweater I was wearing now, it would make a great purse! Alas.

I have to say, after the initial requirement of pajamas being met, my Mom would let me touch up my costume however I wanted.  Some attempts were more successful than others.  The bow, OK, but the piece of fabric on the head?  Wow.  Thanks Mom for letting my creative side take flight.

I took over making my own costumes in 5th grade.  I was determined to be Chip and Dale with my best friend and my Mom announced she didn’t sew on fake fur.  Well, I had some allowance money saved so I went up to the 5 and Dime and bought it myself. I do remember it was a struggle, but we did go as Chip and Dale. At the Halloween Carnival all the teachers were impressed. At that moment, I was hooked on handmade forever.

Last week during a sewing class with my 10 year old group at Beehive I was talking with the girls about making Halloween costumes for my son and how this year he has decided he wants to be a disco dancer.  (I can do that! gold lame, here I come). The girls told me, “you should just go to party city and buy a costume and take the tags out and he’ll never know the difference!” I was shocked!

These girls are still a work in progress…..
 I’m getting there with them…….
Pretty soon I’ll have them making their own costumes and everything else in between…..but in the meantime I faked my outrage and we carried on and  I told them that he would definitely know the difference.  He has as many definite ideas about how to touch up his costume as I did.  And besides, could I really deprive him of the hilarious pictures that are sure to result?

Happy Halloween no matter if you have the time to make your costume or not!  But hey, if you don’t have a costume yet, just find an old flannel shirt.  The possibilities are endless; lumberjack, scarecrow and hobo to name a few. Go get creative!