15 April 2007

From Open Source to Open Sewing

Nice: someone else who really gets it:

"Ours is an open-source approach to the sewing patterns," Abousteit said. "We removed copyright restrictions and actually encourage people to make money selling their improved versions over our own Web site."

The only requirement for people to use modified Burda patterns is to acknowledge the company as the source.

Removing copyright restrictions from the patterns that made Burda Moden money and fame was a move that required approval from Hubert Burda.

"Instead of opposing the removal of copyright," Burda "drew a parallel between sewing patterns and the music industry," she said. "He said we should not make the same mistakes as record companies did with copy restrictions."

So how do they make money? Easy - offer added-value:

The site gives away sewing patterns that can be printed on A4 paper which then must be taped together. For about $4 people can download a pattern that can be printed on a single large sheet on printers available at most print shops.

(Via Paidcontent.org.)

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

A slight digression, It always amazes me how similar knitting (as opposed to sewing) patterns are to computer software. When I was a nipper and programming my Nascom Z80 based computer in hex machine code in my Gran's front room, she used to ask me what I was doing and I struggled to explain it to her, until I took a peek at one of her knitting patterns and realised that it was pretty much indistinguishable from a machine code program complete with variables, loops, op codes, subroutines and conditions...

Glyn Moody said...

Absolutely - and let's not forget Jacquard's loom.

Anonymous said...

also-Knit one,purle one,knit two together, without even looking.p

Veronica Darling... said...

I've signed up for Burda Style and most patterns are free or really cheap compared to buying from shops.

I'm yet to make something though, but all they ask is that if you sell it (through etsy.com) you give the pattern the Burda Style nod.

Pretty good and helping you make your own business! Open source in this instance is respectful and trustworthy, I trust them because they trust me.

Great blog btw!

Glyn Moody said...

Thanks for the hands-on feedback.