That's right. I'm Free to Stitch. I'm Free to Bitch. But I'm NOT free to Stitch-N-Bitch or Stitch & Bitch...I don't even think I'm Free to Stitch and Free to Bitch.
In case you haven't heard, there's this NYC sewing company that claims that they own the rights to the term Stitch & Bitch. For more information, go to the freetostitchfreetobitch website.
Hundreds (ok - I don't know the actual number) of Yahoo Groups were recently notified that they are no longer allowed to use StitchNBitch (or any variation of those three words) as their group name because this sewing company owns that term. I belonged to such a group. We are now called SnBLancaster.
Most (if not all) of these groups were started because of one of these books by Debbie Stoller. The groups are simply a way for people to get together to knit (sew,crochet,etc). The groups did not profit from the name. My guess is that there were so many groups by that name, that whenever a search was done, the groups popped up first (instead of the sewing company's "cafe").
Interestingly enough, this sewing company now offers logo'd knitting needles . WTF??? I can't have a Yahoo group using that name, but they'll take my money for knitting needles (I didn't even look to see what the needles are made out of - probably plastic)?? I don't think so! As if that's not enough, the Yahoo group moderators (of the shut down groups) were invited to join the sewing company's "forum". There are something like 6 pages of Stitch & Bitch messages that were sent out (to each group, in each state)saying "Anybody interested in meeting up?". Click here to see for yourself.
Cafe Press has put together a ban. They also have logo'd items we can use without being slapped with a lawsuit (Free to Stitch. Free to Bitch) click here. While there, you will learn about how the money that's raised will be spent.
This post was brought to you because I'm Free to Bitch...now I'm off to Stitch!!
Oh! If you want some cute Free to Stitch. Free to Bitch. banners and/or buttons for your blog, go here.
MAKE it a great day...and feel free to join the ban!
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1 comment:
Interestingly, plenty of local groups were using the "Stitch & Bitch" name long before Debbie Stoller's wonderful books came out (including Stoller's group, Stitch & Bitch NYC, and one of the groups I belonged to, Stitch & Bitch Chapel Hill - which was deleted by Yahoo thanks to the SFSE debacle). This is a name that goes back a loooong way - long before SFSE ever heard of it. RGH!
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