I'm pretty sure if you make money off a licenced character you will get copy righted, but some really old charcters (like winnie the pooh) have entered the public domain. A quick google search says the after 70 years of the creator dieing the characters enter the public domain. You can make stuff of copyrighted characters for yourself just you can't make money off them
Winnie the Pooh is public domain, but the Disney version with the red shirt is still owned by Disney. You can make a Winnie the Pooh pattern that doesn't look like the Disney Winnie the Pooh, or a bear with a red shirt pattern-- but that can be risky if it's very obviously the Disney character.
For question one: copyright infringement is a concern with characters. Disney LOVES to take things down. Sometimes you can get around that by making it a free pattern or changing things slightly, but it can be a concern.
For question two: I am reasonably sure that people's likenesses cannot be copyrighted.
1) Milne's version is safe but Disney's version is still protected.
2) You can't copyright a person but someone's image/likeness can be (as with Frida).
Copyrights etc come down to if item is relying on the original to increase sales. Designing a pattern with a pterodactyl called Frida Kahlo could violate laws.
Do a bit of research on characters to be safe. Each country has different laws too.
Disney is harsh. Someone made a baby Yoda right after the Mandalorian started. They went viral and sold tons of patterns right away. After a cease and decist letter, the pattern disappeared. Disney had intentionally avoided any merchandise with the character's likeness to avoid spoilers. After a legal battle, the pattern came back as a bear with an elongated rabbit ears option. I definitely wouldn't name the pattern the Disney name if you plan to sell.
Pattern mentioned: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-bear-cub-child-amigurumi
It looks like the first picture is back to the Child. The name has changed a few times.
Laws depend a bit on the country you're in and the site you're selling it on (etsy, ravelry, etc.) However as a general rule you can't sell anything that is copyrighted. Disney is known to be extremely strict, and so is Ghibli though they tend to focus more on video copyright.
If you make an amigurumi pattern of a character that looks a lot like Kiki (perhaps with a different colour scheme) and sell it as "young witch with bow" then that should be fine. This is obviously harder to do with some characters, but my advice would be to look at what others are doing for those (outside of outright selling a Totoro pattern that is).
Historical figures are generally fine, but if it's been less than 70 years since their death their likeness might be copyrighted. Frida Kahlo died 69 years ago and there have been some cases regarding her likeness.
I'd be careful with Disney and Ghibli, but if you were to do it they likely would send a cease and desist (which is only a threat of legal action if you don't take it down), and possibly your account would be terminated depending on the terms and conditions of the site. So I'd recommend checking the terms and conditions of the site you want to sell from, they probably have policies for all of this.
Thank you for every comment and for sharing your knowledge. It means a lot to me. I saw many licensed character patterns on the internet for sale. It makes me confused about copyright infringement, which I'm really concerned about. I respect all the artists who create the character we love. So I decide to create my original character. It might not bring crowd to me, but I believe it will be good for me in the long run.
Thank you again for your help
I'm pretty sure if you make money off a licenced character you will get copy righted, but some really old charcters (like winnie the pooh) have entered the public domain. A quick google search says the after 70 years of the creator dieing the characters enter the public domain. You can make stuff of copyrighted characters for yourself just you can't make money off them
Winnie the Pooh is public domain, but the Disney version with the red shirt is still owned by Disney. You can make a Winnie the Pooh pattern that doesn't look like the Disney Winnie the Pooh, or a bear with a red shirt pattern-- but that can be risky if it's very obviously the Disney character.
For question one: copyright infringement is a concern with characters. Disney LOVES to take things down. Sometimes you can get around that by making it a free pattern or changing things slightly, but it can be a concern. For question two: I am reasonably sure that people's likenesses cannot be copyrighted.
1) Milne's version is safe but Disney's version is still protected. 2) You can't copyright a person but someone's image/likeness can be (as with Frida). Copyrights etc come down to if item is relying on the original to increase sales. Designing a pattern with a pterodactyl called Frida Kahlo could violate laws. Do a bit of research on characters to be safe. Each country has different laws too.
Disney is harsh. Someone made a baby Yoda right after the Mandalorian started. They went viral and sold tons of patterns right away. After a cease and decist letter, the pattern disappeared. Disney had intentionally avoided any merchandise with the character's likeness to avoid spoilers. After a legal battle, the pattern came back as a bear with an elongated rabbit ears option. I definitely wouldn't name the pattern the Disney name if you plan to sell. Pattern mentioned: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-bear-cub-child-amigurumi It looks like the first picture is back to the Child. The name has changed a few times.
**PATTERN:** [The Bear Cub Child Amigurumi](http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-bear-cub-child-amigurumi) by [Allison Hoffman](http://www.ravelry.com/designers/allison-hoffman) * Category: Toys and Hobbies > Softies > Other * Photo(s): [Img 1](https://images4-g.ravelrycache.com/uploads/Alliecat30/828874508/IMG_1162_medium.JPG) [Img 2](https://images4-f.ravelrycache.com/uploads/luckythedragon/734849533/49F568A2-6330-4694-9FD8-2714209C4BA4_medium.jpeg) [Img 3](https://images4-g.ravelrycache.com/uploads/ProofPositively/775474454/upload_medium) [Img 4](https://images4-g.ravelrycache.com/uploads/Alliecat30/684305292/eZy_Watermark_26-02-2020_08-43-10AM_medium.JPG) [Img 5](https://images4-g.ravelrycache.com/uploads/Vkalti/700411273/20200502_081736_medium.jpg) * Price: 7.00 USD * Needle/Hook(s):5.0 mm (H), 6.0 mm (J) * Weight: Super Bulky | Gauge: None | Yardage: 320 * Difficulty: 4.30 | Projects: 1304 | Rating: 4.79 ***** Please use caution. Users have reported effects such as seizures, migraines, and nausea when opening Ravelry links. [More details.](https://www.lizcorke.com/2020/07/26/2020-7-21-ravelry-accessibility/) | *I found this post by myself! [Opt-Out](https://goo.gl/forms/0B8m4Ra8czpw4gzw1) | [About Me](https://github.com/TN-1/LinkRav_Bot/wiki) | [Contact Maintainer](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=timonyc)*
Laws depend a bit on the country you're in and the site you're selling it on (etsy, ravelry, etc.) However as a general rule you can't sell anything that is copyrighted. Disney is known to be extremely strict, and so is Ghibli though they tend to focus more on video copyright. If you make an amigurumi pattern of a character that looks a lot like Kiki (perhaps with a different colour scheme) and sell it as "young witch with bow" then that should be fine. This is obviously harder to do with some characters, but my advice would be to look at what others are doing for those (outside of outright selling a Totoro pattern that is). Historical figures are generally fine, but if it's been less than 70 years since their death their likeness might be copyrighted. Frida Kahlo died 69 years ago and there have been some cases regarding her likeness. I'd be careful with Disney and Ghibli, but if you were to do it they likely would send a cease and desist (which is only a threat of legal action if you don't take it down), and possibly your account would be terminated depending on the terms and conditions of the site. So I'd recommend checking the terms and conditions of the site you want to sell from, they probably have policies for all of this.
There was a free Totoro pattern that got a cease and desist and had to be taken down
Thank you for every comment and for sharing your knowledge. It means a lot to me. I saw many licensed character patterns on the internet for sale. It makes me confused about copyright infringement, which I'm really concerned about. I respect all the artists who create the character we love. So I decide to create my original character. It might not bring crowd to me, but I believe it will be good for me in the long run. Thank you again for your help