- 1). Research how old your pattern in question is and where it was published. This information is likely written somewhere on the pattern. Any work published in the United States before 1923 is no longer subject to copyright protection, automatically making it public domain material.
- 2). Conduct a search of the U.S. Copyright Office catalogs for any copyright registration of the pattern yourself, or ask the Copyright Office to do it for you. A fee applies for research conducted by the Copyright Office. You can access copyrights recorded since January 1, 1978, for free on the Copyright Office's website.
- 3). Contact a lawyer. If you are reproducing the actual pattern for any commercial purpose, there may be other legal issues, such as trademarks, involved. A lawyer can advise you of your legal rights and responsibilities.
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