A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Copyright Infringement

So, I'm wasting time browsing through Ravelry while breastfeeding my Adorable, when suddenly I come across someone's really awesome Brain Slug hat. I click on it to add it to my queue, and low and behold, not only is she selling it for a profit, she also had the audacity to add the tag line "You may not sell the finished product."

No, actually, I CANNOT sell the finished product. Know why? It's a copyrighted character from an animated television series and you are breaking the law by profiting from the reproduction of the character.

She may as well have pirated the whole Futurama series, offered it up for sale, and the added "Redistribution or commercial use is prohibited."

This does not fall under Fair Use, as Etsy clearly states, which is where the Brain Slug hat pattern is for sale.

I wanted to report it, but both Etsy and Ravelry only take complaints from the copyright owners, and frankly I'm sure Matt Groening has better things to do with his time. It still makes me angry that someone is taking advantage of Futurama fans and trying to make money off of a stolen character.

Another person who created an amigurumi pattern even had the nerve to claim her crochet Brain Slug pattern is the original.

So, for Futurama Brain Slug Fans everywhere, here is a link to a FREE amigurumi pattern for a Futurama Brain Slug.  And, here is another link to another free amigirumi Brain Slug pattern.

And if you want a Brain Slug hat, just find any ruffled hat pattern, attach two antennae and make them stand out by putting extra stuffing in them, crochet a white circle for the giant eyeball, and then add a small black circle or a big black button for the pupil. Then post a picture on Ravelry and make sure your pattern is FREE.

Also, I'm saying Brain Slug a lot so that people googling crochet Brain Slug will find this blog post more easily.

Brain Slug.

Also, here's a free crochet TARDIS pattern, a free crochet Dalek pattern, a free crochet Bender pattern, and a free crochet Cthulhu pattern. I don't even know what a Cthulhu is, but it appears to be popular.

Brain Slug. Brain Slug.