Copyright?

Hi Everyone

I am in the process of setting up my own email Tarot business and I want to use a spread from The Complete Idiot's Guide to Tarot & Fortune Telling. Do spreads come under copyright? I will be using spreads from here and plan to say Designed from say Sprite Aeclectic Tarot 2004. I mean they have The Celtic Cross in their book and I know they didn't invent that! What are your thoughts and please if somebody doesn't want me to use their spread please let me know I can put up a list later on if you like of what spreads I will be using

No. Never! A spread is an option for peopl to share or a dcision of how to place the cards, and just no matter what, a spread can not be copy right. Go for it!

Lucas Prince of Cats said:

No. Never! A spread is an option for peopl to share or a dcision of how to place the cards, and just no matter what, a spread can not be copy right. Go for it!

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Oh good! Cheers thanks for that, I didn't think it was but wanted to make sure

The spread's concept is not, unless explicitly covered by a design patent of some sort.
Any diagrams or instructions related to a work presenting a spread are copyrighted.

Study how copyright affects cookbooks and recipies for a better idea of where the line has been drawn by trial.

The Celtic Cross spread shows up everywhere because it's in the public domain. Anyone is free to use it. Any other spread that you want to use in your business, you need to get permission. It's the only way to make sure you don't piss anyone off, and the only way to make sure you stay out of court.

There's a big thread here on the topic of copyrights and tarot spreads. It's not exactly about your particular situation, but it's still full of information. And opinion. Mostly opinion. But it's interesting.

Who Owns a Tarot Spread?
http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=232154

poor metafizzypop had their spread widely distributed after posting it here! that thread was a very interesting discussion about it.

tarotlova, I would ask the original spread creators if it is okay to use in your business, it seems only polite! promise to credit them on your business pages for the spread.

And sometimes it takes a little common sense too. I think my only contribution to this section is a SWOT analysis spread. I basically applied SWOT analysis to tarot. I don't think someone can copyright something like that, especially since the concept is readily available and relatively common - anyone at any time might think of doing the same thing (applying so and so concep to a tarot spread). So you can maybe look for similar spreads.

I do know that you might be in trouble of you use Sherilee Jones' Mystical Magical Romance in the Stars Spread (making up names here!) without permission.

danieljuk said:

poor metafizzypop had their spread widely distributed after posting it here! that thread was a very interesting discussion about it.

tarotlova, I would ask the original spread creators if it is okay to use in your business, it seems only polite! promise to credit them on your business pages for the spread.

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That's what I have done I have put the name of the spread then underneath the spread name By Sprite Aeclectic Tarot

blue_fusion said:

And sometimes it takes a little common sense too. I think my only contribution to this section is a SWOT analysis spread. I basically applied SWOT analysis to tarot. I don't think someone can copyright something like that, especially since the concept is readily available and relatively common - anyone at any time might think of doing the same thing (applying so and so concep to a tarot spread). So you can maybe look for similar spreads.

I do know that you might be in trouble of you use Sherilee Jones' Mystical Magical Romance in the Stars Spread (making up names here!) without permission.

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Ah Ha we have this spread on phuture.me where I do paid readings George has put down that you are the creator, now I can ask you a question re this, how do you read it across or down?

Now for the list of who's spreads I am using,I think some of these people are no longer on this forum, if anyone knows them please ask on my behalf if it's ok to use it!

Two Choice Decision spread by Sprite I use this a lot for myself love it
Easter Egg spread by LeFey
Happy Birthday Spread by Trish McGregor & Phyllis Vega 1998
13 Goddesses Spread by Ramona
A Christmas Carol by Elendi
Umbraes Relation Spread by Umbrae of course!
Maat Weighing the Heart Spread by Lyones
Vampire Cross by JudyZ

Everyone has their name accredited to their spread, I would never not do that as I feel it's extremely rude not too. If anyone is not happy please let me know and I will remove it. I haven't got my business up & running yet.

tarotlova said:

Ah Ha we have this spread on phuture.me where I do paid readings George has put down that you are the creator, now I can ask you a question re this, how do you read it across or down?

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Both ways! E.g. PPF as rows and SWOT as columns. You can read each row to show the SWOT in the past, present and then future. You could also do a cross sectional analysis and tackle each column - e.g. what are common themes in the querent's Weaknesses across time (PPF). You can replace PPF with some other stuff and do the same thing as what I said above.


Was that what were asking for?

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And while I acknowledged earlier that someone else could have thought up the same concept, I do appreciate George's attribution.

Metafizzypop said:

The Celtic Cross spread shows up everywhere because it's in the public domain. Anyone is free to use it. Any other spread that you want to use in your business, you need to get permission. It's the only way to make sure you don't piss anyone off, and the only way to make sure you stay out of court.

There's a big thread here on the topic of copyrights and tarot spreads. It's not exactly about your particular situation, but it's still full of information. And opinion. Mostly opinion. But it's interesting.

Who Owns a Tarot Spread?
http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=232154

Click to expand...

Un-related to the topic of this thread, could I use this spread for halloween?