Pattern artist? Read this.
I have noticed that patterns by different artists here at TSR are starting to be repeated. This is because the majority of artists here are getting their patterns from similar sources, myself included. If you get your pattern off the net in any form or fashion, duplicating another artist's pattern or having yours duplicated in the future is a possibility
Many of my patterns are my own design, though, the majority are patterns from free pattern sites and other online sources (both free and commercial).
As more and more patterns are submitted to TSR, the likelyhood of either myself duplicating a pattern someone else has already submitted, or someone duplicating mine will increase. And due to the volume of the patterns, it will be impossible to keep up with.
I will not apologize if I mistakenly publish a pattern that someone else has already used. Nor will I expect an apology from anyone else who uses the same pattern that I do. It is bound to happen under these circumstances. However, I promise if I am aware of an artist at TSR that has already done the same pattern, I will refrain from using it out of respect for that artist (unless, for example, theirs is only 1 recolorable palette when mine is many).
I will be trying to do more original patterns to avoid this issue, though I still may use patterns from these sources on occasion.
But if you get your created patterns online, anywhere, just be aware that it is a possibility -- that myself or another TSR pattern maker -- will make the same pattern someday. It is to be expected, and I hope there are no hard feelings if and when this happens.
-Jenny