Technology has gotten away from us. All I want to do is crochet from patterns and what I see. Nowadays, that can’t be done without you breaking some type of copyright and trademark law. I’m speaking about large companies not the crochet lady who makes character hats for you. Yes, companies want to turn a buck but for the little people who want to do the same give them a break. It should be an honor if someone wants your character on the their crocheted item. Think about it as free advertising. This could be a win win situation for all.
Let me try to explain.. 
- someone wants a Minion hat
- you locate 100′s of free patterns online
- you crochet your favorite hat using similar colors and embellishments
- you give/sell to your customer and everyone is happy
This is my personal experience. I’m still on the Minion hat scenario. Since I don’t have little kids at home I’m clueless on the latest and greatest characters for the year. Thanks to my favorite crochet groups and blogs I’m able to keep up on the latest fashion for kids. With me, one thing leads into another. Next thing I know I end up on Pinterest and Raverly searching for more. Eventually I know more about the character than I wanted to know, lol. To put it bluntly, by me making the Minion hat it sparked my desire to purchase official Minion gear. So this time the company wins and I’m giving back for crocheting their design on my crocheted hat.
Hmmmmmmm, if it’s already posted online who is in violation the person who posted it or the designer?
This post is debatable and will require more research. Great another task added to the list 
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UPDATE:
I was doing my usual routine of checking Facebook which led me to a contest, the contest sent me to a Stitch & Unwind’s blog, I browsed the blog and I ended up finding 10 Free “Despicable Me” Minion crochet patterns.
Tonight was a great night, found new blogs to read and new patterns, all this from entering a contest.
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