This control is achieved by giving authors of copyrighted works the exclusive right to carry out certain acts, and the exclusive right to authorize others to carry out these acts.  Such acts can include:

• making copies of a work
• making copies of substantial parts of a work 
• preparing derivative works based on the copyrighted work
• translating a work 
• adapting a work to another form (e.g. adapting a novel for a screenplay) 
• performing a work (such as a play or a song) in public 
• broadcasting a work (such as a television program or a song) 
• publishing a work for the first time 

The works to which copyright can apply include original literary, artistic, musical, dramatic, choreographic, and architectual works. 

Copyright protection arises automatically once a work that meets the statutory requirements is created.  However, there are usually distinct advantages to marking a work with a copyright notice and registering copyright.  In some countries, it may be necessary to register copyright in a work before you can sue for copyright infringement; and the date that copyright was registered or the work was marked with a copyright notice, relative to the date of infringement, may be relevant to the amount of damages that can be collected for copyright infringement.  If matters like these are of concern to you, you should consult a qualified copyright attorney.
 
If you're a designer who sold the rights to a pattern to a publisher, you might want to review your publishing contract with your attorney.  There's a possibility that although you signed away your rights to printed publications, you may have retained your rights to electronic publication.  If that's the case, then it may be up to you to ensure that any infringement of your work on the Internet is stopped, and not up to your publisher.
 
Copyright infringement occurs when someone does with a copyrighted work that which only the copyright owner has the right to do, without permission.  When copyright infringement is pursued in a civil action, the remedies may include damages, an accounting of the infringer's profits, and an injunction.  It's up to the copyright owner or licensee to enforce copyright.