Movies, TV shows, software, games, porn, and music are the usual topics of conversation when it comes to any discussion about online piracy. After all, those types of media make up the lion's share of content found via P2P. Still, the online world has opened the doors to sharing all manner of ideas and intellectual property besides these obvious examples, and there are a few unexpected types of content that get ripped off pretty often, thanks to the Internet.

Sewing patterns

Most of you probably know of sewing patterns as those onion paper things with strangely architectural markings on them that your mom used to buy from the craft store. Not only do those still exist, but they are more popular—and more expensive—than ever. The DIY revolution (accelerated by the struggling economy) has reinvigorated home crafters, but the Internet has helped people, er, cut down costs by sharing these patterns with one another online.

Some patterns can be purchased in PDF form—in which case, sharing them is as simple as sticking them on a Web server or e-mailing them to a friend. Others are purchased the old fashioned way and then scanned into the computer for sharing on craft sites. And that's just the people who are doing it one-on-one—there are others who scan in commercial sewing patterns and then sell burned CDs of them on eBay or on their own websites.

Boat hull designs

In the same way commercial sewing patterns are being illegally distributed online, boat hulls have long been subject to unauthorized ripoffs. In addition to the instructions and designs being posted widely among boat enthusiasts, the designs of already-created hulls were actively copied by expert knock-off artists, even before the Internet days.

This was so prevalent that a special protection for hull designs was added to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act in 1998. Of course, that hasn't stopped ripoffs from proliferating on and off the Internet (they're perhaps just a little more under-the-radar).

Sheet music

Audio files were one of the first types of content Internet users shared on peer-to-peer networks, but sheet music is a whole different monster. Is sharing instructions on how to create your own music really considered stealing? To some people, the answer is clearly no, as sheet music for practically any instrument can be found by cruising forums for musicians and even BitTorrent.

This, of course, extends outside the realm of traditional sheet music, too. Internet users share guitar tabs and other digitized versions of sheet music, and, although they've sometimes been targeted by music industry lawyers, there hasn't yet been enough legal action from the industry to truly scare users into quitting.

Electronic embroidery files

You've probably seen those newfangled sewing machines that come complete with LCDs and data card readers. Many of those are automatic embroidery machines: you can purchase embroidery files from the company that makes the machine, and instruct the computer within to sew butterflies, jack-o-lanterns, or whatever your heart desires into a piece of fabric.

Those files are often proprietary and, even if you buy a machine that lets you make your own designs, you usually have to do so with proprietary (and expensive) software. It's no surprise then that users like to send around files to their private e-mail groups or forum buddies when they buy designs.

Does it still count if it's a small percentage of the population?

In some cases, the company behind the content being shared is another multi-billion dollar corporation while in other instances, it's the work of an individual or small business. Either way, the content costs something to create, and sometimes Internet users aren't even aware that what they're sharing may be copyrighted. Do you know of other examples of unexpected content being shared online? Let us know in the comments.