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Next to the standard trainwrecks in the Etsy Forums over personalities, one of the more frequent themes is all about copying. Of course, one person's copy can be another person's main source of income. Some cases of copying are more heinous than others. With that in mind, the Etsy Bitches give you the Six Degrees of Copying. Feel free to add any we missed in the comments.
1. Someone copied my banner!!!! (Same color and same crappy font).
2. Someone copied me!!! They make candles and soaps to sell on Etsy! And last month they got a nose piercing right after mine! AND they live in the same state, OMG!!!
3. Someone copied me and did it badly! They used the same (insert product/supply here) that I use !
4. Someone copied me and they're selling it cheaper!
5. Stalker copier - they have copied my banner, my product, my descriptions, AND they resell my stuff on Dawanda for a profit!!
6. They bought it from me, took it apart to figure out how I made it, and now they're planning to sell DIY kits of MY design in their Etsy store!!!!
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Six Degrees of Copying
Posted by The Kinky One at 1:01 AM
Tagged: copying, forums, humor, professionalism, trainwreck
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18 Comments:
Thank you for this public service announcement! You Bitches Rock!
I would like to add:
1) You can't copyright, patent or trademark a product you make that starts out with a trademark violation! Really! Honestly!
2) If you use commercial supplies, guess what? Since those supplies are available to everyone someone is bound to come up with something similar. That's not copying! Honestly!
3) You can't copyright "hair bows" or "bracelets" or "earrings" or "journals." If you use a unique expression in any of your products you may be able to trademark that expression. But you can't stop other people from making "hair bows." Honestly!
4) If you are making and selling a product that you saw in a technique book, guess what? It's not your design! Anyone else can violate that poor authors' copyright, trademark or patent, not just you! Honestly!
5) Just because someone sells something first on Etsy, doesn't mean they were the first person to make or sell that thing ever. There are many people who have been artists for years - long before Etsy was ever thought of - who have been making and selling things similar to what you see on Etsy. Selling on Etsy doesn't make you more important than anyone else. Honestly!
haha- that's too funny. made me laugh.
Sorry Anon, but we cannot allow your comments. Please read the article below as why we cannot allow anon comments any longer.
http://etsybitch.blogspot.com/2008/06/unregistered-comments-are-back-on.html
HAHAHAHA...I love this.
Now I will say, and make fun of me allll ya want......once, I actually had someone buy an item from me, "reproduce" an identical item, same size, shape, style, same FABRIC, and then it got featured on the front page...BWAHAHAHAHAHA! Ballsy...that said, most of us didn't "invent" whutever the frack it is we're making...so que sera sera...
excellent! and ditto, a great public service announcement too.
Number 6 was Spiderbite's lovely experience the other week.
Number 5 actually happened as well, I just can't remember the names of those involved. But it's a closed thread on Dramamrama from a few weeks ago.
Numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4 happen waaaay to often. If you've never seen an example - just lurk in the forums for a day.
"Number 5 actually happened as well, I just can't remember the names of those involved. But it's a closed thread on Dramamrama from a few weeks ago."
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5620387
I know about #2 and who it was between. Took it to the forums too and started calling that seller a Single White Female Stalker. Fucking scary in its own right to think someone is so important.
I'm laughing at the copyrighting one. Some people are quick to say "You should NEVER, EVER copy. NEVER, EVER."
But, then when I look at their shop, they are selling My Little Pony earrings and Hello Kitty t-shirts.
*sigh*
If you are throwing cheap plastic crap charms on a chain or gluing them on earrings, guess what? Someone else can too. OMG, the horror of someone copying your crap!
One of my favs was "Someone's copying my photos!"
After several sympathetic posts, it turned out she didn't mean stealing the photos, but rather copying the STYLE of her photos--how she shows her product.
Unf#ckingbelievable.
Old Hippie,
Go ahead - cuss without censoring yourself. We encourage it here.
UNFUCKINGBELIEVABLE
Ye gods it can be liberating!
Here's one you forgot:
Admin features a certain style of item in the Storque as 'trend'. Admin finds a bunch of lovely items in the same basic (very old, traditional, generic) shape but each having their own unique twist on the idea. Then admin says in the article that one of those makers "started the trend" and implies that everyone else they just featured is a copycat. Commenters to the Storque also hint, imply and insinuate all the other featured artists are copying.
Bonus points if you can find a tutorial on craftster for the same very simple, traditional item, posted before Etsy ever existed.
see also: When is being featured in the Storque not always a good thing?
Ah, but surely the best is when the Storque actually do feature items that are ripping people off? And call them new and exciting and "tapping into a trend"! They make me laugh.
PS Love this post & love Just Bitchy's additions.
Do people still wear hair bows?
Sure they do. People like child beauty queens and Mormon women do... both of those are equally creepy though.
needed to see this post and comments right now...thanks, made me feel better, err petty, about my 4/6 it happens, is happening, and will continue...
Giggle...copying?
"Help me with my etsy shop".
"Someone took my etsy shop name?"
"I'm giving up and closing my etsy."
Found this link to etsy bitch via my blog? weird. But you are so funny and I certainly enjoy popping in every day.
Peace,
Mickey
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