I try not to be a copy cat, but the balance between giving inspiration and being ripped off is difficult. The line is easy to cross and I think some people just won’t see it if you haven’t spelled it out. I’ve just seen the works of a copy cat.
Be flattered you might say, but nah, I can’t feel any of that really. Not at all, I’m disipointed and sad. I don’t think it is okey to copy something, and not even telling where you got the inspiration – or the whole idea and concept that it’s about this time.
These are made by me this summer from a pattern that I created:
I’ve blogged about them several times and I’m selling some in my shop!
Here is what a another blogging person has “created”:
The ears and body shape is exacly the same, even though mine are smaller and has better shaped tails. The faces are a copy too, with thin black thread embrodered in the same manner as I have done – and she is linking to my site from the sidebar, so it is very obviouss where she got the idea. But not in her post, at all.
I’ve been thinking about this all day today and yesterday. I guess it’s bothering me a bit.
What do you think – and what would you do?
If this happened to you, how would you react? And it’s not about an idea borrowed or inspiration found here, I love that – it’s about a rip off.
Hej Hanna,
You probably can’t make this other person stop making them, but I think you should contact her and tell her that you have seen her cats and ask her to at least “confess” to where she got the idea.
Or you could get people to leave spam comments on her blog. ;-)
Det er lidt sv?rt med de id?er, for hvem kom f?rst….!? Jeg har tilf?ldigvis syet mig en kat i dag, men efter et m?nster fra en Kaffe Fassett bog. Lidt pudsigt nu jeg l?ser p? din blog her til aften.
Hanna – I would open my mouth to her, and send her an email. You should not feel sad about someone else stealing your creation or your pattern. She should be the one that feels sad and low for stooping to that level. At least if she was going to use your pattern, she should give YOU the credit for it – not taking the credit souly herself. Did she say it was her idea – or she just neglected to credit you? Because if she didn’t say it was her idea and just made them – maybe she forgot to link you and credit you – maybe she just needs a reminder. But if it was intentional and she wants to get full credit – then I would definitely toss her a friendly email asking her what’s going on!
I would definitely contact her and let her know that she is “hurting your feelings” by not giving credit where credit is due.
miriam
Most definitely confront her.
Or perhaps she will read this post, since she linked you she is surely a regular reader. and she will contact you, apologize + give you credit (HINT HINT to the copy cat if you are reading these comments).
I dread the day I might have to deal with this.
Hanna, I know how you’re feeling right now and it sucks. When it happened to me I wrote a cease and desist letter to the person and luckily the person in question acted quickly, removed copied items for sale and photos of copied items from Flickr. Hopefully it will go as smoothly for you.
It?s happened to me a couple of times too – I blogged about something new I tried and a couple of days later I see similar photos on flikr or another blog. I couldn?t be sure if someone was copying or if it was a coincidence so I let it slide. As for the cats, they really are almost identical to yours and I think you should contact the person who made them and ask that she refer to where she got the original idea. Phooey!!! Things like this shouldn?t happen but unfortunately there will always be a few people who have no respect.
I feel very strongly about this. I would feel horrible if it happened to me. Unfortunately I notice it all the time on Flickr, and you’re right – inspiration, ideas, that’s great. But when it’s clear that the person copies you shamelessly and doesn’t bother to ask you or credit you, I would definitely write to her. :(
If Copy Cat tried the pattern just for herself; write her in a nice way reminding her about your cats.
But if CC is selling your cats without your admission you need to act promtly and check up on copyright law.
hi there,
Here in Italy 99% of the people don’t believe in copyright and just go ahead and copy without a second thought. How many times I’ve helped people, given advice and had my ideas and patterns copied !!
pisses me right off !!!!!!!!!!! I like to give credit where due, for example to feature someone on my blog and show their artwork I always ask for permission.
Best say that it’s copyright even if it’s not !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! they will think twice …
chin up
hugs
joan in italy
Is she selling them? If she is, that is not cool. Not sure how to handle that. But I would email her, “thanking” her for being inspired by your work but gently reminding her to give you credit somewhere on her site, per your copyright. And then you can post who she is on yours, so the word can get out…kind of like the blacklist on Backtack. A little harsh, but we need to be sure this kind of behavior doesn’t proliferate on the web. If she recants and maybe truly meant to give you credit and forgot, you’ll see it pop up soon on her site. Good luck!
i have had a look on her blog, but i don’t speak norwegian so i don’t know if she is selling these cats. does she say they’re of her own inspiration? if she just thought your cats look cool and that she would like some, too then i feel i couldn’t condemn her, although she could have said “hanna’s cats looked so cool that i tried making one too”, or something to that effect whereby it would have been clear where she got the idea from.
i am unsure about exposing her like this, including blog URL, before she has had a chance to even defend herself. it’s a very difficult situation, but i feel everyone is innocent until proven guilty. i hope it was just an oversight on her part, and that she will make a statement on her blog and of course explain it to you.
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Hi!
First of all, sorry if you feel sad ’bout what I did. I just thought the cats were really funny, so I made a couple for my younger siblings. I have NO plan of selling them at all…
Of course I should’ve said where I found my inspiration, and I’m truly sorry for not doing so, sometimes things just goes to fast…
I have removed the post on my blog for the public, and I hope things will work out, and once again, sorry…
Dronninge…
Hei Hanna! Jeg la merke til disse kattene hennes, og tenkte med det samme at her har hun kopiert dine. Skj?nner meget godt at du er lei deg. Jeg ville sagt det til henne, uten tvil. Bedt henne fortelle om hvem som inspirerte henne. M? si at kattene dine er MYE finere. Bestandig inspirerende ? bes?ke deg. Er veldig treg med ? legge ut min katt, skal gj?re det snaaart. Hun vises p? bordet jeg dekket til hobbytreff; der hang hun og passet p? godterisk?len :-) :-)
It?s not fun to be copied without credit, as she probably did.
But it?s hard to know sometimes when it is an original idea. I saw a pattern similar to yours in a book from 1983. You have probably not seen it, but I just wanted to point out that it?s difficault to tell sometimes who has the original idea.
But I really like the things you create. Hope you?re not afraid to keep posting :)
Dear Dronninge [aka Copy cat in my post above],
I accept your appologie, and I have to write this as a comment here since I don’t have your e-mailadress and you haven’t written to me in person.
Let’s consider this forgotten!
You are very welcome to continue to visit my blog and be inspired, but please, next time, try not to copy but to be inspired, try to add you own personal touch to the project and give credit to where you found your inspiration if possible.
oh. my. gosh. thats a terrible fear of mine and to think i really dont think im that original :P if it happened to me id be rightfully pissed, but she posted an apology which is cool, but it wouldve been cooler i guess if she asked you, or posted sooner? keep being original as its a proven fact your creations are exceptionally unique!
xo
nico
Hi!
I think this personn is someone of good faith,a lot of people don’t know what copyright is until they have their own ideas stolen! I know how much this can be awful. And by the way, your pattern are really great! I love them
hi hanna,
some beaders i know say that when you’re copied is when it means that you are doing a good work, being creative and that it is a sign for you. it means you are a professional. i tend to be like you and think it’s just bull, it’s good to give people that started the idea credit, and then again we’ve discussed copyright issues so many times!!! they say that if you copy instructions and rewrite as is it is infringement, if you make your own pattern then it’s ok. BUT, i am sure there are ways to go around this, like if this person here is selling them, the smart thing to do would be to at least create her own faces, right? change the style… even if that tail stands up etc… there is a style that is perosnal to each and no two faces are ever the same.
take care of yourself, do something about this, if you have a brand on it, i hear that your items are automaticaly copyrighted as well