I LOVE the soaping community! It's full of kind, encouraging & interesting people! I enjoy chats on Pixielee's Soap Forum. I love reading comments here on this blog and also leaving comments for people on their blogs! I love the Etsy community and it's amazing craftiness. I was so flattered recently that Anne-Marie gave me a shout-out and a chance to share my technique for my SoapCakes. So many great things have come from my experimentation in the world of bubbles!
A couple of days ago, I was poking around Etsy and saw a product that was cute. It looked a lot like one of mine, which I thought was adorable! I clicked on it and was shocked to find the EXACT WORDS FROM MY DESCRIPTION staring back at me! I actually LOVE the fact that we all put our own personalities into similar products, so that's not my complaint. But to look at my own words on someone else's site was a bit of a bummer.
I found a great line on Indiepublic that they offer to crafters to use as a step toward protecting our hard work and creativity. (feel free to cut & paste :)! Thanks for Sion Lee of Indiepublic for sharing her expertise! Let me know what you guys think~!
All contributed content © {your name or company here}
15 comments:
Wow, that kind of stinks. I wouldn't have thought something like that would happen on etsy, since it's so easy to see all similar items.
I was surprised too. I can't imagine what the odds were that I would actually see it! ;) But, it's a good thing in the end because it reminded me to pay attention to the business side of things as well! Hopefully, sharing that lesson is helpful to everyone! :)
This happened to me last year, except it wasn't on Etsy, it was a company's website. They stole the photo of my whipped shea butter and the copy on my website verbatim! Why can't someone find their own description from inside themselves about their own product. It's one thing if you are doing research and needing to cut and paste and pull info together (and even then one should refer back to the original content), but when you take someone else's photo and words to describe YOUR OWN product, it makes zero sense to me. I tried to see it as a compliment. I tell my daughter when she gets angry at her brother for copying. I explain that it is a form of flattery and to think of it from his perspective. He admires her and wants to emulate her.
It still bugs me when people take things that aren't theirs.
What a drag that happened to you, too! You're right about flattery! It IS a compliment, but it's also pretty lazy! Oh well, I'm a big believer in karma... stealing someone's work is just bad karma!...
BTW, even if they stole your pix and your words, they could NEVER make a product as good as yours, so...they lose! :)
Say what??? Okay- I'm not surprised, but to copy something word for word-well that's more than just lazy it's just stealing someone else thought--edging on plagiarism--in other words a BIG no-no.
On certain products I add the TM, because if it's an original idea- I don't want someone taking the luxury of using my hard work at my expense.
Okay--I'm curious....about what it was on Esty? I know it really doesn't matter-it just would take me back a bit if it happened..
You know you've made it when people start copying what you're doing! I think it's very important to protect your work, there are people out there with no ethics.
Oh, Carrie~Gigi, there's a tiny part of me that would love to rat the person out... but I can't. I'm going to forget all about her myself and be grateful to learn the lesson in a tiny, irritating way instead of a devastating way!! Thanks for your support! :) I love my new bubble friends!!
Hey lovemichie! You MUST be right...
I'm sure I've arrived! ;) Thanks for the bright side!!:)
I have had this happen so many times and it's never fun. I'm sorry it happened to you.
This might be of some use to you:
http://myfreecopyright.com/
I've used it to protect my blog. I'm really tired of seeing my work pop up in pay-per-view newsletters and the like.
thanks for the site, gracfruit! I'm sure it will help! I'm sorry that people are copying you, too! I love reading your blog and enjoying pictures of your beautiful soap! It really lovely! :)
A bubble hex on the copiers!
Oh Gosh!! I typo'd your name. I'm so sorry! Gracefruit. I think it was a finger spasm!
OMG! Heather, I just found out from another blogger that this happened to you. Not a good feeling I'm sure. Your such a sweet person, I'd probably be screaming about it all over the place.
Obviously someone who is just in it all for the money. Because half the fun of anything handmade is the creative side of it all (putting our own mark on it). Internet robbery. I'm hearing a lot about this lately :(
Thanks, Michelle! I think I got so mad about it, because I realized that we're all vulnerable to it. I have felt such a great warmth from the soaping/etsy community (just look at all of the sweet & encouraging comments on here!:) I thought somehow it was above that. Oh well, I still think it's 99% above that!
the site the gracefruit mentioned in her comment + the line on indiepublic should help us all feel a little better protected! :)
HI Heather,
I clicked over to your blog from one of AnneMarie's posts. I guess it's a good thing to keep having hope in human decency...so I won't become cynical....I still get surprised when I read stories like yours with your very own words being copied or Joanna's... where they stole her pic and words. It's just shameful! I just don't understand how people could do that. If you're creative enough to craft your own cute products, be creative enough to take your own pictures and write your own descript!
I'm sorry that happened to you...have a good week,
Jeannie
They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery (as Joanna tried to tell her daughter), but as far as I'm concerned, not when it comes to one's livelihood. I'm so sorry to hear that it happened to you, Heather, and to Joanna and Gracefruit. And it irks me that so many of these thieves are getting away with stealing other people's creative ideas. :(
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