…isn’t that what they say imitation is? so, i would say “thank you”, but a recent incident may force a change in the way mrs. jones conducts things here.
long story short: thank goodness my true blue friend helen morris has sharp eyes for things in addition to great design…she brought to my attention that an etsy seller (who shall remain nameless) had copied an original stencil pattern of mine and was selling it as her work. bad karma, right? the kicker: she also swiped my accompanying photograph and was using it as a way to sell the stolen stencil design! brazen! shameless! outrageous! (is anyone else shocked by this?)
after my emailing her directly and notifying etsy, she de-listed the offending stencil and photograph. (without an apology, just a terse, unashamed “item has been removed.”) several seriously prominent stencil designers, from whom she has stolen numerous images and designs, are taking legal action. magpies, beware!
from now on, it seems that watermarking images will be a must. since it is too daunting to consider going back and editing every photo i’ve ever posted, i am just going to have to rely on your kindness and decency so that i may keep sharing (as i’ve been so happy to do) without worrying about things being misused, or proper credit not being given (which is turning into an expensive problem, seeing as how my intellectual property attorney bills by the text/minute/email. ouch.)
and while i realize that putting images online at times begs for a good copy & paste, and sharing sites such as polyvore and pinterest have blurred the lines of what’s permissible to virtually borrow, please let’s get back to the basics…be kind, share (carefully), give credit where credit is due, don’t touch things that don’t belong to you without asking first, do unto others, etc. etc.
thus concludes my rant. thank you for listening.
(above photo really unrelated to anything, really…it’s a little plaque i made for the broom closet door at the studio – which is where i would like to lock a particular etsy seller. there. i’ve said it. anyway, the details: silver leaf over henrietta chalk paint™. vintage vacuum stencil from stencil 1.)
Boxwood Terrace says
Hi Stephanie – So sorry to hear that, but glad your friend brought it to your attention and it’s been resolved. It’s amazing that the offender has no shame. I can totally understand why you now need to watermark your photos, but it won’t detract at all from your wonderful work. Wishing you the best!
Deborah
Katherine says
THEFT is not a form of flattery. You conducted yourself in a ladylike and professional manner …. good Karma to you!
The Devoted Classicist says
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you may have another “alter ego” or “evil twin”. Her site was inadvertently linked with my site by Google because of the association. I was too shocked to realize I should have made a note. I’ll try to find it and send it to you.
stephanie says
deborah, becky & katherine, thank you for your kind support! i truly appreciate you all.
and thank you for letting me know, john! i can get into enough trouble on my own without an evil twin out there…let me know what you find out. i cherish our association and hope that it would never bring anything negative your way. xx
Becky Beavers says
Stephanie, I’m so sorry that you are having to take time away from your wonderful work to deal with this kind of issue. There was a John Wooden quote that I had on the wall in my classroom–“Do right.” Life would be much simpler if people would simply “do right.” Your “doing right” in your very gracious manner speaks volumes for who you are. Thank you for sharing your giftedness on your website with us!
Blessings!
Becky
CAT says
Terrible, a true crime b/c it is a CRIME! Nothing to mess around with. Pininterest is a HUGE problem. The repinning just identifies the prior pinner as a source. NOT good enough. I always identify the REAL source. This type of thing is so prolific now. I would join the suit Stephanie and go after these thieves. It is the only thing that will make them stop
Cat
stephanie says
i wish you lived in memphis…i adore my intellectual prop attorney, but need some CAT power! xx
CAT says
S, any time you want a letter to go out , phonecall made or repot to a website, no charge for you!
cat