I am SO tired of ETSY RIPOFFS.
November 23rd, 2008 by FireChickTick
I’ve asked this CRAFTER (artists don’t blatantly and/or purposefully copy other artists)…to PLEASE stop ripping off my designs, over and over. Being a fulltime artisan, it’s very important to me to keep my ORIGINAL DESIGNS just that…MY original designs….anyhow…here’s what I found just today:
My Original Design (Fused Glass Tree of Life Pendant)
MY DESIGN…copied by Etsy’s own PaperNClay, a member of The Creative Glass Guild Of Etsy:
And, here’s yet ANOTHER copy from PaperNClay. This time, she copied my design, shipped it across the country, where her buddy SmokeyLady54 (From Etsy) designed BEADS to match…then, they sold it on Etsy! SmokeyLady is a horrid photographer, but you can see that PaperNClay is doing a great job of copying, rather, STEALING, my work.
UNBELIEVABLE.
(138 votes, average: 3.01 out of 5)
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This makes me not want to start an Etsy account for my stuff.
Any artist/designer with any sense of ethics would pull anything they made if they saw something too similar, if only to stop people thinking they did copy it.
Etsy should stop this, it is damaging their name.
P.S, They may have copied you, but nowhere near to the same standard.
Omg firechicktick, give em hell! How dare they… I’ll send some nasty bugs after them…
Ridiculous, isn’t it? Here’s what’s killing me: she has some blurb in her descriptions about a “copyright pending”. mmmkay, uh…I unveiled this design in March, 2008. Try to find one like it before that. There aren’t any because this is my ORIGINAL design. I’ve about had it with Etsy.
Have you sent a copy of the C&D to Etsy via cert return receipt?
You say she’s doing a great job of copying your work. I disagree – I say it looks shoddy and inferior compared to yours, not great at all. Goes to show copies never match the original quality and it shows them up every time. Your photographs are much better too. People forget that though they try and copy designs, they can’t copy the customer service and quality of presentation that goes with it…
Similar but they aren’t exact rip-off’s
does anyone remember when this site was more than a bunch of old ladies bitchin back and forth about cheap homemade glass flowers?
This fused glass pendant is made with silver-blue shift crackle glass and is capped with clear glass for depth. Setting is sterling silver (stamped .925).
Now like I said- How about that Harley Davidson logo rip-off!!
Did you still want that photo proof you asked for?
I find it ludicrous that the people that scream the loudest about copying are also the biggest offenders. It’s time to let go of this destructive behavior, name calling and stalking, yes stalking. Whenever someone doesn’t agree with FCT she yells stalking when she is actually the one doing the stalking to many good folks at Etsy.
Well our first comments were gotten rid of but
we are back.
Man hands this is not just old ladies bitchin
My partner and I have a copyright pending .
We were told by the copyright office that it is
ok to start selling our item. It is our copyright.
This ugly name calling has been around quite long enough.
Firetickchick has never contacted me about this
First untruth in many.
Yet she had slandered myself, my partner Papernclay and even my family on her blog and
any place she can find on the internet.
It just keeps going on and on.
Oh by the way please stop using our pictures we did
not give you permission to use them.
I have not written nasty comments about you at any
time, but I have asked you to stop saying things
about my husband. Oh my lawyer made copies of that
before you removed them. Your blog is just full
of comments.
Threads have been stopped on Etsy because of your
nasty comments.
Please just leave us alone it is our copyright
and that is that.
With respect to any and all that read this.
I doubt that this tirade and those on Ms Tick’s personal blog are helping her business. It’s really disturbing and sad actually.
I think the copyright owners should call for C&D.
It’s pretty rude to accuse people of copying your “original designs” and then not let people express their opinions on the matter unless those opinions coincide with yours. I’m happy to see that has been taken out of your control so opposing views can be posted.
I find it pretty laughable that you are forever accusing others of copying you. Let me put it in your own words, straight from the Yahoo Kilnglass group where you so frequently asked for help with one technique after another. You yourself were accused of copying once upon a time (well more than once, but this is just one example) and here is your defense:
“I mean, geeze, I did a pot melt and got absolutely slammed with nasty emails. C’mon. I feel safe here, asking questions, and comfortable that I’ll get a wealth of valuable information.
Did the first person ever to crochet a blue scarf go around to the entire world and exclaim that it’s HER design? No.
Recreating glass pieces really, in my opinion, (not so humble sometimes), is like trying to recreate a snowflake. It’s impossible.
Let’s learn from each other without fear.
We’re not truly discovering anything … we’re learning! Glass crafting has been around alot longer than we have.
Without the help and guidance of artists who have A LOT more talent than me, I’d have probably burnt down my house by now!
Karen”
_______________
Pay close attention to this part: “Recreating glass pieces really, in my opinion, (not so humble
sometimes), is like trying to recreate a snowflake. It’s impossible.”
It’s so convenient for you to discount the possibility that anything can truly be copied when you’re the one being accused of copying, but you are constantly accusing others of copying you.
Get over yourself. You did not invent copper inclusions. You did not invent pot melts or donuts or transparencies with frit, or colored decals or dichroic stacks or any other fused glass or stained glass technique. Nor did you invent spoon bracelets, which you happily flapped your lips about copying from a vendor at a craft show. There were copper trees before you, there will be copper trees after you…
You really should let it go. Ironically enough, you’re always spouting “peace”… why don’t you practice what you preach.
You can always tell the ripoff – it always looks shoddy…and this time shoddy photography to match.
Barry- negativity is so contagious isn’t it?
birds of a feather……
So let me get this straight…Smokeylady and papernclay own the copyright to this pendant that you say is exactly like yours since June 18th? Seems to me the best is yet to come on this issue.
How many of these pendants have you sold since then?
hmmmm,sounds like you’re hanging yourself with your big mouth.
16 pendants since June 18th and everyone has the exact same picture. How do you get the frit exactly the same in all of them, and the wire too! I’m sure you say in the listing that the customer will not recieve the exact pendant shown…whoops…no you dont!
i always like a good train wreck.
now that i see all of these pendants together, i have to admit that i like the second one the best.
Life is short and I’ve already wasted too much time on this.
Thought I’d letcha know!
What’s the matter Firechick. Now that the comments stand your responses have disappeared. You don’t like to play fair and now that it’s a fair field you have backed away. You only comment in forums where you can’t be refuted like on your pitiful Blog.
wow this got mean. I feel like I’m watching girls pulling each others hair and scratching each other. So uncool. Can’t you come up with something new and forget the tree. so silly.
I’ve got just one word to add to all of this.
Karma
Or… was that KHARMA?
HMMMM
It’s not pulling hair or scratching. It’s what;s been coming for a long time. Firechick started this tirade months ago and this is the first time that it has been brought to a forum where the truth can come out. After months of posting this information on her blog and Etsy and wherever else she could post without retaliation the people that she has been beating up and stalking can give their version. What you must realize is the frustration of those she has attacked and they had no way to set the record straight. So let the record show that there are 2 sides to every story and bullying is just not nice.
Gosh! What have I stumbled across? Firechick – you seem to have a lot of enemies out there. How can people believe you were ripped off just because you shouted out first? I think a copyright pending is pretty conclusive. This site should really be about copyright issues – not tit for tat.
All i can say there both arts and crafts junk that you see at many arts and crafts sales. I think my neice did one at here summer camp. Both of you are unoriginal, Get back to the drawing board.
I won’t be buying from her again. I had no idea she was like this. Very unprofessional.
Just so people know this is about a copyright!!
My partner and I are the ones who have it
and thank you but it not junk glass art.
When will etsy sellers realize that all this mudslinging makes you both look bad?
I wouldn’t buy from either one of you; disgustingly unprofessional behavior.
Art debates are always interesting…
Wow, this comment section is like a school yard brawl…tacky!
The first and third (minus the beads) ones both look ok…if the OP had a problem, she should take it to the courts and not the message board to settle her dispute, no?
When you create a work you automatically have a copyright on it, it doesn’t matter if someone files one with the Copyright Office. The easiest way to settle this would be for FCT to contest the pending copyright with the U.S. Copyright Office. If FCT can prove creation of the design before the one by PaperNClay, then their copyright is invalid, and FCT has the sole right to approve derivative works. Since FCT did not officially register copyright claims for damages would be difficult to prove, as there needs to be intent.
It’s has already been established, the said pendant has been created by another- neither Firchicktick nor Papernclay. Not your fault- that was in the deleted posts made on this thread. There were some very interesting points made in those posts.
and I quote FCT’s words- in case you missed it the first time
“Did the first person ever to crochet a blue scarf go around to the entire world and exclaim that it’s HER design? No.
Recreating glass pieces really, in my opinion, (not so humble sometimes), is like trying to recreate a snowflake. It’s impossible.
Let’s learn from each other without fear.
We’re not truly discovering anything … we’re learning! Glass crafting has been around alot longer than we have.
Without the help and guidance of artists who have A LOT more talent than me, I’d have probably burnt down my house by now!
Karen”
That is FireChicTicks comment.
Good thing you put the quote marks in
Good advice, Voideka. I will certainly look into this. And I do stand behind this (many times over) copied and pasted thread that I posted years ago. Recreating glass is not possible. However, this design was indeed stolen from me by PaperNClay, collaborated with SmokeyLady, and then a copyright was applied for by the two of them.
I, indeed, posted this thread on March 17th. 2 weeks later, PaperNClay and Smokeylady had stolen it.
If someone out there has a picture of a fused glass tree of life pendant that is my SAME design, and posted before March 17th, I’d love to see it.
Also, when posting to a forum such as this, using “alias” names and then posting with such vile remarks lends to ZERO credibility, and I will not entertain such comments. Bullies are cowards. This post is about a stolen design, but, has turned into a lesson on mob, or rather, Street Team mentality.
Karen
This is the first tree idea so far that I have found but still looking for more
with wire and frit.
http://www.etsy.com/view_transaction.php?transaction_id=6214561
Firechicktick you refined it
then
Papernclay refined it
and I am sure her refined one is the
one she copyrighted
http://www.etsy.com/view_transaction.php?transaction_id=6313677
another one before Firechicktick
http://www.etsy.com/view_transaction.php?transaction_id=7843985
http://www.etsy.com/view_transaction.php?transaction_id=6276429
“Let’s learn from each other without fear.”
That last one was actually pretty cool, i would copyright it.
Quote
“Also, when posting to a forum such as this, using “alias” names and then posting with such vile remarks lends to ZERO credibility, and I will not entertain such comments. Bullies are cowards. This post is about a stolen design, but, has turned into a lesson on mob, or rather, Street Team mentality.
Karen”
This is an interesting quote coming from a person that deletes all the comments that don’t agree with her initial post.
You might want to look up the definition of vile also, I am pretty sure your personal blog qualifies as vile, cowardice and bullying.
Firechicktick why would you call me a alias do you know something I don’t?
Have you looked at the pendants not only are they the start of that tree but some look just like the flower you have done.
In all fairness to anyone who is wasting their time reading this post. It helps to understand that Traceykenny and cheerbear97 are both sockpuppet accounts created by FCT to cause problems for Smokeylady and Papernclay.
Fct has been aggressively antagonizing over something that really needs to be dismissed.
My advice…give it up FCT- you worry too much about what everyone else is doing.
If its any consolation yours are far better.
you do realize that their designs are different enough from yours to make it not a copy right?
The trees are clearly different in size, shape, and color.
The leaves are different, in amount and in color.
The silver piece which is connected to the necklace is different.
and these are common designs when doing glasswork
as are the colors common. a very basic design is going to be done by many people.
As the wife of a woodworker/designer who has been published numerous times over the last 18 years I find this site to very interesting and understand the frustration. Woodworkers designs are constantly being ‘ripped off ‘ and it is too cost prohibitive to challenge.
As an individual who has practiced alternative health care for over 20 years I find that we take a different approach. Practitioners openly share techniques and practice with the intent that there is enough for everyone. People will be drawn different vibrational levels, usually ones that are equal with their own, higher levels are drawn to higher quality products and vice versa.
I also strongly believe in the laws of Karma, or as my Grandmother used to tell me throughout my childhood: “What ever you do, think or say will come back to you three fold. So give serious thought to your actions and intent so that you receive goodness 3 times with each deed.”
My heart goes out to both sides on this issue, some items are naturally going to similar due to their necessary form and function. Two restaurants can serve the exact same food items, and folks will go the one that best serves their needs. There are countless calendars with images of puppies and kittens, people will most likely buy the one that gives them the biggest smile. Two massage therapists can work in the same practice, use the same room, play the same music, share the same products and give the exact same massage and people are going to still prefer one over the other.
Live with intention, trust that goodness will prevail, have confidence that there is enough for all of us and remember that what you put out into the universe will come back to you 3 times stronger.
Be the peace, the love and kindness that you wish to see and you will see it.
fucking boring. everything on etsy is generic assed pudgy white middle class hippie bitch creations usually encompassing trees, birds, owls, UN ORIGINAL BULLLLLLSHIT
get a life, get some originality
The OP just won’t give up. She still continues to harrass and make a fool of herself in public forums. She uses her blog to post nastiness against others.
A little advice, Karen. Harboring such intense feelings of hatred and malice aren’t healthy. Get some help.
How pathetic. Get a life firechick
It’s a fucking TREE. Everyone does trees! Everyone knows what a tree LOOKS like! Get over yourself.