hide yo kids, hide yo wife:4

…and apparently, yo panda faces.

I had some fun in Photoshop to make side-by-side photos, and thought I’d bring this to your attention:

Steppie’s Panda Face Ring | kalcan8′s “Panda Face Ring”

No, I am not affiliated with kalcan8 in any way nor do I condone her mimicking my product. This isn’t the first time I’ve had others be “inspired” by my designs and products, but this is the first time it’s been as blatant and clear that it’s a copy-cat. Most at least make their own “version” or slap it on a different kind of product, but in this case she literally took my original design and printed it as if it was her own. The image hasn’t been altered at all from its original form… and I would know this since I’m the artist.

It’s not the end of the world, but it’s big enough that we should take action when we can. Too many people don’t understand the idea of intellectual property, and too often do they get take advantage of it and get away with it. So, I ask that you take a second of your time to visit the product link, scroll down, and click on “Report item to Etsy.” If we get enough reports, she’ll be forced to take it down. If she doesn’t comply, her account may even be terminated.

This isn’t just about me standing up for my own design — for my own business, and something I’ve put my life into for the past two years — but it’s also about the entire handmade community and this un-nerving issue of copyright and how much it puts a damper on what we do. On the flip side, there’s also a hilarity factor to it all: chick didn’t even take the effort to switch it up at all… but hey, gotta give it to her since she admits this in her listing: “Really lazy or I’d write more about how awesome this ring is.”

And with that, my ranting ends. Hoping with some effort, this will be brought to the attention of Etsy moderators, and that these types of things don’t have to happen again. Or at least, not as much.

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UPDATE:

She replied back to my message, and though she denies that she copied my design, she has taken down the listing. Funny thing is, she admits to stealing other people’s images (“magazine articles or advertisements”), and apparently found my panda face on a t-shirt ad (I’ve never had a panda face on a white t-shirt before). She’ll admit all of this, except that she stole my design. But whether she stole my image or stole my image from someone else stealing my image… doesn’t make the situation any better or respectable. 

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