A few posts ago I alluded to the negative and depressing side of blogging and having anything on the internet. I’ve had a really bad year for having my designs, images, writing etc copied and it’s been festering in my mind so I thought I’d purge it by writing about it.

Basically it’s stuff like this. This person* has cloned over 400 of my images from flickr, my blog and my redbubble page and posted them as their own on a picassa account. Not only that but they’ve made replicas of some of my knitted animals and are using my images as their printed tags, business cards and on listings on taobau (which seems a chinese version of Etsy). This is only the latest occurrence of many and some days it truly makes you just want to jack it all in. I guess I continue because knitting is really what gets me through the day!

I know that I’m way too sensitive but it hurts a lot and I get so upset by this kind of thing. I started making the animals in 2004 as an antidote to some of the difficulties in raising a son with severe autism and I worked very hard to make my designs different to other knitted animal designs that were around at the time. I started the blog in 2006 and quickly discovered that as soon as you post images and people like what you’re making then others will steal from you. I’m lucky that there are lots of people who look out for me and let me know when they see things that are copied. I’m lucky too that my work is distinctive and so copies stand out a mile.

In the UK the legal rights of designer/makers are protected by unregistered design right. In the UK you do not need to register a copyright for something that you create. This right is automatic and the instant you make something unique (ie not copied from something already in existence) it is protected by law. The organisation A.C.I.D (Anti Copying In Design) are an excellent source of information and they are strong in championing creative rights. But, regardless of the legalities I see it as more of a moral issue. How you can blatantly copy something you have no creative claim to is beyond me. If people had an ounce of creativity, imagination or integrity it wouldn’t happen but in the ‘want it now at any cost’ culture we’ve arrived at, the honest, hard working people who just want to make something of their own are the ones that suffer both financially through lost business and emotionally.

*hopefully these links will be disappearing soon as Google’s legal team are currently looking into the matter.

PS: It’s not just my images and work that have been taken but Dilka’s beautiful work has been copied too. Perhaps between us we’ll be able to get Google to terminate the offender’s account.

Thanks so much for all of the kind comments about my arm, you’re a very compassionate lot and reading that I’m not the only one to ignore the advice of my mum made me feel like less of a twonk! The arnica and cold compresses helped lots and the bruise has definitely reached the ‘looks worse than it feels’ stage and is currently a lovely shade of chartreuse.  Anyway, now I’m able to knit again which is a huge relief – was jonesing there for a bit!

I’m enjoying a bit of gentle-paced lacey knitting and am working on a scarf from this beautiful pattern – simple 4 row repeats giving a really effective result especially in the lovely kidsilk yarn from Rowan.

Enjoy your week and remember – no running in the house!

I’ve so enjoyed reading all of your comments over the last week. It’s wonderful that so many people find happiness in life’s small and simple things and something I count myself incredibly lucky to share in. Anyway, thanks for the smiles that your comments gave me and for all of the very kind compliments about Gracie.

I’ve put the numbers into the random number generator

and the one that came up was:

I just love the little pocket-rabbit – I’d be happy with just that!!”

Posted by:
Caroline B |
September 10, 2009 at 04:02 PM

I hope you like her Caroline.

I’m sorry there can only be one winner, but I do hope to have more giveaways in future – maybe I’ll have one in time for Christmas. Thanks again to everyone who commented and took the time to share their happies. I’m off to join my knitting bag for a little happy time!