I had to post something pretty to look at due to the fact that I haven't been in the best of moods the past few days. Hence the reason that I haven't posted since the beginning of the week.
Here is what put me in a bad mood.
I get email updates from a certain business that prides themselves at selling old fashion looking things and cookbooks. I've bought several things from them before and have been somewhat pleased. After buying some of the handmade things a couple of times I've had the thought that I could have done a much better job than the hot glue job that was done on the product, for the price paid. I couple of the items I even took apart and re-did them myself so it would look better.
Well, I got another update from this company about a new crochet book they had put together. I was curious about what was in it because I had bought one other crochet book from them before and enjoyed it. I could not see any pics about the book on their site and decided to go to the publishers site (Leisure Arts) to see if they had any pics to look at. This is when my jaw just about hit the floor.
The second thumbnail pic is a pic of a granny square blanket that is like the blanket I had made for my niece. I had to order the book just to see how the pattern was written and to see how similar it was. The only difference is that there are 8 colors used in theirs and instead of starting a circular "bobble" in the square, a traditional start of a granny square was used. It is very clear after reading the pattern in the book that a few small details were changed so that the pattern wasn't exactly the same. And a few more squares were made. But it has the same design concept as the one I did. Now mind you, I never took credit for coming up with the pattern because I had seen a similar blanket on someone else's blog (in the UK I believe), whom I believe actually came up with the pattern. I even changed how many colors were used, etc. just so it wouldn't be the same. And I did not sell the pattern. So all credit should be given to the Miss in the UK. My mind really started turning after that because shortly after I had posted the original pics of my blanket, I received an email from a girl who WAS a follower, on if I was going to post the pattern on the blog. I agreed that I would because I love sharing things with you all and the fact that I have a copyright statement on my blog which is protectable. Shortly after I posted the pattern, this person deleted their blog and I have never heard from her again. I started thinking about things (after the company's email) because of the fact that this "follower" was from Ohio and this company is from Ohio and wondered if there was a connection of some sort. Who knows. My mind can really run with a thought sometimes.
I'm just having a hard time with how someone can take another persons idea (basically), change a couple of miniscule things and then go and make money off of the idea. I had the thought that I should write to them to tell them that it is not cool to take others idea and profit from them. I also wonder since they didn't use the exact pattern that I posted on the blog was not used, that I just move on and don't post anything again such as patterns again. This also makes me wonder if I should even continue on with the idea of writing up my own patterns and selling them because there might be someone out there that would "take" the idea as their own and profit. I just could not do that. I even emailed Lucy (Attic24) once and asked her permission to make a bag from her Crochet Bag pattern for another person who said that they would pay me for my time. I only felt it right to ask permission first being the pattern was not mine. Lucy said fine, and thanked me for asking permission first. She was dealing with a gal at the time that was taking Lucy's patterns that she posted, making the items and then selling them on her (the gal) shop's website for a pretty good penny. So not cool.
All I know at this point is I will not be buying anything else from this company ever again.
I'm going to go veg out for the weekend while doing laundry and submerge myself into my yarn and some new books I got. One is about hand dyeing yarn and looks so darn cool! I'm surely going to be giving that a try soon.
I've got to get my mind off of all of this before I get really upset.
What would you guys do?
That is so awful! I want to know who the company is so I don't buy from them (not that I buy from many companies, but still). I found a sweater on etsy similar to someone's blog I read and let her know, she was okay with it though since there was a little more difference than what you are discribing.
ReplyDeleteI hope you can find some inner peace and happiness through this though! Maybe some knitting to relax and easy your troubled mind :)
Oh,Kar! How terrible!!!
ReplyDeleteThis makes me SO mad,I love to share patterns (for free,obviously!!)with fellow yarn lovers,and to know that there are people who dont care and are doing such terrible things is very upsetting!
I,like Jenn,think you should make sure the company's name is known!
But,this weekend.....just knit the anger out,girl:)
Sadly, it seems there's not much more you can do.
ReplyDeleteThere's so much generous sharing of info on blogs, and it's impossible not to feel stung when you see someone else taking credit (or worse, profiting) from your own or a third person's idea or pattern.
With things like knitting, crocheting, sewing or quilting, people will always claim the basic components are common knowledge, which is true enough. But it's the unique way of combining known elements that makes an original and distinctive pattern.
Your granny square baby blanket is a beauty. Love all that pretty color! Nice to revisit it here, but sorry for these frustrating circumstances.
WOW! I'm sorry to hear this, Kar. I'm not sure about all the ins and outs of the copyrighting of this type of material, but I do know that a company should know better. It was my understanding that companies pay designers for "their" work under the company's name so everything should be original and unique. Obviously it wasn't the case here. I'm not sure if you can do anything or not. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful, but please don't let it ruin your week. Enjoy the sunshine! :-D
ReplyDeleteOh man Kar, I'm so sorry to hear this. Why are people like this? Things like this just burn my biscuit. I'm not sure what I would do. I do know I would be madder than a wet hen.
ReplyDeleteSo much is going on in my life right now I feel like I've been gone for so long and not visiting as much. Hang in there my friend.
Karfeee!! I am so sorry this has happened!! I make glass beads...you know actually torch glass and form the beads. I am a member of a glass forum, and some of the members make VERY distinctive beads that are solely their own designs. Several of them found out that Japan and China were taking their bead designs and mass producing a MUCH cheaper product of poorer quality. They could do nothing about it except vent. One of the old timers said that there really isn't anything that we can claim sole credit for, because it could have been done already by someone else out in this big world. That expanded my view a bit, but I still felt so badly for the bead artists who were feeling ripped off. They pursued a course of action to no avail. It really is like a personal violation...praying for you sweetie. Those folks are on the low ride, and you are a high road person!!!!
ReplyDeleteYour new background is so fresh and pretty! Stay tuned...big changes are coming to Holiday in the Sun!!
Love ya gal!!
Becky