Saturday, February 19, 2011

Inspiration vs Copying

Who has seen the new Facebook page "Designers and Illustrators against Plagiarism"?
The distinctions between copying and gaining *inspiration * from other peoples craft have become so blurry these days that everyone has their own view point. Still, copying is happening with all too much frequency and it's mainly off shore product agencies that are the culprits.
Here is my interpretation of inspiration vs copying. It may be different to yours.
Gorgeous Lisa Larson Fox figurine was part of the "inspiration" for the Betty Jo Fox Brooch.
But I think the Betty Jo Fox Brooch was copied to make this brooch.


I won't go into all the various incidents that have popped up lately, but I have this piece of advice.
Be very cautious of strange emails asking if you would like to wholesale to somewhere in Asia.
Actually, just ignore them. It has happened to me and a few others in the past and is just too suspicious for my liking.
You are entitled to confront a stranger if they take pictures of your work at a market or in a shop.It may be totally innocent but who knows. I wish I had been more insistent in the past .
Realize you are actually providing an inspiration supermarket when you post pictures of your work online and it's a risk you take in this unscrupulous world.

4 comments:

  1. Having confronted two teens in my shop just yesterday and having to ask them to stop openly & loudly discussing their intent to go home & copy some original pieces by two of our unique designers, this is most timely. I have had to ask people to stop taking photos of one off items in my shop several times in the last few months too. The reactions I have had have inferred that is I being rude. I don't feel comfortable being in these situations but they are not of my making. And I do it as politely as humanly possible - offending potential Customers helps noone. This world is seemingly becoming more unscrupulous isn't it. Thanks for posting this & I'm sorry someone tried to copy your brooch. Yours is immensely nicer as it was made by it's designer. x

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  2. I wouldnt worry too much there is a lot of difference between the work of an artisan and the work of a copyist. Your work is unique because you have developed process to interpret your designs over a long period of time. It is obvious the bottom fox is a copy the materials can never be replicated and it is a poor copy of your design. They will never commit to that design as you have done and it will always show.

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  3. I agree with your examples. It's such a blur these days - go to 'made it' and look at 'crayon rolls' or 'shirred dress' for example. So many sellers sell the same items just with different fabrics or fasteners. With these items perhaps they're so common now that they aren't copy-cat versions. However with pieces such as yours that really are original a copy cat version stands out like a sore thumb. I saw something on madeit recently that not only was a blatant copy of a craft schmaft mobile, they'd even put a note in saying 'inspired by craft schmaft'. How cheeky can one get!!

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  4. oh wow, you have quite a unique style ...and that brooch just looks too similar to seem like a coincidence! If it is indeed copied, shame on them to profit off someone else's creativity :(

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