Someone selling my pattern on ebay!

[RoseRed]

I don't know where it is either.

[crazycrochet]

I'm so sorry this happened to you. It really sucks that someone would do this. What amazed me even more was that in this listing she says she designs many of her own patterns. You would think that someone who designs many of her own patterns wouldn't take what someone else has designed and chosen to share freely and try to make a profit from it. It is a shame.

 

 

I went and really read the add for the link above.

 

 

Nowhere does she say she designed that pattern, just designs many of my own. Something need to be done.

 

Again I will pose the question, how or what do we do to save guard our original patterns? I have two and I am afraid to put them on here. I worked too long and hard on them.

[Amy]

 

Again I will pose the question, how or what do we do to save guard our original patterns? I have two and I am afraid to put them on here. I worked too long and hard on them.

 

There really isn't much you can do, sadly.

 

You obviously own the copyright to your patterns as soon as you create them. It can help to make sure you have a copyright notice published on them.

 

But if somebody is determined to take your pattern and sell it without your permission or just copy and distribute it freely without your permission, there isn't much you can do to prevent them from doing that. You can stop them after the fact, but there's not much you can do to PREVENT.

 

Now, as far as stopping them after the fact. Most people will stop as soon as you confront them and let them know you're on to them. If they won't, as the copyright owner, you can contact their site host or ISP under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, to ask for the site host's help in getting the material removed. However, you must have proof of what the person has done, and you have to submit your request in a specific manner (usually given on that site host's website somewhere). The Copyright Act is a law that gives site hosts the ability to access their member's account, so things have to be reported in a very specific manner to so the site host has the legal rights to remove the material.

 

If that doesn't work, the next step would be to seek legal action against the person to make them stop infringing upon your work. If you have not officially registered your work with the US Copyright Office, I believe that's all you'll be able to do: stop any further infringement from occurring. You won't be able to seek damages for the infringement that has already occurred. But if you have paid the fee to officially register your pattern, you could then go to court and seek punitive damages (large fines) against the person who infringed upon your copyright. But of course, it's expensive to take legal action. I think a lot of these copyright infringers are counting on the fact that most independent designers just don't have the funds and resources available to take them to court. So they infringe for as long as they can get away with it, then move on.

[Knit Happens]

Wow. Blatently obvious and not clueless at all. This is plain wrong and you handled it well...in a matter of fact and high-road way. It's one thing when patterns are "similar", and totally clear when they are completely "saved" from someone's website or "scanned" and sold as is. Shocking that she claimed to know she was doing wrong. P.S. YOUR patterns are adorable and you are quite talented.

[Trinket]

I have a suggestion on how you can better safeguard your original crochet patterns. It may not be something everybody wants to do or has much imaging know-how to do, but it's the best thing I can think of to help.

 

First, type your pattern our into a word processing program. Once you're done, take a screen capture of it (by holding down Ctrl+Shift+Print Screen). Go into an imaging program (use MS Paint under Accessories if you don't have anything else) and paste your screen capture into the program. If need be, crop the image so that it isn't so large, and only includes the white part with the writing on it. You may have to do this more than once if you have more than one page in your pattern. Once you've done that, add a new layer (this will only work in programs like Photoshop) and type in something in black, such as: PATTERN BY SALLY SOANDSO. Reduce the opacity to 50% or less, depending on how well you can read the pattern through your "watermark", and then save your image as a JPG file (and if possible, try to make it as compressed as possible without compromising the ability to read it, so it isn't as hard to load). From there, you'll have to upload the image to your site/blog. So, now, instead of having a text pattern, you have an image pattern that has a watermark that can't be removed very easily on it.

 

It seems like more trouble that it is, but it'll almost definitely stop a thief from taking your pattern, since it'd require more work on their part.

[froggy]

Geez, That person is selling everybody's things! I see quite a few patterns that I bought and paid for when I purchased the magazines from the news stands they came from. This person is horrible. I hope she doesn't sell much!

[Amy]

Remember our guidelines everyone: no personal attacks directed at this person.

[ErinLindsey]

I have a suggestion on how you can better safeguard your original crochet patterns. It may not be something everybody wants to do or has much imaging know-how to do, but it's the best thing I can think of to help.

 

First, type your pattern our into a word processing program. Once you're done, take a screen capture of it (by holding down Ctrl+Shift+Print Screen). Go into an imaging program (use MS Paint under Accessories if you don't have anything else) and paste your screen capture into the program. If need be, crop the image so that it isn't so large, and only includes the white part with the writing on it. You may have to do this more than once if you have more than one page in your pattern. Once you've done that, add a new layer (this will only work in programs like Photoshop) and type in something in black, such as: PATTERN BY SALLY SOANDSO. Reduce the opacity to 50% or less, depending on how well you can read the pattern through your "watermark", and then save your image as a JPG file (and if possible, try to make it as compressed as possible without compromising the ability to read it, so it isn't as hard to load). From there, you'll have to upload the image to your site/blog. So, now, instead of having a text pattern, you have an image pattern that has a watermark that can't be removed very easily on it.

 

It seems like more trouble that it is, but it'll almost definitely stop a thief from taking your pattern, since it'd require more work on their part.

 

You can watermark in Word. I'll have to check my Desktop Publishing textbook to remember how to do it, but you CAN do watermarks in Word.

[Trinket]

You can watermark in Word. I'll have to check my Desktop Publishing textbook to remember how to do it, but you CAN do watermarks in Word.

 

If you can watermark in Word, then that is also definitely something to do. Anything that can put some kind of personalized mark on the pattern that can't easily be taken off will help keep them from taking it. The more work a thief has to do in order to steal something to sell like that, the less likely they are to bother with it.

[crazycrochet]

There is a way to watermark on Word, I have done it in the past on things. But does the brain remember, heck no. You can watermark on Publisher also.

[Lavelle26]

I am just wondering if the pictures on the listing are your pictures you took? or has the items been crocheted from your pattern and then re-photographed? I guess I am concerened about how to recoginize your patterns. I know there are quite a few designers who have found their pattern being sold on the internet and I am wondering how people are finding them?

 

Like you, I have always thought "it won't ever happen to me" but there is still a fear deep down that it will. Do you go looking for your patterns or do people recognize your patterns and notify you?

[trin]

When I am selling I get exited with one watcher lol imagine having fifty and it not selling oooh no thats mean I will just say I am sorry someone is selling your pattern that you gifted to the crochet world. good luck xx

 

The people on ebay badgering me for patterns, (sometimes even after I explained it's a OOAK handmade item).... made me feel like I NEVER want to post my patterns. I imagine that person getting my designs, making them out of cheap materials or giving it to a factory in the 3rd world, and then I can't sell my own work. (Why should I buy your X for $5, if I can get it from So and so for 50c?... sort of thing.)

[trin]

I can't believe some people! Its amazing anyone would do that. I had someone use a published picture I had taken. (not really stealing since it was in a calendar) They used it to make a display of an item they were selling-a memorial plaque for a deceased pet. Now, imagine me coming across them at an event at their vendor booth and seeing my (still alive) dog on a tombstone!

Not illeagal but very unsettling!

 

 

Actually it IS a copyright violation... you gave your photo to the calender company and not the other one. If the calender publisher bought rights to your photo, THEIR copyright was violated by the tombstone place. Either you, or the publisher of the calender have the copyright, meaning that IF no one gave them permission to use the photo, they broke the law.

 

A letter saying "Hey! that's my very alive dog, and this use bothers me..." might not lead to good PR for them. If it's a business in your home town, imagine how much impact a letter to the editor about "This place is using photos of my LIVING pet, that I TOOK, to promote their pet tombstones, including putting his portrait on a sample... and I find it disturbing." isn't going to help them get customers.

[boksie]

The problem with making a watermark is they can retype the pattern if they want and if they're really ambitious they can find a photo that someone else posted online and use it or crochet their own item and use picture of it. For these people, they can always find a way around safeguards. I'm sorry to hear that this has happened to you.

[Melissa]

I am just wondering if the pictures on the listing are your pictures you took? or has the items been crocheted from your pattern and then re-photographed? I guess I am concerened about how to recoginize your patterns. I know there are quite a few designers who have found their pattern being sold on the internet and I am wondering how people are finding them?

 

Like you, I have always thought "it won't ever happen to me" but there is still a fear deep down that it will. Do you go looking for your patterns or do people recognize your patterns and notify you?

 

In this case someone notified me of the listing. It was strange because those were actually my photos...of the puppets I made, on my finger, in my living room.

 

Actually, after KristieMN had her copyright problem, it prompted me to convert all of my patterns to pdf as that makes it more difficult to just copy and paste it into another format or copy and save the images I've used. Obviously this is not perfect, and I really need to start devoting at least a little time to looking for my patterns, but...I don't know. It still seems so strange that someone would do that...

[anthrilliel]

Hi I just wanted to add the word watermark option

 

On the Format menu, select Background, and then click Printed Watermark

 

Do one of the following:

 

• To insert a picture as a watermark, click Picture Watermark, and then click Select Picture. Select the picture you want, and then click Insert.
  
• To insert a text watermark, click Text Watermark, and then select or enter the text that you want

Select any additional options that you want, and then click Apply

 

PS As for pdf and image files unfortunately they are so easy to convert into txt, I know cause I have done with many of my books to prevent em from being damaged. It is sad to see all these people take someone s efforts and try to make profit.

[Lavelle26]

In this case someone notified me of the listing. It was strange because those were actually my photos...of the puppets I made, on my finger, in my living room.

 

Actually, after KristieMN had her copyright problem, it prompted me to convert all of my patterns to pdf as that makes it more difficult to just copy and paste it into another format or copy and save the images I've used. Obviously this is not perfect, and I really need to start devoting at least a little time to looking for my patterns, but...I don't know. It still seems so strange that someone would do that...

 

One thing a tester of mine mentioned to me as well (since I do the pdf thing too) is that just putting it in pdf doesn't prevent them from copying and pasting. The pdf file has to be locked. I didn't realize this until she pointed it out. Now I have to upgrade my pdf writer so I can lock my files. I don't know if you knew this or not, but you might want to look into that...

[birdlady1]

I've noticed some other patterns that were linked from C'ville showing up on eBay. They're offering digital copies for $3.99 each. So people are "trolling" C'ville for items to sell!

 

One that comes to mind immediately is the cat with a sweater from the 1950s. I reported the copyright infringement to eBay so hopefully the auction has been pulled.