The Collection Designs posted a photo on their Instagram page of a copy of one of their designs that someone else is selling.
Changing the colors doesn't make it ok. It's still copyright theft. The old saying that if you change 10 percent of something it's ok is just a wives' tale. The law still considers it theft.
This is stealing. Small businesses can't afford to go after thieves so this continues, making it up to us needlepointers to not buy stolen goods.
How do you know something is stolen? It's easier than you would think--only buy original designs. What do I mean by that?
Don't buy canvases that show things that are not original--like sports team logos, food labels, restaurant signs, cartoon and movie characters, book characters and even book covers, anything that mimics something you've seen elsewhere and loved. It's not the canvas designer's to take and sell, with a few exceptions. Tabasco bottles are licensed by Jude, Smoky the Bear is licensed by Devon Nicholson, sorority logos are licensed by Kangaroo Paws, Mary Engelbreit is licensed by Painted Pony, etc. These canvases will ususally have the copyright symbol on them as well as the name of the owner of the licensed copyright. The owner of the copyright is paid for the designer to use their artwork so these are totally legal.
Sometimes it is hard to tell that something is copyrighted. Images of famous people are problematic as even deceased celebrities' estates own the copyright to their images and some of them pursue violators. There are stories the corporate owners of the artwork and image of Frida Kahlo rampaged through Etsy, issuing warnings and threats of legal action, before the pandemic hit. Needlepoint is somewhat under the radar but anyone selling Disney characters or Harry Potter items should be worried. Those are well policed.
We all protect our designers by not buying this stuff. If we don't buy, they aren't tempted to sell things that are not theirs. They won't get into legal trouble. And stealing is morally wrong. Don't be part of this thievery.
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© Copyright March 7, 2023 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.
