Warning: Protect Your Images

[poozybear*art]

It was brought to my attention in another group that there is a woman downloading the images from our ACEO auctions and turning them into domino pendants. She has taken many ACEOs that I recognize, include several of Gabycat's (Gaby is aware and has taken action). If you look through her feedback, it's easy to recognize Gaby's art, and others. This seller has been VEROd many times (NUMEROUS auctions pulled), but ebay has still not suspended her account. She's a Power Seller, and maybe they like her money. Anyway, I know that I can't name this fraudster here, but she seems to specialize in cats, dogs, bunnies, and fantasy art. With the crow thing taking off, that may be next on her list. I would recommend using caution in posting your images. Avoid high resolution or oversized images that can be easily reduced for use on a small piece of jewelry. Also, watermarks make this kind of theft near impossible. Just a head's up. This is horrible, blatant theft, and she's making a lot of money off of our hard work. I'm not sure what I'm allowed to post or not post here as far as links are concerned, so I won't go there, but if anyone wants the seller's name to check for your art, feel free to email me. This needs to stop. -- Kathy

[h1a3p]

Yup searched domino pendants , saw said works, none of mine though ... thanx! -- Hap

[poozybear*art]

Wow! I just ran a general search on "Domino Pendant" and was surprised by how many I found (pages of them). I wonder how many of those have "borrowed" art on them. I saw a few with Looney Tunes images on them. That CAN'T be legal. -- Kathy -- Edited by poozybear*art at 01/08/2008 8:36 AM

[drawdog5]

There was one power seller in particular that was snagging other folks' art for the domino pendants, I know a number of artists contacted her and she (or eBay?)ended those listings. When I checked a few days back, she didn't have anything listed, now she has a few things, but all looks pretty safe. Perhaps she got the message? Or just laying low for a while . . . -- -Ann "Anyone who considers protocol unimportant has never dealt with a cat." -- Robert A. Heinlein

[poozybear*art]

Yeah, Ann, that's the one I'm talking about. She had a LOT of items removed. I'm guessing that she removed them herself, as ebay suspends you after a certain number of VEROs, but she's a power seller, so who knows. I noticed she was gone for a week, and is now back with "safe" items, but I think it's a good idea to keep checking on her listings. She was making a lot of money off of that stolen art. She's probably laying low and will try it again. -- Kathy

[bekkamom0f4]

*sigh* It's a shame people don't seem to respect copyright anymore! Bekka -- Ursus perpauli cerebri sum -
Poobus Ursus

[poozybear*art]

And to have no conscience about it. Someone had left her a negative saying that it was stolen art, and she left a snarky reply saying something like, "If you don't like it, get a patent." Nasty! -- Kathy -- Edited by poozybear*art at 01/08/2008 4:31 PM

[316barri]

that's who i was talking about in the nicholas thread! -- maiyuguachi..."no sweat"

[julee_bug]

They're talking about this woman in several groups. She'll have a had time hiding what she's doing from now on, I think.

[316barri]

i think so too! i was happy to pass on the warning from yan,none of you deserve to be ripped off like that!i don't understand people like that,why didn't she just offer you guys a percentage and use your art legally,you know? -- maiyuguachi..."no sweat"

[bekkamom0f4]

There is a reason I make all my collage sheets from public domain / non-copyrighted graphics. I want people to be able to use them to make whatever they want without stepping on other people's toes. And to be honest, there's plenty out there. All people are paying me for is the time to hunt them up and print them, to be truly honest. If they'd rather pay me then find them on there own, that's fine with me. But since there is so much available, there is NO reason to be using someone else's work like she is! And the reply to the "patent" comment is: The artist HAS, it's called COPYRIGHT, and the law SAYS the artist HAS IT. You don't "patent" images, you "copyright" them, and the artists have copyrighted them. Simply by declaring "authorship" / "creatorship". She's just plain ignorant, IMHO. And it might cost her legally and financially if she's not careful. *grumble* It pisses me off to see people ignore stuff like this when people like me go out of our way to respect artists' rights and needs. Bekka -- Ursus perpauli cerebri sum -
Poobus Ursus

[poozybear*art]

She is ignorant. One of the artists who emailed her received a reply saying that people should hurry up and register with the patent office, or some such thing, if they didn't like their images being used. Having said that, she's had a LOT of her auctions pulled, so she knows that what she's doing is wrong. I know a lot of people are watching her auctions now, so hopefully that will stop the theft (at least the theft of ebay images, anyway). Bear, what was the "Nicholas" thread? I must have missed that. -- Kathy

[sunshinesketches]

I checked through that person's listings and feedback a while ago. I saw Gaby's cats there quite a bit at that time, I guess she's removed them now. I didn't see any of my images. I'm not sure whether I should feel hurt by the snub... 😉

[poozybear*art]

LOL. None of mine either, though there are several feedbacks for items that were apparently VEROd after the close of auction. Some of Gaby's can still be seen if you go through her feedbacks - the ones that sold before Gaby was able to shut her down. Bear, never mind about the "Nicholas" thread. I found it! -- Kathy