7/17/08

Copied


After my first tradeshow months later I recieved an email & the image above from a store I sold
to asking where I had my screenprinted wood earrings made. They found these earrings(above) in a massive wholesale warehouse in L.A. which sells cheap foreign made jewelry. I was confused, as my pieces are all being made here in Lawrence, KS. I am glad they contacted me, & since have had many people say they have seen these designs out there. Most recently on Mtv Real World. Being a small designer you are warned about being ripped off, as in this instance. The rip-offs used the exact patterns only inversed & the notched circle design which I had presented at the tradeshow. There is nothing you can do, it's done, but take it as a compliment & keep truckin.

The history behind my screenprinted pieces. I took a screenprinting class in college & revisited the studio to do some sample printing on wood a few years ago. With this first experiment I used a handsaw to cut the individual pieces. That obliderated my wrists, so I did some research & found a laser cutter in my area that could cut the pieces quickly out of the wood. I have a girlfriend who screenprints the wood for me here in Lawrence, she uses a waterbased ink which is safer & easier on the environment to use, rather than the plastic based ink I had used for some previous runs. They are then laser cut & I drill the holes and put the piece together. Any questions please comment, about being a small designer who discovers your being copied, or about my screenprinted pieces.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ooof! That sucks! I suppose you have the right attitude about it. Can't say I would be that composed.

I recently came across a photographer in Kentucky who copied and pasted the text from one of the pages of my website to use on his own. I couldn't believe it. Wasn't keeping me from any profit though, like the designers who stole your idea are.

Good to hear an update from you!

Early Jewelry said...

It was suprising to see that they were so obviously using the same patterns as I and the same shape. But they also expanded & used other patterns & shapes. I don't even know the company who makes them any research I did ran dry with the info I had. I had been warned this happens & knew there was nothing you can really do in this situation, but work to make newer better designs & push yourself.

Because the internet is so awesomely accessible & so easily detached, people will always be "cutting & pasting" ideas out in etherworld for their own blogs/websites/whatever. This brings in the ethics part of decision making. This is more annoying to me, when people misrepresent themselves to the public or do not use ethics in our small community of hardworking indie designer/artists who are all struggling, working their butts off to do their passion. I have been inspired or gotten good writing, web layout, & policy ideas from people who also have small design businesses, but I try to alter it to fit Early.

I guess the person who took our page just really thought you had it down, because your awesome!