If you recognise the artists on any of the images from the video, please share this post with them. This way I can send them the link to the shop & report the infringement! 😆 ➜ www.pawshire.com/blog/stop-art-thieves-from-selling-etsy If you want to check whether your artworks were stolen DM me on Instagram ^^ ➜ instagram.com/pawshire_art
:3 Thanks a bunch for letting us know about Prodigi. I've tried some others before, and I never sold anything. I know of one with a cat in branding, which allows customers to fully customize their stuff with your own images, unlike most others who don't, but I didn't try it. Shalom.
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The thief seller has 2 different etsy shop “ThatHipPrint” and “LoveDictionary”
Unfortunately, the first question that will be asked by an attorney or judge is: What steps did you take to protect your images online? Did you watermark each image? Did you embed metadata in each image? No image that contains original work should be put watermark free on any online marketplace including your own website. And in reality for actual fine artists marketplaces like FineArtAmerica and Pixels are likely much better audiences for your work. I learned the hard way back in the early 2000s with work stolen off of Cafepress.
It really should be a class action lawsuit. Artists are being shit on because we don’t have the same power as the movie or music industry (look at TH-cam’s aggressive copyright action).
The fact that they won't take down shops that are blatantly selling stolen artwork but they'll take down shops selling fanart that they personally crafted and illustrated because of copyright is so gross
Gosh I want to go play detective for my work on a site now. I found one thing suspicious once. Thanks for sharing your experience with us! Sorry it happened to you.
She does not have anyone working for her. I can tell you with 100% certainty, after 10 years of fighting online thieves stealing my designs and artworks. They will tell you anything. They use "AI" apps to restore pixelated works and make them look high quality. Never tell the seller you know, report them and then wait for Etsy to take it down, otherwise their accounts will always be free from reports and will continue selling other peoples works. If a seller has an amount of strikes on their account, they will be banned. Is good for you and for other artists.
@pawshire I can assure you she is lying. They use that excuse because people want to believe in the good in other people, and they use it to their advantage. I ended up leaving social media for 3 years because my work got stolen so much I couldn't keep up. I use to have to report every day for months and months while being active and I got burned out. I just want to pass my knowledge to other artists. I have been selling my work since 2014. Got to 50K on insta and got burned out in 2019. Since then lost almost 10K because I left. I wish I knew all I know now then.
This isn't about how the theft of your artwork impacts your Etsy shop, it's about slimy people who are looking to make money without putting effort into producing artwork. This disregard for the efforts of the artists whose work was stolen, and Etsy refusing to enforce consequences on those who steal makes me very angry. I'm glad you reported the thief and have made this video. Etsy is fraught with problems. Theft of intellectual property is only one of many issues Etsy fails to deal with effectively. Etsy is only interested in their bottom line and is willing to make their profits while disregarding morally correct behavior.
This is the one reason I don't shop at etsy anymore. Years ago there were actually beautiful unique pieces of craft and such, nowdays you can clearly spot chinese made factory stuff all around and art thieves from left and right. It's actually very hard to find handmade goods with search. This is a great video and you handled this well. I'm glad you have audience that supports and care about you to report things like that :)! Good luck with your artjourney!
YES. This is why I will not sell my art on CROOKED Etsy. ETSY was ready to MAKE LOTS of MONEY, convincing the artists that they were for them (not). Throughout the years, there have been many things that ETSY has done that are not ethical. It's good of you to call ETSY and the seller out.
Etsy ownership changed hands officially I think in 2018-ish? Yeah, new ownership ran it into the ground. Once the original team sells a business, and/or once that business goes public for investors, the dream and cause it was built upon disintegrates. You're left with nothing but a shell of what it once was, with its purpose replaced by monetary incentives. Even people that don't know any better can feel it. It's that obvious something is wrong, it's literally that impactful.
Etsy is directly profiting from and facilitating the profit for sellers for copy right infringement/ theft by not enforcing compliance / enforcing real consequences on sellers who do this. They still make money from the listings and the advertising money from those sellers. Just a take down does not return the fraction of profit made on the sales of your artwork nor compensates you for potential sales losses. While legally speaking this is very complicated, it also destroys their social contract/ trust in the brand and turns away buyers who understand this problem. I don’t buy from them because I can no longer tell when something is truly handcrafted or if it is stolen or AI.
@M0odyBlue They had a clause in their terms and conditions that said by using etsy you agreed not to sue/persue a class action and had to go through a private arbitration - i'm not sure if it is still there. I think a lot of the problem is that laws still haven't caught up properly to online spaces and these companies wield so much power. I did a quick google so take this with a grain of salt, it looks like there have been a couple of class action lawsuits but I can't see any by sellers. There was one by shareholders in 2015 who did not like the risk of counterfeit products but looks like they couldn't "prove conterfeiting" / made some incorrect allegations and it didn't really go anywhere.
@agomodern It's complicated, depends on the country, I have used copyright infringement rather than intellectual property or moral rights etc and I'm not a lawyer or legal aide. In my country, fine artists have intellectual, copy and moral rights that do not have to be applied for (they apply as soon as the artwork is created), but designers or "art object" creators don't for some reason.
Etsy is so quick in banning content creators, even if they don't do anything wrong. And it sometimes takes days and weeks to get an account back. But if actual artists have a problem with copyright infringement, they just dust their hands off and say, 'Sorry, we can't do anything about it.' Or don't say anything at all. Laughable.
It does not matter whether she or her graphic designer stole the art , she is still selling stolen goods. In the UK that is a crime. I expect that most of what is sold is without consent , thats why she does not want you to say anything. Etsy have let you down and every honest person creating work. sorry this has happened.
So, this convinced me as a buyer not to use ETSY. Sadly, this will have an effect on the legal and legitimate sellers, but boycotting ETSY could give them incentive to deal with thieves.
A friend has been trying to get people to stop selling her photos on merch for years now. There are countless copies popping up all the time and etsy hasn't done anything. They dont care because every sale means money for them
I’ve always thought about buying a stolen version of my art so I could put them on blast! Good for you. This trend of shops selling thousands of downloads is really upsetting to me because I sell the bulk of my art on Etsy and I feel that it’s become a race to the bottom.
I decided to do it to check the quality of the actual images she sells. Sadly I did not get the bundle with my art in it (too angry too early haha). Really want to know how she gets the high-res files (which I've never put online).
I have had a similar experience on Etsy over the past few weeks. I was given the runaround and lied to by Etsy support during the process of dealing with a seller stealing my work. It has been heartbreaking to say the least.
Just one more reason that Etsy is dead to me. There is too much deception on the platform, and it is no longer a marketplace for original artwork/crafts. It was a good idea to begin with, but people got greedy. I'm glad you followed up on it and got at least some satisfaction.
My cynical guess is they are. There probably isn't even a 'graphic designer'. It is just a way for the shop owner to distance themselves from the crime so they can pretend they are the innocent party.
Exactly! The owner's excuse was ridiculous. I'm glad you reported them. A shop owner that doesn't know what they are selling? The marketing photo purposefully shows the art at a distance - grouped and arranged on angled walls - which distorts the images, making it harder to Google search a single image and find the original artist.
Etsy doesn’t care about small creators and artists. They’ve sold their soul to get rich. I’m so constantly disappointed by how they’re just letting everyone get away with stealing and “reselling.” I don’t know why I thought they ever had a soul. There are fewer and fewer websites where people can make a living selling their actual original artwork. It’s sad. I now hope Etsy goes away or changes back to how it used to be when it first opened.
I’ve been selling on Etsy for 16 years. I have seen so many changes and it’s extremely sad to think about what a great venue it was in the beginning. It really was all handmade and everyone knew everyone else. I made many friends that I’m still in touch with. It’s a never ending job to fight the thieves. I remember one shop that stole my images and sold the item. The review left by the buyer said how it was extremely poor quality and didn’t look like the listing. I always wondered how they handled sales that they then had to make. At this stage I don’t get too upset about it anymore. I believe in karma.
It's also important to make sure that if we buy art bundles It's of art that's in the public domain. A big issue is that Etsy is not demanding confirmation if the work is public domain art or made by an artist
I really hope artists look into laws and how we can protect each other legally. Im not a lawyer but there is a chance that a class action lawsuit against Etsy could be made for knowingly distributing copyrighted material on their platform and not doing enough to protect sellers.
I am a professional artist and for the last 15 years I have been arguing the fact that people who use a computer to generate, correct or help them create art is a form of theft for the rest of us artists. Now non-artists are using AI to completely create pieces that they are actually entering and winning major art shows with. Very frustrating....
Are you meaning AI alone? Or any digital art? I use procreate to make my own unique art and to modify my own photos. I agree with you mostly, but not the using a computer to help create art part.
I can't believe that Etsy didn't seem to care. Well, I can believe it and as a result, Etsy is one of the place I don't want to shop anymore. There is this kind of problem and things sold as "original" but actually coming directly from a wholesale seller. Good for you for telling your story. It's so hard for creators these days to make money from their art!
This is not true about being 'PROTECTED' because someone else did it. In this example the hired graphic designer (other). The other did not sign an agreement with Etsy, only the owner of the shop did. Their name only is on the signed agreement which is a full and legal contract.
I rarely visit ETSY at all these days. Their blatant support of art thieves and stolen goods are sad and upsetting. Keep fighting and staying true to your art and creative style.
OMG!!! I loved the artworks in this shop, and one piece I was going to buy, was yours. I can’t believe she stole your work. That’s not ok!!! I love your art, and will buy from you. I’m sorry this happened to you, and hope people come to your shop so you can make a lot of money to put into your pocket, not hers. ❤
It’s insulting that Etsy won’t handle this matter properly, considering the huge fees they charge us for selling with them! Back when Etsy was new, it was so much better because you did have only crafters. Now most of the stuff sold there is dropshipping, POD, and now this?? Ughhhhh I need to get my website ready and start selling there. Even Etsy’s marketing fees are guge and useless, I barely get any visits!
So sorry you are dealing with this. I had the same thing happen to my Etsy shop. Another shop took all of my 465 photos and started selling them with my watermark on them. Etsy did not care. Then they shut my shop down. Take this as a wake call. Get off etsy and build your own platform to sell your work. Good luck!
Sorry this happened to you! Sorry but not surprised. And you are so correct that basically the algorithm just now is favouring these people and not the real artists
Commenting and liking to boost your exposure because this is appalling but also completely unsurprising. You have handled it so well you should be so proud. I no longer sell on Etsy and rarely buy on there because I don't have the time to scroll for hours and hours through loads if mass-produced copyright infringement tat to find the real artists and creators. I used Etsy at the very beginning when it had such a great focus on handmade, original work. But it sold out and got greedy, like every other popular platform. I'm so happy to hear you get more income elsewhere and I will be so happy when all the creators are able to give up on Etsy and find their audiences elsewhere. It's a lost cause. They should be ashamed of themselves for allowing people to sell stolen goods, but somehow, as you say, I doubt they care as long as they profit. All the best to you and your original creative practice. In the end remember the skill, talent and potential you hold from all your hard work is worth so much more than anything ❤
It's terrible that this is happening to you and many other artists. I'm glad to have found your channel and your artwork. Hopefully the wonderful way that you've handled this injustice will lead others to find your work and support you.
It's kind that you thanked the person who alerted you... I've spent time documenting art/design pirates more than once to let the victim arist or small company know (including companies with staff, who presumably had time to at least say "thank you".) I've had my designs pirated, so it is what I hope someone would do for me... However, I don't think I ever had a simple acknowledgement for the time and care given. :/
WELL DONE for going after the b@stard! I too had something stolen, not on Etsy though. It was a major company (S**y) who modified the image JUST enough so that I had questionable grounds (or the money to sue) for infringement (copyright laws can be dodgy), however it was CLEARLY my image. To add insult to injury, it was put into a major film! You keep goin', girl! More power to you-- subscribed!
I've seen tons of these kinds of sellers on Etsy. Not just artwork either. Books sold in bundles like that too--recently I found a seller selling bundles of books about Sashiko in Japanese that clearly were not her intellectual property. And probably lots of other stuff that I just haven't noticed yet. Like you said, Etsy has no incentive to stop these people because they are earning tons of money from them. Etsy has a lot of problems but there aren't a lot of competitors to the platform that are making a dent in the marketplace, sadly. I'm sorry this happened to you. If I were you, I'd do a reverse image search using Google to track down the artist who created each of those paintings and contact them. If we all make a big enough stink, Etsy will be forced to do something.
I dropped Etsy completely. They screwed over too many creators. Yet they seem to reward cheaters. Did China buy it?😂 I used to enjoy shopping on there for special handmade items- such unique gifts were possible to find.
I left Etsy when they started to throttle pay, Was on there for years. TOns of thieves there, and seen these kinds of shops, I can no longer be on that platform
What I have found with these sellers is that the art sold generally doesn't match a particular style - most artists have their own style so that you can tell that it is made by them so if there are a lot of different styles (as well as lots of images), you can tell that they aren't the artist. Sometimes vintage art is sold because there isn't any copyright on it or it's expired (a lot of online image shops that sell graphics do this, and they claim to own the image when it's public domain.)
People sell public domain art on Etsy all the time and try to claim they own it--even watermarking images. They might own a BOOK containing the images, but they aren't the intellectual property owners. It's nuts. I came across a ton of this recently when I was googling Victorian embroidery, just trying to get a feel for what it looked like before beginning to plan a project (of original artwork).
There are so many Graphics Designers in the illustration space committing copyright infringement. WTF are they teaching these people? There have been 4 separate instances in the last year alone that I have come across with straight up theft to tracing licensed images for commercial work. yikes.
I was thinking of going back to Etsy but if they don’t take copyright seriously, why should we support them ? what are sellers fees for if they don’t take our rights seriously?
This is why I haven’t moved to Etsy yet. There are too many thieves with no repercussions. I haven’t started trying to sell my art because it feels like there aren’t any accessible online marketplaces anymore, so I reckon I’m going to try and hit the local craft/art fair circuit instead.
Very well done! You have really done your homework here and explain this whole process beautifully. You are a force of nature! The world is a better place with you in it
Hi Pawshire. My thoughts about this is that the reason people are doing this is because they can get away with it. It's as simple as that. What sort of person might do this? A narcissist. A narcissist would feel fully entitled to do such a thing and not feel guilty about doing so because they have no empathy towards others. They are only interested in one thing, themselves. Power and money are their motivation.
My favorite was when I was scrolling through Facebook one day and got an ad with my original t-shirt design being sold😆 The only place I had it for sale was on Etsy. So they must have snagged it from there. But frankly, though I was super annoyed, it was weirdly kind of a compliment. lol I’ve since closed out my tee shop. I’m sorry this has happened to you though!
I saw this too. I actually wrote to a person too. There are several account that sell bundles for almost nothing and with art work I’ve seen in other places and they are not only commons.
Etsy holds responsibility for the theft because it was advertised on Etsy. I would report Etsy to whichever fair trading group exists in the country where you live.
Etsy is so freaking weird. I was selling crochet aprons you place on bottles and they banned me lol I literally crocheted this myself and still got banned, but they'll let people stealing art stay on there??
I’m sorry this happened to you. As artists, this is a big worry for all of us. Mostly though I’m absolutely disgusted at Etsy’s lack of action again such illegal activity on their platform. They are knowingly making money from art thieves, so as you say, are complicit. I shall be boycotting Etsy from now on as I’m not contributing to their success as a company. They have no principles 😡
The fact that copyright isn't displayed all over your art tells me you are a prime target, I can click save image and resell. Unfortunately it's sad that people do that and it's not ok and makes me furious and why I just don't bother selling my art online. Anything online can and will be stolen at least once.
There is no graphic designer! A graphic designer is there to design new and original products, not stealing other people’s work. I’m a graphic designer and I always warn my clients about copyright infringement. I had my own copyright infringed as well. Most likely the shop owner is a non-creative lurching on work of real creatives. Good for you for reporting him/her/them. Next time don’t be so nice and don’t inform them upfront. It’s a crime. It’s theft. If he/she would steal something offline there would be police knocking on their door.
If this happened to me, i would take my artwork off of Etsy and close the store. Enough is enough. Why support a platform like this? Unfortunately, Etsy is not the same.
There should be a way for their computer to shut down permanently 😂 every time they steal something. Copyright infringement is illegal! What part of illegal doesn’t Etsy understand?
Hi Pawshire, I just found yr channel & subscribe. Sorry you had to go through those unpleasant issues and It's good that you show yr Artwork on other platforms so people can recognise it's yrs when they see it elsewhere. It's the safest way. I am about to open an Etsy shop myself and I am seriously debating because I had a similar experience and the two thieves were people I knew. On the positive side, Your Art is beautiful and remember only the BEST are stolen! 👍 So keep going and thank you for sharing!
a Copyright Infringement Notice is a formal way of telling someone they’re using copyrighted material without permission. It’s a request to halt this unauthorized use. The notice isn’t just a mere suggestion; it’s a legal tool, backed by copyright laws in many countries, designed to protect intellectual property rights.
I'm curious -- since the seller used Google Drive to share the files, did you attempt to report the copyright infringement to Google? (I don't imagine it would do much, since they probably use a throwaway account they can easily replace, but it might be worth a try.)
ETSY has lost its way and does not truly care about enforcing copyright infringement. I remember when it was about individual creators selling their work and not the current huge companies making mass produced knockoff work.
That’s why all of my published articles work have registered copyrights on them. If you have to sue, you have the right to collect any attorney fees. Once your attorney shows them the copyright certificate, most of the time it’s game over. That’s how it is, at least in the US.
I know an illustrator, her work is stolen from time to time and used for personal purposes and illegal sales. So she has trusted lawyers who regularly resolve such issues. It costs money and is annoying, but I think it's not worth leaving it unpunished.
This video is absolutely brilliant and inspiring 😺👍. In fact, whenever i see the art works for sale at some websites, it's hard to say, which are the original - and which are NOT. And hey, you are an excellent artist 🖋️🖊️✏️🖍️. You deserve a credit for making your art works 😺👍. In fact, you even deserve a big like 👍 from Vantaa, Finland 🇫🇮. 😺👍
I just found this shop on Etsy, very easily in fact, the owner is Italian (I'm Italian as well) in her bio she says she's born and living in ITALY while her shop location is NEW YORK. This is not good. In EU if you have a business you MUST show your business VAT number while there's NOTHING in her "ABOUT" section about her business, which, in my opinion, is not legit. Also, she claims she DESIGNS all her prints, and that's clearly a lie, so you should report the entire shop to Etsy. I'm an Etsy seller as well, I'm an artist and I sell both original and prints, I wish this kind of shop could be shut down because they steal other artists works and they sell a lot, it's simply disgusting!
Displate is another awful one, they have tonnes of sellers on there using stolen artwork and Displate just doesnt care. I was interested in becoming an artist/seller there myself until i learned all of this... I dont want them to know about my art or put myself in their sights in any way
It's time for someone to create a new platform as a competition to Etsy. One that only allows small businesses... There has to be a way to keep out China.
And don't even get me started on shops that sell cheaply made copies of jewelry etc. they buy on sites like Temu, AliExpress, Shein. And they ask a pretty penny, too. Original artists get ripped off, as do unsuspecting customers. All of that hurts every other seller on Etsy. Of course, they won't do anything about it because they make a ton of money from these listings and sales. I don't see how this will ever change.
Etsy has completely sold out to drop shippers, and has abandoned their own ethos. It’s so frustrating. As a buyer, I’m disgusted that 9 out of 10 transactions I’ve had have been junk from Temu!
This happened to me. The seller also claimed that a rogue graphic designer was responsible: "Tony did it." They deleted the item, but there were other items by other artists, of course
I think that if you hire a designer, it's still your company and reputation so she should have done the checks needed to make sure the designer was creating original art work. Absolute shame on Etsy for not protecting the makers and turning a blind eye. It's in Stays financial interest to let it continue so it goes on and on and on. Boycott Etsy!!!!
Yup. This is due diligence on the part of the business owner. It's still illegal what she did. If she has a graphic designer, she is the overseer. Etsy is distributing copyrighted material as the platform and should be held accountable to some degree. Honestly, I think the best route for artists in a similar situation is a class action lawsuit against Etsy.
You can only report copyright infringement for YOUR artwork. You can’t fight for other artists. If other artists work is being stolen, THEY need to report it.
Etsy changed their policies allowing all kinds of businesses, pretty fringe to "creators" and "makers". Great for them to make money, seriously bad for actual creators. And they really don't seem to care about infringement. I don't shop the app anymore at all. It's so hard to find the quality shops. The "non-creators" have all the proper keywords and everyone else falls to the bottom. I've weeded through a hundred pages at a time to find cool things and wow. As long as they're making money, they won't care.
Thanks a bunch for letting us know about Prodigi. I've tried some others before, and I never sold anything. I know of one with a cat in branding, which allows customers to fully customize their stuff with your own images, unlike most others who don't, but I didn't try it. Shalom.
I have had so many designs ripped off I am honestly about to quit Etsy. I have also found my designs on other peoples websites too. I usually get them removed from Etsy but then a new thief will show up a few days later. It’s a never ending battle.
My friend had a shop and catalog of unique items. A Chinese businessman wanted to buy the company and mass produce everything. She said no. He said he could just copy everything and market it. And he did.
This issue and all the blatant, relentless fake order/fake Etsy official contactss/identity theft/ bait and switch cheap 'paid order' for expensive deposit scammers - all that Etsy does little to nothing about - is my No. 1 why I stopped Etsy... No.2 is the need to master and spend a fortune on Etsy advertising to make a worthwhile level of sales.
You cannot sue Etsy. They only provide a platform. If you want the shop shut down you need more people to report their shop if their art is stolen. So you are on it already in no time they will get shut down. Etsy won't do much if only you report. More report of Ip claim than the shop will be closed.
If you had reported the seller before they had removed your artwork, they could have done more. Etsy has policies they have to follow, and when it comes to copyright, they can only act if it's the license holder/original artist who is reporting the seller. As yours had already been removed then it makes it difficult for them. Hopefully the other Artists can be found and report them
That is a problem - I've come across pirated artwork from well known franchises on sell platforms (not just etsy and not resale of second-hand stuff) but there isn't a lot that non-copyright holders can do if they find it.
I’m sorry this happened to you. It’s happened to me too (not Etsy, AliExpress and others). In the end Etsy is a commercial organisation designed to make money. It cares nothing for makers except as a way to make money for shareholders. That’s Capitalism…. And sadly the moment you share work online (with or without watermarks), you are vulnerable to theft. All you can do is play whack-a-mole….
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If you recognise the artists on any of the images from the video, please share this post with them. This way I can send them the link to the shop & report the infringement! 😆
➜ www.pawshire.com/blog/stop-art-thieves-from-selling-etsy
If you want to check whether your artworks were stolen DM me on Instagram ^^
➜ instagram.com/pawshire_art
wow
Some could make a reverse google search, but yeah.. takes a lot of time.
I'm happy you reported that Etsy shop. Etsy should do more to help you!
And I thank you for your wonderful art!
:3 Thanks a bunch for letting us know about Prodigi. I've tried some others before, and I never sold anything. I know of one with a cat in branding, which allows customers to fully customize their stuff with your own images, unlike most others who don't, but I didn't try it. Shalom.
The thief seller has 2 different etsy shop “ThatHipPrint” and “LoveDictionary”
All of us artists who are victims of intellectual theft should get together and file a class action lawsuit against Etsy..
Unfortunately, the first question that will be asked by an attorney or judge is: What steps did you take to protect your images online? Did you watermark each image? Did you embed metadata in each image? No image that contains original work should be put watermark free on any online marketplace including your own website. And in reality for actual fine artists marketplaces like FineArtAmerica and Pixels are likely much better audiences for your work. I learned the hard way back in the early 2000s with work stolen off of Cafepress.
It really should be a class action lawsuit. Artists are being shit on because we don’t have the same power as the movie or music industry (look at TH-cam’s aggressive copyright action).
The fact that they won't take down shops that are blatantly selling stolen artwork but they'll take down shops selling fanart that they personally crafted and illustrated because of copyright is so gross
They should be taking-down BOTH.
Etsy doesn’t care about sellers or artistic integrity. Etsy only cares about the making money.
@@thereisnostore exactlyyyy 😭 it's so sad that it devolved from crafters and vintage stuff to just straight up dropshipping and stolen art
Gosh I want to go play detective for my work on a site now. I found one thing suspicious once. Thanks for sharing your experience with us! Sorry it happened to you.
Etsy needs to take action. Copyright infringement. Name them in suit. As artists, are work belongs to us.
She does not have anyone working for her. I can tell you with 100% certainty, after 10 years of fighting online thieves stealing my designs and artworks. They will tell you anything. They use "AI" apps to restore pixelated works and make them look high quality. Never tell the seller you know, report them and then wait for Etsy to take it down, otherwise their accounts will always be free from reports and will continue selling other peoples works. If a seller has an amount of strikes on their account, they will be banned. Is good for you and for other artists.
I was going to say the same thing! She is just saying she has a graphic designer so she doesn’t look like the thief!
@@JessieSocial 💯 I've heard it all at this point. One of the worst excuses is when they say, I found it in Google lol 🤦♀
So it's a common excuse? I thought it could be like the ghostwriter thing… ?
@pawshire I can assure you she is lying. They use that excuse because people want to believe in the good in other people, and they use it to their advantage. I ended up leaving social media for 3 years because my work got stolen so much I couldn't keep up. I use to have to report every day for months and months while being active and I got burned out. I just want to pass my knowledge to other artists. I have been selling my work since 2014. Got to 50K on insta and got burned out in 2019. Since then lost almost 10K because I left. I wish I knew all I know now then.
Yep. There is no graphic designer.
As a buyer, I used to love Etsy. Then it got weird and now I don't buy from them because you can't tell what is authentic anymore.
This isn't about how the theft of your artwork impacts your Etsy shop, it's about slimy people who are looking to make money without putting effort into producing artwork. This disregard for the efforts of the artists whose work was stolen, and Etsy refusing to enforce consequences on those who steal makes me very angry. I'm glad you reported the thief and have made this video. Etsy is fraught with problems. Theft of intellectual property is only one of many issues Etsy fails to deal with effectively. Etsy is only interested in their bottom line and is willing to make their profits while disregarding morally correct behavior.
This is the one reason I don't shop at etsy anymore. Years ago there were actually beautiful unique pieces of craft and such, nowdays you can clearly spot chinese made factory stuff all around and art thieves from left and right. It's actually very hard to find handmade goods with search.
This is a great video and you handled this well. I'm glad you have audience that supports and care about you to report things like that :)! Good luck with your artjourney!
YES. This is why I will not sell my art on CROOKED Etsy. ETSY was ready to MAKE LOTS of MONEY, convincing the artists that they were for them (not). Throughout the years, there have been many things that ETSY has done that are not ethical. It's good of you to call ETSY and the seller out.
Yep, I'm getting fed up with it too.
Etsy ownership changed hands officially I think in 2018-ish? Yeah, new ownership ran it into the ground.
Once the original team sells a business, and/or once that business goes public for investors, the dream and cause it was built upon disintegrates. You're left with nothing but a shell of what it once was, with its purpose replaced by monetary incentives.
Even people that don't know any better can feel it. It's that obvious something is wrong, it's literally that impactful.
@@sunla WOW..
Etsy doesn’t care about sellers or artistic integrity. Etsy only cares about the making money.
Etsy is directly profiting from and facilitating the profit for sellers for copy right infringement/ theft by not enforcing compliance / enforcing real consequences on sellers who do this. They still make money from the listings and the advertising money from those sellers. Just a take down does not return the fraction of profit made on the sales of your artwork nor compensates you for potential sales losses. While legally speaking this is very complicated, it also destroys their social contract/ trust in the brand and turns away buyers who understand this problem. I don’t buy from them because I can no longer tell when something is truly handcrafted or if it is stolen or AI.
In my country being accomplice to theft is against the law. Maybe it's different in other countries... I don't know.
I think a class action against Etsy would do the trick. It’s sad. They used to be a great outlet for artists to sell their work.
@M0odyBlue They had a clause in their terms and conditions that said by using etsy you agreed not to sue/persue a class action and had to go through a private arbitration - i'm not sure if it is still there. I think a lot of the problem is that laws still haven't caught up properly to online spaces and these companies wield so much power. I did a quick google so take this with a grain of salt, it looks like there have been a couple of class action lawsuits but I can't see any by sellers. There was one by shareholders in 2015 who did not like the risk of counterfeit products but looks like they couldn't "prove conterfeiting" / made some incorrect allegations and it didn't really go anywhere.
To have copyright infringement, doesn't the work of art have to be copyrighted?
@agomodern It's complicated, depends on the country, I have used copyright infringement rather than intellectual property or moral rights etc and I'm not a lawyer or legal aide. In my country, fine artists have intellectual, copy and moral rights that do not have to be applied for (they apply as soon as the artwork is created), but designers or "art object" creators don't for some reason.
Etsy is so quick in banning content creators, even if they don't do anything wrong. And it sometimes takes days and weeks to get an account back.
But if actual artists have a problem with copyright infringement, they just dust their hands off and say, 'Sorry, we can't do anything about it.' Or don't say anything at all.
Laughable.
Isn't that the sick irony of it all?
@@KimberlyLetsGo It is, it's sad, really.
It does not matter whether she or her graphic designer stole the art , she is still selling stolen goods. In the UK that is a crime. I expect that most of what is sold is without consent , thats why she does not want you to say anything. Etsy have let you down and every honest person creating work. sorry this has happened.
Pretty sure there isn’t a graphic designer. 🙄😬
@@MixedMediaArtByTrina Pretty sure you are right.
I am so glad someone told you! Artists have to stick together. The U.S. has copyright laws to protect intellectual property.
So, this convinced me as a buyer not to use ETSY. Sadly, this will have an effect on the legal and legitimate sellers, but boycotting ETSY could give them incentive to deal with thieves.
Yes!!!!!!
I'm thinking about closing my Etsy shop as well…
You make a really good point by reacting as a buyer. Smart and careful thinking.
She owes you money for the artwork of yours she sold. I would demand an accounting and payment, threatening to sue her if she doesn't comply.
A friend has been trying to get people to stop selling her photos on merch for years now. There are countless copies popping up all the time and etsy hasn't done anything. They dont care because every sale means money for them
😶
I’ve always thought about buying a stolen version of my art so I could put them on blast! Good for you. This trend of shops selling thousands of downloads is really upsetting to me because I sell the bulk of my art on Etsy and I feel that it’s become a race to the bottom.
Why buy it? Screenshots of the posting online is all you need to put them on blast. And to report. Will Etsy respond? That is another question.
I decided to do it to check the quality of the actual images she sells. Sadly I did not get the bundle with my art in it (too angry too early haha). Really want to know how she gets the high-res files (which I've never put online).
I have had a similar experience on Etsy over the past few weeks. I was given the runaround and lied to by Etsy support during the process of dealing with a seller stealing my work. It has been heartbreaking to say the least.
Just one more reason that Etsy is dead to me. There is too much deception on the platform, and it is no longer a marketplace for original artwork/crafts. It was a good idea to begin with, but people got greedy. I'm glad you followed up on it and got at least some satisfaction.
As a business owner this person should be fully aware of what they’re selling…
My cynical guess is they are. There probably isn't even a 'graphic designer'. It is just a way for the shop owner to distance themselves from the crime so they can pretend they are the innocent party.
Exactly! The owner's excuse was ridiculous. I'm glad you reported them. A shop owner that doesn't know what they are selling? The marketing photo purposefully shows the art at a distance - grouped and arranged on angled walls - which distorts the images, making it harder to Google search a single image and find the original artist.
Etsy doesn’t care about small creators and artists. They’ve sold their soul to get rich. I’m so constantly disappointed by how they’re just letting everyone get away with stealing and “reselling.” I don’t know why I thought they ever had a soul. There are fewer and fewer websites where people can make a living selling their actual original artwork. It’s sad. I now hope Etsy goes away or changes back to how it used to be when it first opened.
I’ve been selling on Etsy for 16 years. I have seen so many changes and it’s extremely sad to think about what a great venue it was in the beginning. It really was all handmade and everyone knew everyone else. I made many friends that I’m still in touch with. It’s a never ending job to fight the thieves. I remember one shop that stole my images and sold the item. The review left by the buyer said how it was extremely poor quality and didn’t look like the listing. I always wondered how they handled sales that they then had to make. At this stage I don’t get too upset about it anymore. I believe in karma.
It's also important to make sure that if we buy art bundles It's of art that's in the public domain. A big issue is that Etsy is not demanding confirmation if the work is public domain art or made by an artist
I really hope artists look into laws and how we can protect each other legally. Im not a lawyer but there is a chance that a class action lawsuit against Etsy could be made for knowingly distributing copyrighted material on their platform and not doing enough to protect sellers.
I am a professional artist and for the last 15 years I have been arguing the fact that people who use a computer to generate, correct or help them create art is a form of theft for the rest of us artists. Now non-artists are using AI to completely create pieces that they are actually entering and winning major art shows with. Very frustrating....
Are you meaning AI alone? Or any digital art? I use procreate to make my own unique art and to modify my own photos. I agree with you mostly, but not the using a computer to help create art part.
I can't believe that Etsy didn't seem to care. Well, I can believe it and as a result, Etsy is one of the place I don't want to shop anymore. There is this kind of problem and things sold as "original" but actually coming directly from a wholesale seller. Good for you for telling your story. It's so hard for creators these days to make money from their art!
Etsy is greedy & abusive.
This is not true about being 'PROTECTED' because someone else did it. In this example the hired graphic designer (other). The other did not sign an agreement with Etsy, only the owner of the shop did. Their name only is on the signed agreement which is a full and legal contract.
I rarely visit ETSY at all these days. Their blatant support of art thieves and stolen goods are sad and upsetting. Keep fighting and staying true to your art and creative style.
OMG!!! I loved the artworks in this shop, and one piece I was going to buy, was yours. I can’t believe she stole your work. That’s not ok!!! I love your art, and will buy from you. I’m sorry this happened to you, and hope people come to your shop so you can make a lot of money to put into your pocket, not hers. ❤
Makes me wonder if Etsy are running the shop themselves 🤨
It’s insulting that Etsy won’t handle this matter properly, considering the huge fees they charge us for selling with them! Back when Etsy was new, it was so much better because you did have only crafters. Now most of the stuff sold there is dropshipping, POD, and now this?? Ughhhhh I need to get my website ready and start selling there. Even Etsy’s marketing fees are guge and useless, I barely get any visits!
I am in the same boat!
So sorry you are dealing with this. I had the same thing happen to my Etsy shop. Another shop took all of my 465 photos and started selling them with my watermark on them. Etsy did not care. Then they shut my shop down. Take this as a wake call. Get off etsy and build your own platform to sell your work. Good luck!
Sorry this happened to you! Sorry but not surprised. And you are so correct that basically the algorithm just now is favouring these people and not the real artists
Commenting and liking to boost your exposure because this is appalling but also completely unsurprising. You have handled it so well you should be so proud. I no longer sell on Etsy and rarely buy on there because I don't have the time to scroll for hours and hours through loads if mass-produced copyright infringement tat to find the real artists and creators. I used Etsy at the very beginning when it had such a great focus on handmade, original work. But it sold out and got greedy, like every other popular platform. I'm so happy to hear you get more income elsewhere and I will be so happy when all the creators are able to give up on Etsy and find their audiences elsewhere. It's a lost cause. They should be ashamed of themselves for allowing people to sell stolen goods, but somehow, as you say, I doubt they care as long as they profit. All the best to you and your original creative practice. In the end remember the skill, talent and potential you hold from all your hard work is worth so much more than anything ❤
Thank you for your support! 🌼😊
It's terrible that this is happening to you and many other artists. I'm glad to have found your channel and your artwork. Hopefully the wonderful way that you've handled this injustice will lead others to find your work and support you.
I have a shop on Etsy but I’ve been thinking about leaving them for a while and this video just made my mind up! Thank u so much for sharing this!
It's kind that you thanked the person who alerted you... I've spent time documenting art/design pirates more than once to let the victim arist or small company know (including companies with staff, who presumably had time to at least say "thank you".) I've had my designs pirated, so it is what I hope someone would do for me... However, I don't think I ever had a simple acknowledgement for the time and care given. :/
WELL DONE for going after the b@stard! I too had something stolen, not on Etsy though. It was a major company (S**y) who modified the image JUST enough so that I had questionable grounds (or the money to sue) for infringement (copyright laws can be dodgy), however it was CLEARLY my image. To add insult to injury, it was put into a major film! You keep goin', girl! More power to you-- subscribed!
Oh no… that must be so frustrating! 😢
I've seen tons of these kinds of sellers on Etsy. Not just artwork either. Books sold in bundles like that too--recently I found a seller selling bundles of books about Sashiko in Japanese that clearly were not her intellectual property. And probably lots of other stuff that I just haven't noticed yet. Like you said, Etsy has no incentive to stop these people because they are earning tons of money from them. Etsy has a lot of problems but there aren't a lot of competitors to the platform that are making a dent in the marketplace, sadly. I'm sorry this happened to you. If I were you, I'd do a reverse image search using Google to track down the artist who created each of those paintings and contact them. If we all make a big enough stink, Etsy will be forced to do something.
I dropped Etsy completely. They screwed over too many creators. Yet they seem to reward cheaters.
Did China buy it?😂
I used to enjoy shopping on there for special handmade items- such unique gifts were possible to find.
I left Etsy when they started to throttle pay, Was on there for years. TOns of thieves there, and seen these kinds of shops, I can no longer be on that platform
I think you summarized the issue in a great way. Thank you for sharing this.
What I have found with these sellers is that the art sold generally doesn't match a particular style - most artists have their own style so that you can tell that it is made by them so if there are a lot of different styles (as well as lots of images), you can tell that they aren't the artist. Sometimes vintage art is sold because there isn't any copyright on it or it's expired (a lot of online image shops that sell graphics do this, and they claim to own the image when it's public domain.)
People sell public domain art on Etsy all the time and try to claim they own it--even watermarking images. They might own a BOOK containing the images, but they aren't the intellectual property owners. It's nuts. I came across a ton of this recently when I was googling Victorian embroidery, just trying to get a feel for what it looked like before beginning to plan a project (of original artwork).
There are so many Graphics Designers in the illustration space committing copyright infringement. WTF are they teaching these people? There have been 4 separate instances in the last year alone that I have come across with straight up theft to tracing licensed images for commercial work. yikes.
:(
I was thinking of going back to Etsy but if they don’t take copyright seriously, why should we support them ? what are sellers fees for if they don’t take our rights seriously?
I am considering closing the shop and just focusing on my website too!
This is why I haven’t moved to Etsy yet. There are too many thieves with no repercussions. I haven’t started trying to sell my art because it feels like there aren’t any accessible online marketplaces anymore, so I reckon I’m going to try and hit the local craft/art fair circuit instead.
This actually pays better. Direct sale. Etsy and shipping take a big cut.
Very well done! You have really done your homework here and explain this whole process beautifully. You are a force of nature! The world is a better place with you in it
"My graphic designer did it" sounds like a lie.
More reasons why I’m glad I shut my Etsy shop.
Etsy are the worst and I decided not to sell there because of these thieves, the fees, and they randomly holding seller's money for months.
Hi Pawshire. My thoughts about this is that the reason people are doing this is because they can get away with it. It's as simple as that.
What sort of person might do this? A narcissist. A narcissist would feel fully entitled to do such a thing and not feel guilty about doing so because they have no empathy towards others. They are only interested in one thing, themselves. Power and money are their motivation.
Awww I’m sorry this happened to you… 😢 You took it in a really good way, though. I would’ve been super angry!
Thank you for your kind words 😊 Things like this happen, at least this was an opportunity to make video about the topic! (😆)
My favorite was when I was scrolling through Facebook one day and got an ad with my original t-shirt design being sold😆
The only place I had it for sale was on Etsy. So they must have snagged it from there.
But frankly, though I was super annoyed, it was weirdly kind of a compliment. lol
I’ve since closed out my tee shop.
I’m sorry this has happened to you though!
Sorry this happened to you to! Ah, frustrations 😂
I saw this too. I actually wrote to a person too. There are several account that sell bundles for almost nothing and with art work I’ve seen in other places and they are not only commons.
For your great personality, intelligence and artistic talent❤
❤️❤️❤️
This is like people who take screenshots, then print copyrighted photos or other artworks.
Makes me feel sick, hesitant to bother selling my own art.
I stop buying on Etsy and any dream to sell on the platform. So sad how investors ruin everything.
Etsy holds responsibility for the theft because it was advertised on Etsy. I would report Etsy to whichever fair trading group exists in the country where you live.
Etsy is so freaking weird. I was selling crochet aprons you place on bottles and they banned me lol I literally crocheted this myself and still got banned, but they'll let people stealing art stay on there??
Very common. It’s a criminal enterprise.
I’m sorry this happened to you. As artists, this is a big worry for all of us. Mostly though I’m absolutely disgusted at Etsy’s lack of action again such illegal activity on their platform. They are knowingly making money from art thieves, so as you say, are complicit. I shall be boycotting Etsy from now on as I’m not contributing to their success as a company. They have no principles 😡
The fact that copyright isn't displayed all over your art tells me you are a prime target, I can click save image and resell. Unfortunately it's sad that people do that and it's not ok and makes me furious and why I just don't bother selling my art online. Anything online can and will be stolen at least once.
There is no graphic designer! A graphic designer is there to design new and original products, not stealing other people’s work. I’m a graphic designer and I always warn my clients about copyright infringement. I had my own copyright infringed as well. Most likely the shop owner is a non-creative lurching on work of real creatives. Good for you for reporting him/her/them. Next time don’t be so nice and don’t inform them upfront. It’s a crime. It’s theft. If he/she would steal something offline there would be police knocking on their door.
I'm happy you reported this because she knows what she's doing.
If this happened to me, i would take my artwork off of Etsy and close the store. Enough is enough. Why support a platform like this? Unfortunately, Etsy is not the same.
There should be a way for their computer to shut down permanently 😂 every time they steal something. Copyright infringement is illegal! What part of illegal doesn’t Etsy understand?
All genuine artists and makers on Etsy should suspend there shops for a month en mass to give Etsy the message.
Hi Pawshire, I just found yr channel & subscribe. Sorry you had to go through those unpleasant issues and It's good that you show yr Artwork on other platforms so people can recognise it's yrs when they see it elsewhere. It's the safest way. I am about to open an Etsy shop myself and I am seriously debating because I had a similar experience and the two thieves were people I knew. On the positive side, Your Art is beautiful and remember only the BEST are stolen! 👍 So keep going and thank you for sharing!
a Copyright Infringement Notice is a formal way of telling someone they’re using copyrighted material without permission. It’s a request to halt this unauthorized use.
The notice isn’t just a mere suggestion; it’s a legal tool, backed by copyright laws in many countries, designed to protect intellectual property rights.
I'm curious -- since the seller used Google Drive to share the files, did you attempt to report the copyright infringement to Google?
(I don't imagine it would do much, since they probably use a throwaway account they can easily replace, but it might be worth a try.)
ETSY has lost its way and does not truly care about enforcing copyright infringement. I remember when it was about individual creators selling their work and not the current huge companies making mass produced knockoff work.
That’s why all of my published articles work have registered copyrights on them. If you have to sue, you have the right to collect any attorney fees. Once your attorney shows them the copyright certificate, most of the time it’s game over. That’s how it is, at least in the US.
I know an illustrator, her work is stolen from time to time and used for personal purposes and illegal sales. So she has trusted lawyers who regularly resolve such issues. It costs money and is annoying, but I think it's not worth leaving it unpunished.
That will be the next step, when I can afford it!
Etsy used to be fun, both as a seller and as a buyer. Not anymore. I rarely shop there now.
This video is absolutely brilliant and inspiring 😺👍.
In fact, whenever i see the art works
for sale at some websites,
it's hard to say, which are the original -
and which are NOT.
And hey, you are an excellent artist 🖋️🖊️✏️🖍️.
You deserve a credit for making your art works 😺👍.
In fact, you even deserve a big like 👍
from Vantaa, Finland 🇫🇮.
😺👍
It's really hard to know for sure! I usually avoid buying unless I know the artists name. And thank you for your support!
Ding ding ding!!! You got it girl, Etsy makes more money on those scammers than on the small artists.
I just found this shop on Etsy, very easily in fact, the owner is Italian (I'm Italian as well) in her bio she says she's born and living in ITALY while her shop location is NEW YORK. This is not good. In EU if you have a business you MUST show your business VAT number while there's NOTHING in her "ABOUT" section about her business, which, in my opinion, is not legit. Also, she claims she DESIGNS all her prints, and that's clearly a lie, so you should report the entire shop to Etsy. I'm an Etsy seller as well, I'm an artist and I sell both original and prints, I wish this kind of shop could be shut down because they steal other artists works and they sell a lot, it's simply disgusting!
I did report the whole shop several times, but have never heard back from Etsy :/
Displate is another awful one, they have tonnes of sellers on there using stolen artwork and Displate just doesnt care. I was interested in becoming an artist/seller there myself until i learned all of this... I dont want them to know about my art or put myself in their sights in any way
I’m sorry this happened to you. Has happened to me quite a few times. It’s so disappointing. Thank you for spotlighting this issue. ❤
It's time for someone to create a new platform as a competition to Etsy. One that only allows small businesses... There has to be a way to keep out China.
And don't even get me started on shops that sell cheaply made copies of jewelry etc. they buy on sites like Temu, AliExpress, Shein. And they ask a pretty penny, too. Original artists get ripped off, as do unsuspecting customers. All of that hurts every other seller on Etsy. Of course, they won't do anything about it because they make a ton of money from these listings and sales. I don't see how this will ever change.
Etsy has completely sold out to drop shippers, and has abandoned their own ethos. It’s so frustrating. As a buyer, I’m disgusted that 9 out of 10 transactions I’ve had have been junk from Temu!
:(
Crooked Etsy needs to take accountability for people committing thievery. Don't sell or buy on Etsy until they change their policy.
This happened to me. The seller also claimed that a rogue graphic designer was responsible: "Tony did it." They deleted the item, but there were other items by other artists, of course
Etsy is a disgrace.
I think that if you hire a designer, it's still your company and reputation so she should have done the checks needed to make sure the designer was creating original art work. Absolute shame on Etsy for not protecting the makers and turning a blind eye. It's in Stays financial interest to let it continue so it goes on and on and on. Boycott Etsy!!!!
Yup. This is due diligence on the part of the business owner. It's still illegal what she did. If she has a graphic designer, she is the overseer. Etsy is distributing copyrighted material as the platform and should be held accountable to some degree. Honestly, I think the best route for artists in a similar situation is a class action lawsuit against Etsy.
You can only report copyright infringement for YOUR artwork. You can’t fight for other artists. If other artists work is being stolen, THEY need to report it.
The only way to stop this is for artists to have a CLASS ACTION SUIT agains ESTY who is not being duly diligent and is profiting from this
Etsy changed their policies allowing all kinds of businesses, pretty fringe to "creators" and "makers". Great for them to make money, seriously bad for actual creators. And they really don't seem to care about infringement. I don't shop the app anymore at all. It's so hard to find the quality shops. The "non-creators" have all the proper keywords and everyone else falls to the bottom. I've weeded through a hundred pages at a time to find cool things and wow. As long as they're making money, they won't care.
Stuff like this is why I avoid Etsy now
Thanks a bunch for letting us know about Prodigi. I've tried some others before, and I never sold anything. I know of one with a cat in branding, which allows customers to fully customize their stuff with your own images, unlike most others who don't, but I didn't try it. Shalom.
I have had so many designs ripped off I am honestly about to quit Etsy. I have also found my designs on other peoples websites too. I usually get them removed from Etsy but then a new thief will show up a few days later. It’s a never ending battle.
My friend had a shop and catalog of unique items. A Chinese businessman wanted to buy the company and mass produce everything. She said no. He said he could just copy everything and market it. And he did.
@@LilyGazou Wow, that's so heartless.
This issue and all the blatant, relentless fake order/fake Etsy official contactss/identity theft/ bait and switch cheap 'paid order' for expensive deposit scammers - all that Etsy does little to nothing about - is my No. 1 why I stopped Etsy... No.2 is the need to master and spend a fortune on Etsy advertising to make a worthwhile level of sales.
You cannot sue Etsy. They only provide a platform. If you want the shop shut down you need more people to report their shop if their art is stolen. So you are on it already in no time they will get shut down. Etsy won't do much if only you report. More report of Ip claim than the shop will be closed.
😡😡 this is disgraceful.
Lol at her reading the name of the items with the drumrolls in the background. 😂
If you had reported the seller before they had removed your artwork, they could have done more.
Etsy has policies they have to follow, and when it comes to copyright, they can only act if it's the license holder/original artist who is reporting the seller. As yours had already been removed then it makes it difficult for them.
Hopefully the other Artists can be found and report them
That is a problem - I've come across pirated artwork from well known franchises on sell platforms (not just etsy and not resale of second-hand stuff) but there isn't a lot that non-copyright holders can do if they find it.
Wow this is crazy and so sad.
Quite frustrating 😆
So upsetting to see these massive shops dedicated to ripping off artists.
I’m sorry this happened to you. It’s happened to me too (not Etsy, AliExpress and others). In the end Etsy is a commercial organisation designed to make money. It cares nothing for makers except as a way to make money for shareholders. That’s Capitalism…. And sadly the moment you share work online (with or without watermarks), you are vulnerable to theft. All you can do is play whack-a-mole….