I just read bejoscha's post about how her design graciously given for free popped up on Etsy for sale. I don't want to help these pirates make money, but how do I know that a site is reputable? Is there something I'm missing in my knowledge?

Just a follow-up question--if a site sells things like "mouse ears" designs and they are exactly like the Disney mouse characters, is that generally a no-no? Now that I'm more aware, I am becoming suspect about many designs I've seen for sale on Etsy

1 comment

by asterixsew 28 Sep 2016

Yes. There are far too many 'suspect' designs available. Its amazing that we don't see many legal cases where sellers have been prosecuted though spendlove did post a interesting one recently.
http://www.cuteembroidery.com/103...

It will take us all to try to put a lid on illegal designs. But anytime one of us buys an illegal design or downloads a design stolen from a legitimate digitizer we encourage the theft. Please, I encourage each one of us to monitor any and every site for illegal designs. Report anything you suspect. And yes, avoid the sites you know offer illegal designs. Please don't hesitate to continue to ask good questions like this. Knowledge is power and protection.

You are not missing anything. It is just simply very difficult to know if a site is selling designs illegally unless you've seen the design elsewhere. I've been mistaken at times when an art company sells sets of drawings to digitizers and I see the designs on more than one website. So more than one digitizer can legally be digitizing the same design and sell them. Newbies may not even be aware that this is an issue as well. It's a complicated world and I just try to do my part by being careful.

Etsy is the worst place to buy designs as they do not appear to enforce copyright protection regulations, but then again, if no-one has reported their suspicions, Etsy management CANNOT take action, and let's face it, there are many people who just don't CARE where the item comes from, if they are getting it cheaper than from the original source.

Perhaps you could copy a link to the item, here at Cute, and request other Cuties share any knowledge they might have on the suspect item.
Maybe Cuties could become the watchdogs of the embroidery world???

Now don't all jump on me at once, because I have seen my own unique designs for sale there and believe me it really makes me irate when I know the only place I have shared my designs has been right here at CuteEmbroidery.

It would be wonderful if we all could take part in deterring such activities.

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by pennyhal2 27 Sep 2016

I certainly appreciate it when it is posted here when a site has not respected copyrights of others. Once it come to my attention that a site is violating the law, I simply never go to it again.

Just be careful!!

Unfortunately one can not always tell. Cartoon Characters are obvious, but other things like Bejoscha's design are not. Unfortunately there are a lot of copyright designs being sold on Etsy. Just google MIckey Mouse embroidery designs on Etsy and you will be surprised.

Hi Jennifer, I for one only use certain sites and I know that they are reputable. All the ones that are mentioned here on this site are reputable too, as our moderators make sure of that! Love Chris

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by parkermom 26 Sep 2016

I try to only use certain sites also, but sometimes there's a design on Etsy and I don't know how to tell if the seller is ok. I'm grateful to the moderators here for making sure about the reputable ones on Cute.