I was just reading a post on Facebook from a digitizer. She is fed up with people stealing her designs. One will purchase and then "share" it with family and friends or other members of a group. That is STEALING!! Sometimes the one that buys the design will give it or sell it as their own because they add one component or change the color. That is stealing and breaking several other laws as well!
Cuties, PLEASE help her and all the digitizers by reporting those that "share" (even "free" designs) and refusing to use stolen goods. I know some embroidery shops had to close because of this issue. It is not fair to take what does not belong to you.
I know we often talk about copyright/licensing issues. This topic includes all that but additionally, it is about someone's income! People provide for their family, pay rent, pay for their expensive embroidery machines, put food on their table or clothes on their backs by creating embroidery designs. The digitizer must pay for any clip-art or artwork done by someone else. Sometimes a digitizer will spend lots of money to buy the rights to digitize artwork. So it isn't free for them to create it. Plus, they all have the expense of digitizing software and design testing.
OK I will step down off my soap box now. Thanks for reading and for doing all you can to make this theft stop!
When you go to a car dealership, they do still show you where the brake is don't they?
Thanks again as this may just help another new embroiderer before they do anything they shouldn't
I do hope the newer Cuties will avoid the pitfalls of collecting stolen designs.
And YES, there is a RIGHT way and a WRONG way of doing most things!
I recently had someone here at Cute looking for one of my designs, I PM'd her asking for an email address so I could send it to her but never did hear from her again???!!! To me, this begs the question...... did someone from here see her request and send her a copy of my design, or did she just not bother making the urgently needed articles???
I digitised designs, for free, for Cute members as an ongoing thank you for supporting me through cancer, I DON'T have a website, I don't sell my designs and I readily digitise for any Cuties who need a design they can't find, but it still annoys me to think of someone sharing my designs and not even giving credit to me for my work, when all it takes is a PM to me so I can be the one to GIFT it.
On many occasions I have contacted other digitisers asking permission to purchase a design, or set, to GIFT to a friend and never once has a request been refused as I always give the digitiser the name and email address of the recipient and I have usually already purchased that design or set previously for myself anyway.
A few months ago, I purchased a set of 36 designs from a digitiser and then realised I had already purchased seven of them previously, so I wrote and asked if I could "Gift" the first 7 to a friend, supplying friend's name and emad, Her answer was a resounding yes.
So you see.... digitisers are PEOPLE, we aren't ogres, we aren't selfish monsters but we also are NOT huge corporations with money to burn, all we really ask is that you (the embroiderers of the world) do things the RIGHT way.
If you ask US we won't bite your heads off, and if we say no, then you haven't lost anything, it hasn't hurt you in any way and at least you will feel better knowing you showed us the same kind of courtesy you expect for yourself.
Please remember though, if you want a design or a logo digitised from artwork, and you are providing that artwork or logo, then you need to also provide written permission from the owner of the artwork or logo, if you remember this when you make your request it will save time and embarrassment.
Hugs and blessings and happy embroidering,
Meganne
(Melide Menschen Designs)