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i'm flattered when someone 'faves' a card i made, but i do not appreciate finding out that one of my cards has been CASEd, without my permission and without crediting me with the design. this is a copyright infringement
Oh, gee, I've faved cards and created something like it but I never did those things. Can you show me the spot in the terms? I'm going to empty my favorites right now.
This very reason is why many people quit adding pictures to their gallery here...If you post it to a public domain you have to somewhat expect it...
Giving credit where due is the proper way to do it, but in the real world, it's does not always happen...I have never seen anyone or anywhere that says you have to ask permission to *CASE* anything?
__________________ Karen
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I've never heard about asking permission! If I CASE a card and decide to put it on SCS, I usually give credit with a link to the original, plus I also PM the person I'm CASEing to let them know. So far, I've always received positive responses...
__________________ Carmen My Gallery We can't all be morning people! My blog
I thought that if you cased a card that was the highest form of praise ? I know that I have card in my Favorites that I would like to case when I have time to but would not have asked first but would have given the credit to whom ever it was at that time . At the same time (especially with challenges) I have seen cards come up very close to someones else's but posted so close together that they could not have seen each others .....but still are really close to each others . And with the 1000's of cards loaded each week if a person looks threw the galleries enough bits and pieces stick with you and somebody may not have remembered where it all came from , you know what I mean ? You might be mad for nothing , and life is way to short for that. If you think somebody did you wrong why not send them a private email to talk about it and find out ? Just a thought. Happy New Year !!!! Take Care ...Sherrylynn
While it is considerate to credit the source of inspiration when anyone CASEs a card or project, it is VERY common for whoever does the CASEing to remember WHAT they saw, but not necessarily WHERE they saw it or WHO made it.
I personally had an experience where the CASEr had even asked me for dimensions and details for one of my cards (which I provided for her), and she STILL didn't remember! I sent her a polite email and she PUBLICLY apologized and remedied the situation! No harm, no foul...
I know that I've often seen several items that were so similar that it would be impossible to tell who made what first, so who gets credit then? I'm not saying that this is the case with your cards, but it is fairly common.
I agree that it is very frustrating to spend time and energy to create something and then have others take the credit for it. I guess I'm just playing devil's advocate in pointing out that it may not be done with malice or even intentionally...
I'm not sure what CASEd means. If someone posted your card and called it their own, that's just plain wrong.
However, if someone saw your design and implemented that design on their own card, I don't believe that violates any copyright laws. Now, if they were to use the exact same designer paper, exact shades of ink, exact everything, you might be able to make a case for infringement violation.
I have favorited quite a few cards, mostly because I want to look back on them for inspiration. I may want to copy the colors they used. Or I may want to remind myself to buy a similar edge punch or embossing folder. I might even want to try to duplicate it using similar papers or tools. I thought that was what this site was all about. I can only hope that one day I'll be good enough that someone will want to try to duplicate one of my creations!
i had no idea that when i started this thread, it would generate such an interesting discussion and if i could've anticipated some of the comments, i would've provided more detail. my cards, minus the stamped image, are copyright protected, which means if they are copied, it is an infringement. just because something is in the public domain doesn't mean it's there to be stolen and passed off as someone else's work. when i found the card, i did notify the offender, who subsequently advertised that it was a case of my card. requesting permission first is not only courteous, it's the law.
Just out of curiosity, how would one know that your cards are copyrighted since there is no watermark or anything on them?
You don't have to mark an item or even register it with the U.S Copyright department for it to be copyrighted. It is legally considered copyrighted from the moment it was completed.
Copyright is somewhat ambiguous. Exactly where is that fine line between inspiration and violation?
I know sometimes people don't remember where they get their card ideas - I'm sure I've done that too
No need to delete your favorites
I save & fave & am inspired here daily.
Am I missing something? I read and re-read the Site Posting Rules, and I can't see anything anywhere that addresses the issues we're discussing in this thread...
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Truthfully, if I don't want someone using my ideas then I wouldn't post them on the internet. And if I do post them and someone uses them, I would be so flattered that someone thinks enough of my designs to copy them.
Truthfully, if I don't want someone using my ideas then I wouldn't post them on the internet. And if I do post them and someone uses them, I would be so flattered that someone thinks enough of my designs to copy them.
I agree! I would be thrilled to have someone think a card of mine was worth copying.
I start from scratch to make all of my cards. If someone has one similar then I have not seen it. We all can buy the same supplies and equipment so I think it is reasonable to assume some one else had an idea like mine
__________________ "I have not failed . I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work" --Thomas A. Edison
You don't have to mark an item or even register it with the U.S Copyright department for it to be copyrighted. It is legally considered copyrighted from the moment it was completed.
Copyright is somewhat ambiguous. Exactly where is that fine line between inspiration and violation?
Umm, you might want to check into that a bit more, there was a big discussion On the SU website about that and it actually costs thousands of dollars to copyright your cards, and it is quite difficult to prove you layout is 100% creatively yours, with no inspiration from anywhere else. Have a great day!
Umm, you might want to check into that a bit more, there was a big discussion On the SU website about that and it actually costs thousands of dollars to copyright your cards, and it is quite difficult to prove you layout is 100% creatively yours, with no inspiration from anywhere else. Have a great day!
No. I'm right about a work being copyrighted when it's created.
Here is a link to FAQ on the U.S. Copyright Office: U.S. Copyright Office - Copyright in General (FAQ)
It says, "Your work is under copyright protection the moment it is created and fixed in a tangible form that it is perceptible either directly or with the aid of a machine or device."
Registration of the copyright is optional, but will be necessary if you wish to file a lawsuit in a U.S. court. This also is stated in the same FAQ link above.
I do agree that proving the work is yours will be very difficult. Winning any type of monetary compensation will be even harder. I believe a few years back I read that the owner must claim a loss of income before any compensation is awarded.
Posting something where the public can see it does not make it "public domain (link)." If you do post online, however, don't be surprised if your work inspires someone. We are a creative community at various skill levels, and at every level we are learning from each other. Some can conceptualize their ideas without much effort, and some may need others' ideas, tutorials or samples to get started.
It is absolutely courteous to give credit when a card is CASE'd. (CASE originally stood for Copy and Steal/Share Everything... maybe there is a more positive sounding interpretation now?!..) I don't think it's necessary to ask beforehand, though it would certainly be flattering. Giving credit (on SCS, a mention of the creator's name/username) is enough, but a link to the original card and a private message to the creator is even better.
Watermarking your cards is one way to ensure that your identity travels with the card if it is faved or saved or used otherwise for future inspiration, and will also discourage others from using your original picture for their own personal gain. It doesn't keep people from using your card as inspiration for their own card, but it might remind them where they got it if they refer back to it as they work.
It is also worthwhile to remember that we, as card makers, do not hold the copyright on the images we use...whether a digi stamp, a rubber or clear stamp, or designer paper.
The most we could even attempt to claim a copyright on is our layout. And then it would be very difficult to prove that our layout is original...that no one has ever used that layout ever before.
I find this sad and upsetting. First Cricut tells me the plastic i bought is mine but they dictate how I use it. Now if I look at a card posted on here and months away I create a similar card i am a thief.
I am thinking about quitting all if it. This has gone too far
Thanks for ruining something I use to get much enjoyment from. I dont want to have to worry about who's idea i might be stealing because I once saw a similar layout.
Bonnie
Last edited by Stampnf1n; 01-02-2012 at 04:48 AM..
I find this sad and upsetting. First Cricut tells me the plastic i bought is mine but they dictate how I use it. Now if I look at a card posted on here and months away I create a similar card i am a thief.
I am thinking about quitting all if it. This has gone too far
Thanks for ruining something I use to get much enjoyment from. I dont want to have to worry about who's idea i might be stealing because I once saw a similar layout.
Bonnie
Oh Bonnie I certainly hope you don't quit creating!! I know I personally get so much enjoyment and stress relief from crafting daily. I think part of the reason we all come here is to share and be inspired! If you are inspired to try something new, or use certain colors together, or even fully CASE a project that's awesome!! Of course, as has been stated, if you can give credit that's great, but you shouldn't quit stamping out of fear! Keep creating and enjoy!!
I remember researching the rules about CASEing something when I first started using SCS, and I don't remember it being a requirement that we ask permission first. So far I have always given credit, and I try to leave a comment on the original card that I liked it so much that I CASEd it. I hope that's not wrong.
__________________ aka Sue. Or Sue-odd.
No blog for me. My gallery chronicles my card-making successes and mishaps.
I would echo Julie's words to Bonnie - don't give up something you love. We're all inspired by what we see here - how can we not be. And you just can't credit everything. If I tried to remember where I'd first seen somebody tie a knot in a particular way I'd be driven demented! I think snail was talking about a direct copy of her card so it would be hard to tell the difference between them.
Caseing isn't something I often do, but personally I would consider it enough to give credit without necessarily asking permission first. I do feel that we've uploaded here to share, so I'm flattered and honoured if somebody is inspired by what I have created. If they let me know by pm or email, then that gives me a happy feeling, but if they don't, it's no skin off my nose - again this is speaking personally.
And Vic, I hope you didn't empty your favourites!!
I honestly don't even see the point in this. This is not the first time this issue has cropped up, nor will it be the last and it is just silly. I always wonder what people think they have done that has never been done before?
I honestly don't even see the point in this. This is not the first time this issue has cropped up, nor will it be the last and it is just silly. I always wonder what people think they have done that has never been done before?
I love a voice of reason. This kind of thing is not even on my radar.
I hate to even ask this but I am going to anyway. I had to look up what CASE meant because I thought I had it wrong. Copy And Share Everything, right? I guess I am confused because I go to blogs and they say what color paper was used, what color ink, what stamps and ribbon were used...are they advertising or are they sharing? I made a card for my husband that I saw on a blog...same colors, same layout, just a different sentiment stamp but other than that, pretty much the same card. I saw the idea and I liked it so I made one myself. I did not put a disclaimer on it and I stamped it on the back with my name stamp. I made a Christmas card and saw one almost exactly the same on a neighbors mantle...I don't know who made it but I doubt they stole it from me and I am certain I did not steal it from them. Now, I do see on blogs where people say that you can use this > however you like but please don't claim that it is original in publications or in contests...is that what the issue is here? Did someone publish this card someplace like a magazine and say it was their own? Otherwise, I really don't understand why it was so offensive. I'm not trying to be rude, please don't take my comments/questions the wrong way, I am just trying to understand.
__________________ "For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack" ~Rudyard Kipling my gallery
I honestly don't even see the point in this. This is not the first time this issue has cropped up, nor will it be the last and it is just silly. I always wonder what people think they have done that has never been done before?
I've cased cards before and put them on my blog. But if I do that, I always link the original artist's page with a pic and a web link. 99% of the time, I never make it, "identical", but I always give them the inspiration and casing credit.
I've cased cards before and put them on my blog. But if I do that, I always link the original artist's page with a pic and a web link. 99% of the time, I never make it, "identical", but I always give them the inspiration and casing credit.
It's only fair!
Ditto! I make sure and write the name and blog on the copy I make so that in the future I can give proper credit. I sure didn't know I had to ask permission first if I gave credit.
I make cards for my own enjoyment, not to hold the "creative rights" to anything I've made. It is nice to give a nod to whoever inspires you, but you certainly don't need to ask permission to use people's ideas. If you're posting your creations on a public site that was intended for sharing ideas (as this site is) then I think it is reasonable to assume people are going to copy you. Besides, as others have pointed out, nobody has the copyright on the images we use, only the artist that created those images does. So, being super territorial about your cards is just really silly. I would be flattered if somebody used my ideas. I love to share with others and appreciate the same in return.
How do you decide who to credit when you find multiple sources for the "same" idea?
Example. A year or so ago I decided to make punch flowers. I bought Susan Tierney Cockburn's book Paper Bouquet. Then I did a search and found "several" blogs and videos with the exact same tutorials that I had in the book. They all used the same punches, embossed the pedals the same way on a mouse pad and the flowers looked exactly like those in the book. No one credited Susan. So who's idea was it ??
I found the same thing using Spellbinder's flower dies. They all snipped between the petals , embossed veins and embossed them the same way on a mouse pad. They all glued them together the same way . On one video I saw the woman said she discovered this technique by accident, but I had seen the idea on a video "dated" at least 2 months earlier . Who would you credit?
Would you say " I found this idea on the following 5 blogs and list them" ? LOL What if there are more blogs with this idea you didn't mention? They would be upset .
I don't CASE, but I would have no problem crediting someone if I know where an idea really came from.
Then we have the issue of numerous blogs that offer sketches for layouts .
__________________ "I have not failed . I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work" --Thomas A. Edison
Regardless of rule or regulations, common courtesy applies. I often CASE someone or am inspired by someone. Only a few times could I not find the name of the person to credit. My observation is that there are some people who profess to be uncreative and almost everything they create is a copy of some sort. That's not a problem, but I see them say they couldn't possibly remember who they copied from, even though it is an exact duplicate of the original. Maybe they can't understand how it feels when your original concept is copied without any sort of credit. For those who say there are no original ideas left, I could point you to a dozen people on SCS who amaze me regularly with fresh ideas. So, let's all keep creating and do our best to give credit where it's due in this fresh & bright new year. We are here to inspire each other.
Regardless of rule or regulations, common courtesy applies. I often CASE someone or am inspired by someone. Only a few times could I not find the name of the person to credit. My observation is that there are some people who profess to be uncreative and almost everything they create is a copy of some sort. That's not a problem, but I see them say they couldn't possibly remember who they copied from, even though it is an exact duplicate of the original. Maybe they can't understand how it feels when your original concept is copied without any sort of credit. For those who say there are no original ideas left, I could point you to a dozen people on SCS who amaze me regularly with fresh ideas. So, let's all keep creating and do our best to give credit where it's due in this fresh & bright new year. We are here to inspire each other.
Yeah, I'm one of those that follows the philosophy that "imitation is the sincerest of flattery." I provide all the "ingredients" of my card so that people can replicate it if they want to. However, it would be unethical to copy anything and then submit it for publication as their own design. As long as the copier respects that I might want to submit the card design myself, I'm cool.
I do watermark virtually everything. And, if you're a blogger, there are a couple of ways to copyright your work.
CreativeCommons.org and MyFreeCopyright.com offer a fast and free way to copyright your work and provide a widget for you to put on your sidebar.
My uni lecturer said we have no original ideas. Everything we write is a product of the ideas of what we have read. Therefore even if we don't quote from a source we need to mention it in our references.
Following this logic snail's card needs to be credited and I am never posting another card anywhere in case I upset someone.
Unless this person has tried to gain some advantage or caused some disadvantage, I'd find something better to do with my time.
__________________ There is no such thing as lack of sleep, only caffeine deficiency.
I'd be interested to know exactly what was CASE'd. Was it the layout, the papers, the stamped image, an exact duplicate of the card?
As with every card, I am sure someone, someplace has come up with a similar layout/design. What's next... copyrighting the gluing of a square of paper to another one?
I guess some people just take this stuff too seriously... come on folks, it's supposed to be fun. :(
Last edited by Cinnistew; 01-02-2012 at 03:20 PM..
This thread irritates me. Why even belong to SCS if I am going to take heat for casing a card? Usually, when I do, I change the paper, the placement of the stamp, or something in the card layout as what I end up with NEVER looks exactly the same.
Yet, the idea came from a card I saw in the SCS gallery. So...now that's viewed as some sort of crime?
A few years ago - 2007 - I submitted 6 cards to 'Stamper's Sampler'. All were accepted!! I received 3 free magazines with the cards in them.
I actually prayed that someone would like them so much that they would copy them. I had fun doing them. I stretched my brain. And, I know they were not originals. Because I took abit of this and a little of that. Snagged a colour combo or two. And used a couple of folds from SCS.
Isn't what this is all about? Sharing, enjoying, commenting.....
I do not copy colour for colour, stamp for stamp, ribbon for ribbon. I don't think most of us do.
Have fun. Enjoy. Appreciate all that wonderful talent we see on SCS.