Will the real Slim-Shady please stand up? (Stolen work on Etsy)

Last week I was informed that there were some ATM pockets on Etsy that were amazingly like mine.I won't say who, but this person took my designs (at least 3 of them), and copied them EXACTLY, and I mean--e-x-a-c-t-l-y. I know this because it was unmistakable that these were my designs from my own thoughts. Besides the copy of the style, layout, this person took my verbiage (word-for-word), in my descriptions too.The only main difference was that she uses all crafters felt and I used mostly 100% Holland Wool felt, and you can really see the difference in quality and color.


Needless to say I was FURIOUS (and believe me, it takes a lot to get me angry). I didn't know what to do. I first looked on the Etsy forums for guidance, but most said that we should take it as a compliment and that it was just business. I'm thinking, it is not business, it is personal! it is my design.I took a day to think about it, but in the meantime it was reported to Etsy and I decided that I needed to contact the person and tell her that she really shouldn't do that and that she needed to take off those listings. Not only was it ethically wrong, but it was my stuff and she was selling it!

Luckily, she was cooperative and admitted to copying it, and she took the listings off. Unfortunately, she did keep her hearts one, which still looks suspiciously like my hearts design, but at least she took off the identical ones and re-worded her descriptions (for the most part).

Guess you can never keep your own hard work, unless you get a patent, which is too expensive.

Judge for yourself from the pics shown..pretty uncanny huh?