Un-Fing-believeable.
So, no sooner do I finish uploading my new website, when I suddenly discover that this nice person decided to copy my old site (which I'm guessing she found on Flickr, as it turns out I am one of her contacts), graphic-by-graphic and pixel-by-pixel - and use it as her own. Would you believe?
And how did I find out, you ask? She was, apparently, not even smart enough to remove all the links to my site from her plagiarized version, so by looking at my site's hit counter, I could see people coming from there.
I sent her a couple of e-mails demanding that she remove my design from her site, but so far, I'm being ignored. I don't even know if she speaks English. I don't speak any Spanish.
I am officially pissed off. So yeah, I'm not using that design any more, but I certainly did put a lot of work into it at the time - and it is MY original layout and design. No one has the right to use it like that, and I'm extremely frustrated. I tend to take my work - whether in glass, pixels or whatever - VERY personally. I feel violated. People who call themselves "artists" (I assume that's what 'artesanal' means?) should not copy other people's work and use it as their own. Forget that, people who call themselves "people" should not copy other people's work and use it as their own. Why anyone would do a thing like this is totally beyond me.
I don't know what I'm going to do about this yet (any suggestions?) - just had to vent. Thanks for listening.
UPDATE:
I just checked again, and it looks like she is in the process of changing her site. So I guess I got my point through somehow.
Or did I? I have a strange suspicion that she is using someone else's graphics now - no one knows as well as I do that website layouts aren't just "born" within hours.
Whatever. In any case, I'm glad it's not going to be my problem any more.
I'll be adding a copyright notice to my new site tomorrow, with hope that it will prevent this kind of thing from happening again in the future. *sigh*
I'm off to bed, after a very long day. Good night!
You have got to be kidding? Girl I would contact a lawyer I think. How the hell does somone do that sort of thing any way?
I am so sorry someone is doing that to you.
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I just checked again and it looks like she is in the process of changing it.
I guess I got my point through somehow.
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Sarah, I know how you must feel and I feel bad for you and hope you can get her web-site shut down soon!!!! What she did is very wrong but she obviously she likes your work. You got to see the good in all thing bad!!! YOU GO GIRL!!!
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I can understand that you're pissed off, some people really don't think about what they're doing at all. Taking other people's artistic word is STEALING, with all the letters in it. It just doesn't seem to get into people's heads!
It has happened to me too, once, and the only way I found to deal with it is to take it as a compliment on my work, knowing there's no way in hell such people will ever be able to do something good on their own... and that shows up in the end.
Anyway, I'm spanish, so if there's anything you'd like to clearly transmit to this person, I'll be happy to translate it for you
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Same here, Sarita!!!.. if you need some help just let me know....
=)****
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Thanks so much for your support, my friends.
She never answered my e-mails, but she has removed all my graphics from her site like I asked - so I guess I got my point across and I'm very glad this little horror story ended quickly.
I think maybe I should learn some Spanish myself someday.
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This is really frustrating! I hope she never sells anything, ever! About your new site - it's amazing. I just read it ALL - down to the FAQs! You're a great (web) designer, a wonderful writer (I can't wait for your novel!), and your beads are the prettiest and most interesting I have ever seen! Way to go!!!
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Hi Hagit, thanks so much! I'm flattered, as usual!
I love how you always notice the small details.
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