Help!

Good! How'd you sell it after you took it off? Copywritten tree of life my ass..such a load of bull! If she really wants to claim it as her own then she's got a couple thousand websites/companies to contend with that say not. Good luck with this; it just really irks me that she'd choose to go after innocent independent you when there are so many other larger companies selling products with the symbol she claims ownership to.

 

Haha, I actually tried to find a way to contact her and yell at her through her site. That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard and it makes me angry that someone thinks they can just copyright an ancient symbol. She should have her toes stomped on with some really heavy boots, indeed. Or just...have fingers pointed at her for some time.

 

there were 6 people watchin the auction n one said she was getting ready to bid on it n it was gone...wanted to know if i would make one like it...
so i said i would sell it to her as long as she doesnt tell anyone n get me sued...lol
I totally agree with you mama...the pic i copied had no information on it stating that the image was copywritten whatsoever...like i knew...and in fairness if she is so nice about letting ppl use it with permission, she shoulda just said so instead of threatening me with her business manager...ive no problem giving credit where its due...

I believe she did draw that particular celtic tree..and thats super for her...whatever.. i know ill never use it again...ha..ive already found some new ones to use...

 

thats rediculous, so many other sewing mamas that as an applique, its on stickers and everything..and they need to go after you. pshh...sell it to someone on here. you're a workin mama and you need the cash. when she made the symbol she should have made it more clear that it was copyrighted. not your fault at all

 

tell her to go after the giant companies who are putting out thousands of products with that design, instead of a homemaker who's not mass producing it.

 

Well, after much painstaking research, I did find out that this particular tree of life is infact copyrighted. It is her very own design. The tree of life (idea) however is not. If you look back through sites that talk about the history of the tree of life, there is no picture of a tree that looks like hers. There are many other different types of tree designs and symbols, but none that are a continuous design.

So if anyone here does make clothing or bags with hers...you are infact doing something illegal.

I thought I had seen that design prior to 1990, but I was mistaken. There was another Tree of Life similar, but not exactly like hers that I had seen.

It doesn't matter if it's a home maker or a big company that is stealing her idea, it's still illegal.

 

i'm just saying its unfortunate that they went after an innocent ebay mama instead of a big company. i'm still gonna make the applique anyway (i've wanted to challenge myself), i don't need to necessarily sell it though.

 

awww *hugs* i'm sorry that you've had so much trouble supermommy! your work is so beautiful. i hope that you don't get discouraged by this....you didn't know that it was copyrighted. i agree with gruvenmama420, why doesn't she go after the corporations that are ripping her design!

 

i researched this too. it's very interesting, because it IS all over the net, and i know i've seen this design in many places. i have actually seen her name associated with the design sometimes--but not in all of the places by any means. someone mentioned a site that has the celtic tree rings--it's mystic caravan, and they are credited to jen delyth. (i know this because i looked at those rings as wedding rings).

it's absolutely true that it's illegal to use another's copyrighted design. but it's also true that you had no idea. i would have thought that design was public domain myself and i had seen her name associated with it before--but the design is just so prevalent, it would not have occurred to me.

i wish they had been nicer about it, and nicer to you, supermommy.

and man, all i can think about is, damn! that woman must be RAKING in the money!

 

It evidently is her design....or at least she was the one to copyright it because it was just a bit different but who would know when you see it tattooed everywhere! I'm sure she was upset and pissy about it as she is fighting an uphill battle.
Maybe you could email her and just say what we all have said about not realizing that particular knot was copyrighted, tell her you pulled the bag as soon as you realized it and ask what needs to be done in the future if you wanted to use it. I empathize with her frustration but who would ever have known?
It costs too much to sue someone for a couple of dollars she might realize and that design has gotten so wide spread its too easy to believe it isn't a copyright design. There is plenty of clothing with it and a bijillion tats!
You can do it, but a bit differently to make it your own as stated...I've seen it with the branches and roots being more oval and indented on the sides.

 

ps....
...shit! she calls this an original design...it is in its entirety but not the parts...
http://www.kelticdesigns.com/ARTSITE/ARTPAGES/RavensLrg.html

 

Well we could be nice and keep emailing her with links to sites that dont display her name just to show her how widespread her design is and how she might as well realize people are going to use it without her permission.

 

she basically takes old celtic designs and mixes and matches them and then copyrights it

 

You all have to realize that she sells her designs to other companies. SO if you search the net and see this particular design in silver or wood or on tapestries.... she gave them permission to use it and is being paid generously for that.

If you read on her site, she even says that body art using her designs is okay. It's a form of flattery.

It's not about going after "small mama's and papa's" as compared to "big corporations"..... it's about keeping her designs safe from illegal use. She has to make sure that people no they can't just use it without permission.

I don't think using it on your bag (to the original poster) was a sneaky thing or that you were being shady..... you didn't know. I don't think she was being rude to you by asking you not to use her design. She probably has a form letter that she sends out to people when she finds that they use her designs.

Don't be mad that she asked you to take down your ebay auction, now you know and won't do it again.

 

She actually doesn't just mix and match them....she creates her own using old celtic symbols. She has many original designs and maybe adds a few ancient ones into her designs.

 

thats true indeed...she took the idea of the celtic tree n designed that one...

my only beef with the whole thing is that she was a biatch about it...in my response email i thought the person meant the tree itself not that specific tree...she just coulda been nicer bout the whole thing...im sure its frustrating with ppl stealing her work all the time but clearly i didnt know... n the site i got it off had absolutely no reference to her in any way...

ah well...

 

no she definately went about it thw wrong way, i mean out of all the people who steal her design she targeted you and blamed you for not researching the design or knowing, she was being all self righteous to say that just because you see something everywhere doesn't mean its not copyrighted, i'm sorry, but do i need to make sure the Ohm isn't copyrighted before i applique it? pfftt

 

Well,her form of flattery is what would have made me think it wasn't copyrighted and would never have looked further myself! If others are using it, shouldn't there be a mention of the copyright design? I always thought a copyright "c" was supposed to be included. Like mommy said, it wasn't the message, it was her delivery.
Cre...lol...does that mean you better copyright yer earthy goddess tree?

 

Not to beat this into the ground, but she didn't "target" supermommy. Someone informed her of this ebay auction and she responded by letting supermommy know that this is her design and it was illegal to use it. I don't think her email to supermommy was bitchy at all.

She was basically saying, and it's true, that before you go and use an image, symbol or picture, you really should know whose it is and whether or not you have the right to use it. I know not everyone thinks to check if a certain image or symbol they use is copyrighted, but look at all the clothing made with Jerry Garcia's image (which is very much copyrighted, but his camp doesn't make a big stink about it) or Phish symbols or anything really.... they are infact copyrighted, but people choose to ignore that and use them anyway. This person was right, in that, not everything on the web is free to use.

Supermommy isn't some evil person trying to steal an idea or cash in on some trendy symbol, she used it because she thought it was a pretty symbol and likes how it looked on her bag ( which was beautifully done by the way), however, it was not her image to use and the person whose image it was had every right to ask her not to use it anymore.

If it was reversed and someone was using an image you created illegally, I'm sure you would send them a note letting them know they needed to stop using it. I know I would.

 

It seems like these days, no matter what you do, someone has done it before.