Have just found something a little disturbing. Whilst trawling around the internet discovered some pictures of my items posted on ETSY. Having clicked on the items and opened Etsy a site based in the USA is offering my items for sale! The pictures have been lifted from Folksy, the descriptions and pricing modified. Have reported it to ETSY and wait with bated breath to for them to respond. It does pose the question as to how easy is it to copy pics from Folksy? Has anybody else experienced this?
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I recently found mine and lots of other Folksy sellers items on a random (not UK) website… again, everything lifted - photos descriptions etc. Apparently there wasn’t a lot I could - there didn’t even appear to be anywhere I could complain to!!
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It will be interesting to see what Etsy do - and how long it takes.
I can copy any pictures from Etsy into my Photos.
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Sorry this has happened to you and sorry to say that there’s pretty much bugger all any of us can do to stop anyone who wants to do this - if you know how to use a computer, you can steal anything and no watermarks or anything else will help. Coupled to that, most copying seems to be done in China and there’s nowhere there you can report it to.
Etsy say that they’re being far more resposive to these things now and taking action - hope that’s true and they’ll take it down soon. You might also want to let Folksy know about it, just in case the knowledge adds to a wider picture of copying that they’re managing.
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Hi mine were copied a couple of years ago, it took 2 weeks before E… did anything, I sent continuous messages to the shop and they closed it. E… admin didn’t believe they were mine even though i sent links to my shop etc, mine had been copied exactly as they were in my name including the descriptions which at the time said i only sold on Folksy. I tried to get the online action squad (can’t remember the name) onboard but as it wasn’t in the UK they couldn’t do anything. It is a noghtmare as there is nothing we can do to prevent it, I hope you manage to sort it very quickly, if E… come back saying there is no proof they are your designs, try again until they do something. I remember at the time saying if it had been on Folksy admin would have dealt with it straight away and the shop would have been taken down, unfortunately it seems a lot harder to get anything done on the other site.
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@JopalianStudio - If it is your actual photos and/or text that are being stolen, there is a law, US based as is Et$y, called the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Etsy have (cough, cough) to act on a DMCA takedown notice but the offender could issue a counter claim at which point you’d have to either walk away and your pictures would be back up in a few days, or start legal proceedings…
More info here; UK based DMCA Takedown or Cease and Desist process.
I’ve never used it myself so can’t provide any more detail but I used to read about it often in the forum on E when I was there. I have to say you have some wonderful items, I can see why they are getting copied.
Edited to add, I just noticed the link takes you half way down a page by a company who issue the notices for you, (google threw me by taking me part way down the page) this was not intentional and I’m not suggesting or endorsing that company, it is just for more information and the working of the process
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Thanks for all your responses @Macclesfieldbagworks @thecrimsonrabbit @GlintBeads @Bearlescent.
I had reported it to Folksy who replied quickly, unfourtunately not a lot they can do. Despite messaging etsy shop several times - no respose, and as yet no response from etsy.
Thanks for the info Mick @SteampunkCreativeEngineering, etsy do have a method of reporting copy right infringment just need an ology to complete it!
What would be really interesting if the etsy site actually sold something of mine!
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It’s so frustrating isn’t it 
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I found Etsy very slow, I can’t remember how I did it but I filled a form in telling them which item I was disputing, it took several attempts before anything was done though. They are not like Folksy admin unfortunately.
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