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on theft, forgiveness, and the lovely people you meet

A Wild Olive needle minder...sort of

As a creator, you know it's bound to happen. You might even think that you've "made it" when it occurs. But when it does come along, your heart sinks. It might even break. What am I talking about?

Art theft.

Sometimes people use a photo without asking. That's different. Usually they're sharing a link and giving credit. Sometimes websites have used my images and/or text without asking or giving credit. While it's not cool, that's still a little different.

But when you find out that someone is selling items made with your artwork it feels unlike any of those other things. Those other things seem downright friendly.

I first spotted it on Instagram. Someone was showing off the enamel needle minder they ordered on Etsy and my but it looked familiar. It looked just like the printables I made back in 2009.

Thread Bobbins

My first response was "ugh...I can't believe it" followed by "argh...I can't believe it!!!". I tracked down the seller and kindly but firmly told them that they couldn't use my artwork to make and sell items like this. And then I waited to see how they replied. Things like this can go either way.

The seller sent me the sweetest message apologizing, telling me she would take them out of her shop immediately, and then directing me to the place she ordered the enamel piece that she made into a needle minder. This was better and worse that I wanted.

You see, this is a lovely person who was willing to lose the money she had spent on stock and that's far better than one could hope. But knowing that my art was actually stolen by a wholesaler in China is much worse than anything I want to deal with. Ever.

It also means that I've already found other people selling needle minders they've made with the same piece. This isn't an isolated case. This is bigger than I'll ever be able to track down.

And I'm moving on.

If I'm being honest, I tried to stop the wholesaler, but it's not gonna happen. So the better way forward is forgiveness.

I'll never hear an apology from the person who used my design, and it's even possible that they don't know that they did something wrong. But that doesn't mean that I need to bear a grudge. That will only make me angry and bitter, and that's not what I want.

Besides, I made the thread bobbin (and all my designs) to bring joy. I'm choosing to let them bring joy even if others are profiting, and I'm not.

So now what?

I've had conversations with a few people who are selling these needle minders and told them the situation, but that I want them to continue to sell through their stock. And they've told me that they won't order more.

You can find them at Delicious Threads or check outKristeen from Stitchinmad who sent me one so I could have my own!

This is really important: All of the shops I've talked with have been lovely people. They didn't take my art and this incident has only resulted in new friends. I'm sharing the shops with you so that, if you want an unofficial Wild Olive needle minder, you can order one from these kind ladies!

If you find other places selling these designs, you're welcome to tell me (send an email to molliejohanson [at] gmail.com). If you encounter these on a wholesale website, please, please, please don't order them!

But above all, whether someone steals something from you, says something horrible, or hurts you in the worst way possible, consider forgiveness. It's not easy, but when you get there, it's so much better.

Note: For the record, folks can make and sell embroidered and other handmade items they've made with my patterns. That's totally cool and I encourage that! This relates only to printables and illustrations. Just be sure to check with other makers on their policies before you start selling.

***updated to add*** Thank you all so much for your kindness and support! It's God's grace that has made my own response possible.

33 comments:

  1. Anonymous3:05 PM

    God bless your beautiful heart

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  2. Mollie you are truly one of a kind. I'm so sorry someone did this to you, but so proud of you for taking the high road. God bless you.

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  3. All to common these days. But your response is beautiful. Thanks for being a light.

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  4. Shauna Jared3:26 PM

    I'm so sorry this happened to you! You are handling it way better than I probably would.... good for you!! :) <3

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  5. You are handling this with grace and class. Qualities that are too rare nowadays. I firmly believe that you've got some major good karma coming your way! (P.S. I visited Delicious Threads and she is giving your artwork credit. Kudos to her too.)

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  6. I feel so sad that this has happened to you. It must have been horrible when you discovered it. I have to agree with everyone else, you are acting so generous and kind and just absolutely amazing. You're an an amazing influence for the world.

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  7. Such grace and wisdom Mollie. Thank you for a good example

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  8. Anonymous6:14 PM

    I have been doing some cross stitch today as a present for a good friend. While my emroidery floss was winded on your printables :-) So although someone else makes profit out of it, your design brings a lot of joy to people and I wanted to thank you for your generositiy to provide it for free.

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  9. ugh. you're such a kind & good person. I respect your attitude very much

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  10. You are so classy. And these are just adorable, as are all of your printables and patterns. I am a fan!

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  11. You really do seem to be the gracious, kind, generous person you seem and I applaud you for your reaction to this situation. And if it helps, it just makes me want to support you as a small business artist that much more. BTW - I'm kabobbing on Instagram - and I'm thrilled you've tracked down a pancake pattern for me to purchase!! I appreciate your help!!

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  12. It's a shame that the Chinese government doesn't respect the copyright laws of other countries. This, stealing copyrighted information, happens frequently in China.

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  13. You are truly a sweetheart in many ways...I love your outlook in life!

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  14. I just wanted to write a quick note about how awesome you are ;) You have a very unique style that touches my heart. It's weird bc I am unable to recreate something like that. Your drawings are simple but SO UNIQUE!! Every time I see something you make, I notice myself grinning. I just love it so much.

    You are such a kind, sweet person to allow the shop owners to sell their inventory. Really. It really says something about your character. A lot of people could be way happier if they were able to let it go, and not obsess about winning.

    I think it helps, that you have your own unique style, and your fans (me) can instantly spot your designs. A couple years ago, I noticed that a Chinese company stole blogs (like Tilly and the Buttons and other sewing blogs focused on garments), and created an app (free), about sewing, but didn't ask permission or give them credit. I contacted 8 people, who were glad that I brought it to their attention. You would think they would know better about "theft", but it happens every day.

    So I just wanted to tell you how awesome I think you are!!
    -Karrie :)

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  15. You've handled this situation so graciously, especially allowing the Etsy shops to sell out their inventory. Both shops give you credit as the artist. I ordered a Needle Minder, and commented to the shop owner that I was a blog follower of yours.

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  16. Love you, love your attitude, love your response! You are truly a light and an amazing example of Christian forgiveness.

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  17. I have only just found your blog hoping over from SOTAK, your blog is amazing and so was your response on your last post. Good for you rising above it and moving on....I am looking forward to following .maria

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  18. Mollie,

    I'm so sorry to hear of this issue. I thank God that all the shop owners are such beautiful kind people!! I'm not surprised that your work has reached internationally as it's so stinkin awesome! I guess it's a compliment in a round about way cuz your work is STINKIN AWESOME! ;-)

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  19. What the manufacturer couldn't steal from you was your artistry, love of life and determination to do great work. A student of Jane Sassaman sent her a pic of a gorgeous carpet in the lobby of a Las Vegas hotel, commenting on how great it was to see Jane’s quilt design used in such an innovative way. As you can imagine, Jane knew nothing about the carpet. An interior designer has wholesale ripped off her design from a photo in one of her books! That turned into another story of gentle resolve.

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  20. Sweet Mollie-
    I had to share that I am in a bible study group about prayer right now, and we have done a lot of talking about how your relationship with other people and the inability to forgive can be a huge roadblock to building a prayer life with God. You are brave to let this one go, and to accept that some situations cannot receive closure as we would like. I admire you for moving on. We can't change the ways of the world, but we can be a part of showing the grace that will make things a little better for the rest of us!

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  21. I want to buy them all and give you the money. If I could afford it I would. Have you thought about having your own made? I think everyone here would buy at least one :)

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  22. Karma. The Golden Rule. Three-fold Law. What goes around comes around.

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  23. It happened to me, someone took my photos, edited them horribly and post them on their page to sell a product that I used. Never mentioned my blog, never gave me credit. I contacted them and they took them down but what hurt me the most is that we they chose not to give credit and turn it into a collaboration? why edit my work without permission? You handled it with grace and humanity. Not only your work brings joy, but so do your words and action.

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  24. Can I reiterate....? "God Bless your beautiful heart." Courtesy of Anonymous, your 1st comment in response to this post.

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  25. I wish there were more people like you in this world. I created a special fleur de lis, and am afraid the same thing will happen to me. and question if I should have filed for a copyright before putting on etsy. Would that have helped in your situation? Is it even worth it?

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    1. What I found was that if I had official copyright documentation, I could have filed a claim through the wholesale site. Though I'm not sure how good they are at actually following up on them.

      But I still would have needed to have sent them a scan of my government ID or passport, which I wasn't too keen on doing. It's hard to know who you can trust with these things.

      Apart from the ID issue though, I make and sell/share so many things, I can't file for every single thing, especially freebies. If I were making less designs, I might consider it.

      I hope that helps.

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  26. You need to IMMEDIATELY take down the comment by Fengchangu Chen -- Not only does his comment have absolutely nothing to do with your issues of manufacturers stealing your designs but also the three links within that comment are MALICIOUS THREATS that will attempt to invade your PC (I know this because of the protective pop-ups from my antivirus software that occurred on my computer screen when I clicked on them) -- I don't know if this is intentional on his part -- it is also possible that these three links are also selling illegal copies of items -- Anyway for your own sakes do not click on those links especially if you don't have antivirus software -- And yes I realize that we also have to forgive people like Mr Chen for attempting to do what he is doing --

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    1. Ack! Thank you. I hate it when spam comments slip through. It's been removed now.

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  27. Anonymous4:15 PM

    Wow! I'm the wife of a minister and only last week he preached on forgiveness and how it's so hard to move on and I can only hope to aim to be as forgiving and such an inspiring Christian as you!

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    1. Thank you. This is the power of Christ.

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  28. I'm so sorry to hear this happened to you. It is *very* frustrating to deal with, and no doubt many here can understand exactly what you felt, as it is so common these days.

    Funny, this morning I was listening to Greg Koukl's STRAsk podcast and he touched on forgiving people who have not repented. He said there is a difference between forgiveness, which even God Himself has real standards for exhibiting toward us, and choosing to, as he said, 'let it go', so it does not eat away at us and damage our souls. IIRC, Dennis Prager has repeatedly made the very same point. Having more than once found myself in a very difficult situation with others (one where another person has repeatedly physically & verbally assaulted me but there is no way to avoid them), this was helpful to me. (Frankly, I am still trying to forgive/let go of issues with the violent person. So many days I feel far more like dragon-y Eustace Scrubb than faithful Lucy Pevensie!)

    If at all possible, though, we should of course forgive (Romans 12:18, too). God helped me work through forgiving a trusted & admired person who very deeply wounded me; it was a process, and we are unfortunately no longer in contact with one another as a result of the hurt, but I'm very, very grateful He helped me walk/stumble through that! He is very gracious indeed. Clearly He is walking you through this, too! God will (and doubtless already has) reward you, Mollie.

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  29. Sally Apples8:39 AM

    You are a real example of forgiveness. As a believer in karma, you are due a whole heap of goodness! Love your designs & your book is wonderful,,,

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  30. I'm so sorry this happened to you, but I greatly commend your graceful handling of such a difficult and disappointing situation. A few years ago, a Chinese site scraped entire posts from my needlework blog and badly translated them into an unintentionally hilarious garbled mess without any links or credit back to me.

    Why did they steal my content? Because somehow I got caught up in their automatic web bot algorithim as beneficial to selling "small boxes". It's a mystery to me why this was so, but like you I had to let it go. There is no arguing with faceless multinational companies, unfortunately, and I'm sure the money they are making (if any) is negligible.

    If you post any content online these days - especially freebies - copyright violation seems inevitable and, as you have done, the harm needs to be weighed against the benefit. I've seen so many bloggers get very upset and stop offering freebies, or shut their blogs down all together, after even very minor incidents and it's a real loss to the entire stitching and crafting communities when that happens.

    I love your work and greatly appreciate your free patterns and printables! I applaud you for staying strong and moving on :)

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