Please Help! Advice on someone copying my product including using my photo's

[OhSomeday]

Hi everyone,

There's someone in Turkey who has copied my macrame bracelets and is even using my photos on their listing!!! It's here by the way:

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/222824207/personalized-men-braceletsilver-bar?ref=sr_gallery_1&ga_se...

What is the best way to approach this? I'm so angry I'm shaking a little bit.

Thanks,

Kate

[OhSomeday]

I just want to add, it's more about him using my photos that I'm angry about, I know there are quite a few variations of the macrame bracelets available on Etsy.

[Former_Member]

That is really not nice Kate, very unethical. I can understand the shaky anger! I have no advice I'm afraid I am very new. But I sympathise. I clicked on the link though and now it's gone. Have they seen the error in their ways?

[DestaiDesigns]

If you haven't already, email Etsy support and report them.

Apart from contacting Etsy, though, I'm not sure what else you could do. :- \

[Former_Member]

Hello! I share your anger, how annoying! I have had issues with people using my photos and from experience there doesn't seem to be much you can do about it (I'd be interested to hear if anyone else has advice!) other than confront them about it. I also commented wherever I could find the photos - I had one company that was using them on Facebook so I commented on all of the photos. I also had someone who used my photo of my cake (in my house, I could recognise it anywhere!) but photoshopped out my cake topper and put their own on there! When confronted she did apologise and take it down.

Anyway, sorry that was not much help but just wanted you to know that it has happened to me too and I feel angry for you!!

[OhSomeday]

Hello,

Thank you for your replies, I couldn't wait in the end and sent him a stern email which seems to have worked.

Before this though I tried to report the item to Etsy, through the option at the bottom of the listing, and it just basically said that you have to sort it out between yourselves and gave a link to a legal page. Not any direct link to letting Etsy know about it which I was a little disappointed about, I know that they must have a lot of cases like this where it is probably more difficult to resolve but I would have thought they'd want to be on the ball about it? EtsyUK did reply to me on twitter late last night which I appreciated though.

Oh no Sarah that sounds awful! Glad you managed to sort it out though. One of the photos this guy used was of my brother wearing one of my bracelets!

Thanks again.

[Pininkie]

Hi Kate. If you issue Etsy with a DMCA takedown notice, they are obliged to take the item down. You can read more info here:
https://www.etsy.com/uk/help/article/482
and
http://www.dmca.com/FAQ/How-can-I-file-a-DMCA-Takedown-Notice

[fleurdecarotte]

Oh no! This is annoying, I am feeling angry for you. I can't believe this is happening! Are you designs copyright registered? I know of some Spanish designer makers who got copied a lot and registered every single design and made it obvious which apparently helped stop the copycat frenzy. Best of luck!!