This just seems so obvious.
Thank you so much for picking this up and sending it to me Whitney! As disturbing as it was to hold this in my hand, it is really nice to have been able to shoot decent photos of the copy in the same poses as the original, hopefully to help make my case more obvious. It is, right? How can anyone say the original animal was not copied here?
My case is moving along super slow, but that's okay. I'm not going to just give it up. This animal was bought for $9.99. That's insane. And it's so sad to see this Made in China sticker on it's belly. Heartbreaking. Well, at least it doesn't say "Fern" on those mass-produced bums.
Here are a couple other copies I found in a local shop, mass-produced by the same company:
A super shoddy version of a little birdie made by Stephanie Congdon Barnes, selling for $12, with that awful sticker right on its face.
And a little owl originally made by Paper Fox.
I'll keep you posted with any new information. Thanks for all of your support. It really helps me to keep my head up and stick with this, no matter how much I sometimes want to just drop the whole thing, to just close up the Fern Animal shop after a good five years, and move on with my life. I know that is not the right thing to do, as hard as it is to know copies of my design are out there, tempting others I'm sure to copy those...
Dear internet friends: you help make me strong. I cannot tell you how much I truly appreciate you. Through all of this, and everything else over the past five years. Thank you.
(you can read the original post about this situation here.)
This is mighty sad my friend. Definitely worth the fight. Its so easy with the internet these days for companies to copy to work of an individual artist/designer. It is obvious from the pictures that is a copy, but it is also obvious which made better, unique and special. Keep up the effort.
Posted by: Samantha | January 02, 2010 at 05:08 PM
Oh Ashley! So so sorry to see that...but I think we'd all agree that all the charm is lost in that sad little copy. The people you would want to be owning your work would never be interested to purchase something that simply looked like it...what's wonderful about it is that YOU made it with all your love and care and nobody can ever replicate that no matter how hard they might try.
I hope you can continue the fight and claim some kind of compensation for such blatant theft...but what I hope most is that it won't strip you of your desire to keep creating because that would be really the saddest thing. Maybe after a little break you'll feel refreshed but please don't stop making the wonderful things you make.
Lots of love, Abbie
Posted by: Abigail Brown | January 04, 2010 at 04:40 AM
may the force be with you in your fight. just hope that karma comes to those that steal cute little critters
Posted by: michelle | January 04, 2010 at 04:41 AM
I agree completely with everything that has been said above, I wish you strength for the battle ahead, it must be so stressful and hurtful to hold that nasty copy in your hands. Your work is imbued with such charm and personality, that is impossible to copy, please keep doing what you do so well.
Lisa
XXX
Posted by: Lisa (Lou Lou & Oscar) | January 04, 2010 at 10:07 AM
This is theft. ACLU is great at going after people like this.
Also, contact the Federal Trade gropu,a govenment agency andpush them to get you royalties or acease and desist.
Do you kow who is manufacturing your designs. Research it and you willfindit. Find the importer and go after them. Your on line presence may constitute ownership even without a copywright so go after the importer and ask them how they imported without your permissions. Thtreaten to shut them down, scare them.
Next, get the news paper into this story. Call the busines editors at the Times, Wall street journal andot China's theft, get the story published. It takes persistance but it can get published. Make it a China steals a US design, will they steal another US invention?
Permission to display this and my info granted - Neil Licht 508-481-8567, nelicht@verizon.net
Posted by: neil licht | January 05, 2010 at 11:38 AM
I'm so sorry this is happening to you! It makes me sick to my stomach. I love your Fernanimals and my hubby just bought one for me this Christmas after much cooing over them.
I have had the same thing happen to me so many times... it is a huge problem. Once copies are made... copies are made of the copies and then it becomes this out of control beast and at one point, no one remembers where original ideas came from.
I hope that you continue to make your precious fernanimals and I hope that the cream will rise to the top and justice will prevail. Thank you so much for blogging about your experience. It's good to hear another hardworking individual describe her experienc.
Posted by: myra :: twigs & honey | January 06, 2010 at 09:15 PM
That is just insane! I am so glad you are hanging in there, even if the process is moving slowly! And please don't ever stop making fern animals! I absolutely adore each and everyone I have purchased from you!
Posted by: Tiffany Wilson | January 07, 2010 at 04:14 AM
I am so sorry to hear it ... what a pity! There is so much room to create endlessly new things - hard to imagine that a big company has to copy so obviously. Wish you well. ~Pamela
Posted by: Pamela (aka Prettydreamer) | January 09, 2010 at 06:53 PM
I´m so sorry about all this, I just read your previous post about it and I´m really in shock to know this... all my support for you!!!!
Posted by: Cara Carmina | January 09, 2010 at 08:17 PM
Don't give up Ashley! I love your animals, you don't so don't deserve this!!! Keep fighting!
Posted by: Susanne | January 12, 2010 at 08:57 PM
Oh no!
I actually have one of those knock off owls. Paper Source was selling them last year.
Posted by: A | January 14, 2010 at 05:02 PM
keep fighting ashley. you have such strength and bravery to fight against these blatant copies that disgrace the care, skill and heart obvious in your designs. thankyou for sticking up for the independant designer in a mass produced world :)
Posted by: jessie | January 16, 2010 at 05:29 AM
that must have been so disappointing when you found out about the copies.
Posted by: Beth | January 23, 2010 at 09:53 PM
I feel absolutely devastated by this Ashley. Good luck and stay strong. Your work is incredible and will win out over the copiers. I've had my copyrighted website content literally copied and pasted onto another site recently, so I can empathise a tiny bit, but this is really disgusting.
Posted by: Steph Bond @ Bondville | February 19, 2010 at 05:31 AM