I just started an Etsy shop, and I didn’t think I would get any sales at all. Recently, I’ve been getting a few—one to three a day. It’s fun, but I wish I had more time or maybe more ideas to offer people. Can you guys please rate my shop or give me some feedback? Thanks.
Whoa, I think your biggest concern shouldn’t be sales but should be Disney’s, Mattel’s, Fox’s, Nintendo’s and/or Nickelodeon’s legal departments coming after you.
2 Likes
I’ve been thinking about this, and I feel like it’s really not okay for a graphic design forum to be a place where people toss around ideas that could get them into trouble with copyright laws or other legal issues.
I remember years ago being part of a forum for a little known band, and one of the threads was ‘Song Exchange’ and we’d upload different songs, from many artists, so others could download them and listen to them without buying them. Well, the band management came along, and took down the thread because they were threatened with legal action for distributing copyright content without permission - and this ETSY account is the exact same thing.
At the end of the day, creativity is about originality and respect. If we start encouraging discussions about using characters, logos or brands we don’t own, it’s not just legally risky it’s also a slap in the face to the artists and designers who worked hard to create those things. Copyright exists to protect creative work, and if we ignore that, we’re basically saying it’s okay for someone to do the same to us.
It’s also a dangerous road. Companies like Disney, Nintendo, and others don’t play around when it comes to their intellectual property. If you sell unlicensed work, you’re rolling the dice with takedown notices, shop bans, or worse, legal action. Forums like this should be a place to grow and improve as designers, not a place that pushes people toward risky decisions.
Etsy and other platforms have rules for a reason. If we start acting like it’s no big deal to ignore them, new designers might get the wrong idea and think it’s fine to take shortcuts. But that just leads to frustration when their work gets removed or their shop is shut down.
The best designs come from originality, not from copying or tweaking someone else’s work. It’s way more rewarding to build something of your own rather than constantly worrying about whether you’re going to get caught.
1 Like
I mostly agree, but it’s nuanced. We’re discussing things, and so far, the consensus is that @Markoz is setting himself up for trouble from several entertainment media companies by possibly infringing on and benefiting from their intellectual property.
This forum plays a positive role in the design community by discussing all the various aspects of graphic design and pointing out to designers when work might be crossing various ethical and legal boundaries. If forum members began advising on how best to skirt the law or encouraging people to do so, we would stop the discussion.
For example, I, as an admin here, won’t advise Markoz on how to improve his Etsy site to get more sales because this forum can’t be seen as complicit in helping him cross those legal boundaries. However, I can give him advice that he’s putting himself at risk.
If someone signed up and posted a link encouraging others to click the link to get free stolen stock art or fonts, we would shut it down immediately. However, Markoz isn’t doing that; he’s asking for advice, and the advice he’s getting is to avoid crossing boundaries that are ethically troublesome and could get him in legal trouble.
I don’t know why Etsy is so loose on allowing sellers to bump up against or cross those boundaries. However, I know enough about US laws to speculate, but I won’t do so here.
3 Likes
I’m not sure if Etsy is ‘loose’ on enforcement, I think it’s more reactive than proactive. They seem to rely on companies filing complaints rather than actively policing listings themselves.
Hopefully, the OP takes heed because if one of those companies steps in, it could mean serious trouble. It’s not worth the risk. Ultimately, it’s up to the rights holders to flag violations, but that doesn’t mean people should assume they can get away with it indefinitely.
1 Like