Is Theft the Greatest Form of Flattery?

[CamaroDMD]

So, this is interesting. I was doing a little eBay searching when I came across the following listing. I have since reported it so I'm hopeful it will be taken down but if you want to search for him, the seller is mr.0ddball420

http://www.ebay.com/itm/JOE-MONTANA...621207?hash=item2a85c0a497:g:viwAAOSwHLNZS7kZ

As you can clearly see...he has stolen my custom and is selling it on eBay. I have searched through his sales and have found basically all of my customs for sale among tons of others he is selling. This one is the most obvious as he has crudely erased my "created by" line of the back.

I'm not sure what to do...but it really irritates me. I guess I should be surprised this has happened though. I suppose it means my work is good.

 

[CamaroDMD]

So, I went through all his listings (as best as I could) and found 20 of my designs currently for sale. I reported all of them...so we will see what eBay does.

 

[CamaroDMD]

In case they pull the auction, here is the eBay listed photo of the card:

Here is the photo posted on this site in my customs thread:

 

[Taliasen]

How did he get it? Is he a member here and copied images from the thread? Did you send copies of your customs to someone? Does he just have the images and prints/assembles the cards himself? If he has 20 of your custom designs, I would really question how he acquired the source material. If he is a member here, we need to find out who and ban him. I would feel more violated that someone is stealing and profiting form my intellectual material than flattered by it.

 

[CamaroDMD]

To answer your question...no I have never sent any source material to anyone. The ONLY exception to that is I sent a full resolution copy of 1 card to a member here because he had asked me to create the card (much like the Eddie Harris cards)...it was of a family friend.

I don't know if they are members here but anyone can visit the site and view the threads without being a member...so that doesn't really matter. I did a quick google image search for "1979 Joe Montana" and my 1980 card was an early image that popped up. Click on that and it takes you to that thread.

The images I post aren't full resolution, but they are certainly high enough to print out a semi-decent copy.

My guess is, he just simply stumbled across the postings.

The "flattery" comment was more of a joke...I'm pretty irritated by it. He has sold a ton of them. I'll bet he has sold 80 copies of my customs.

I'm going to start watermarking my new customs when I post them. I didn't want to do that because it makes them less clean for you guys to look at them...but it protects my work. The watermark won't appear on anything I actually produce.

 

[Taliasen]

Seeing as how he has a Ricky Vaughn card in the 1988 Donruss design (the movie came out in 1989) and 1984 Topps style cards with a picture of statues of the players depicted, he either does not not what he is doing or does not know how to make customs. In either case I suspect that he has pirated digital designs from lots of other people.

 

[CamaroDMD]

I agree with you. The way he removed my "created by" line on the back is extremely crude. I could remove it without any trace in literally 5 seconds. He has no photoshop skills. I'll bet all of his designs are stolen.

A few others:

My personal favorite is the stolen 1989 Topps Traded card. You know, the one that is the subject of my tutorial. He also has several of my other cards pictured in that sale.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/MARCUS-MARI...ARD/182643673092?_trksid=p2485497.m4902.l9144

http://www.ebay.com/itm/JIM-McMAHON...ARD/182633986150?_trksid=p2485497.m4902.l9144

http://www.ebay.com/itm/JOE-NAMATH-...ACK/182632604256?_trksid=p2485497.m4902.l9144

http://www.ebay.com/itm/JOE-NAMATH-...ACK/182632599452?_trksid=p2485497.m4902.l9144

http://www.ebay.com/itm/JOE-NAMATH-...AMS/182632594107?_trksid=p2485497.m4902.l9144

http://www.ebay.com/itm/JOE-NAMATH-...AMS/182632594107?_trksid=p2485497.m4902.l9144

http://www.ebay.com/itm/JOE-NAMATH-...608674?hash=item2a85c073a2:g:jC4AAOSwwvZZS7WS

http://www.ebay.com/itm/JOE-NAMATH-...587957?hash=item2a85c022b5:g:IjIAAOSwyWZZS7Pv

http://www.ebay.com/itm/GEORGE-ALLE...661922?hash=item2a86691c62:g:zEgAAOSwnK9ZVVcD

http://www.ebay.com/itm/JOE-MONTANA...633359?hash=item2a85c0d40f:g:8wEAAOSwd~RZS7vg

http://www.ebay.com/itm/JOE-MONTANA...619995?hash=item2a85c09fdb:g:i-wAAOSw6YtZS7kc

 

[Taliasen]

I think you low balled the number of your cards he sold and profited from. Just from those links alone there are 41 total cards sold.

 

[Taliasen]

When I get home from work, (where I can sign onto eBay) I will also report a bunch of auctions for you.

 

[CamaroDMD]

When I get home from work, (where I can sign onto eBay) I will also report a bunch of auctions for you.

Thanks!

 

[Mike]

Nothing worse than a thief. I hope eBay takes his auctions down and bans him from selling again.

 

[CamaroDMD]

Nothing worse than a thief. I hope eBay takes his auctions down and bans him from selling again.

I reported about 20 of the auctions but they are still up. Likely nothing will happen. Based on the way he crudely removed my "created by" line on the back...he has no photoshop skills. Chances are all his designs are stolen.

 

[CamaroDMD]

I think you low balled the number of your cards he sold and profited from. Just from those links alone there are 41 total cards sold.

Hey...check it out:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/CHELCIE-ROS...032505?hash=item2a869c8ab9:g:U9cAAOSwbtVZWJGf


http://www.ebay.com/itm/CHELCIE-ROS...031881?hash=item2a869c8849:g:LWgAAOSwSzRZWI94


http://www.ebay.com/itm/CHELCIE-ROS...035114?hash=item2a869c94ea:g:m5YAAOSwkRhZWJH7

 

[CamaroDMD]

So, I have attempted to contact the seller twice and have had no luck. I reported all the listings and that didn't do anything. But, I discovered eBay has the "VeRO Program" which you can file a report to and it is design to protect intellectual rights...things like stealing images from websites. So, I reported it there...we will see what happens.

For actual numbers, currently he has 23 of my designs listed for sale and based on my count has sold 73 copies of my cards.

Here are links too all the auctions I have found:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/JOE-NAMATH-...594107?hash=item2a85c03abb:g:jTIAAOSw~XpZS7Sd

http://www.ebay.com/itm/JOE-NAMATH-...604256?hash=item2a85c06260:g:sgsAAOSw-89ZS7WP

http://www.ebay.com/itm/JOE-MONTANA...633359?hash=item2a85c0d40f:g:8wEAAOSwd~RZS7vg

http://www.ebay.com/itm/JOE-MONTANA...621207?hash=item2a85c0a497:g:viwAAOSwHLNZS7kZ

http://www.ebay.com/itm/JIM-McMAHON...986150?hash=item2a85d57866:g:O6IAAOSwPWRZTMdp

http://www.ebay.com/itm/JOE-MONTANA...619995?hash=item2a85c09fdb:g:i-wAAOSw6YtZS7kc

http://www.ebay.com/itm/JOE-NAMATH-...608674?hash=item2a85c073a2:g:jC4AAOSwwvZZS7WS

http://www.ebay.com/itm/GEORGE-ALLE...661922?hash=item2a86691c62:g:zEgAAOSwnK9ZVVcD

http://www.ebay.com/itm/JOE-NAMATH-...601847?hash=item2a85c058f7:g:E0wAAOSwyltZS7WI

http://www.ebay.com/itm/REGGIE-WHIT...613583?hash=item2a85c086cf:g:gc8AAOSw~e5ZS7fl

http://www.ebay.com/itm/MARCUS-MARI...673092?hash=item2a86694804:g:hKkAAOSwz71ZVVmR

http://www.ebay.com/itm/JOE-MONTANA...629950?hash=item2a85c0c6be:g:qc4AAOSwjRpZS7kV

http://www.ebay.com/itm/JOE-NAMATH-...599452?hash=item2a85c04f9c:g:dV0AAOSwbopZS7WC

http://www.ebay.com/itm/MARCUS-MARI...971060?hash=item2a85d53d74:g:3PAAAOSwCkZZTMK9

http://www.ebay.com/itm/CHARLIE-SHE...021786?hash=item2a869c60da:g:xBgAAOSwFqNZWI6w

http://www.ebay.com/itm/TOM-GLAVINE...563095?hash=item2a85bfc197:g:ThYAAOSw3YJZS642

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ROGER-MARIS...539729?hash=item2a85bf6651:g:h0gAAOSw9~5ZS6g~

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BABE-RUTH-1...554077?hash=item2a85bf9e5d:g:pokAAOSw1BlZS6vg

http://www.ebay.com/itm/CHELCIE-ROS...032505?hash=item2a869c8ab9:g:U9cAAOSwbtVZWJGf

http://www.ebay.com/itm/CHELCIE-ROS...031881?hash=item2a869c8849:g:LWgAAOSwSzRZWI94

http://www.ebay.com/itm/CHELCIE-ROS...035114?hash=item2a869c94ea:g:m5YAAOSwkRhZWJH7

http://www.ebay.com/itm/JOE-NAMATH-...587957?hash=item2a85c022b5:g:IjIAAOSwyWZZS7Pv

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ROGER-STAUB...991632?hash=item2a85d58dd0:g:ztEAAOSw6YtZTMkz

 

[Taliasen]

Hey...check it out:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/CHELCIE-ROS...032505?hash=item2a869c8ab9:g:U9cAAOSwbtVZWJGf


http://www.ebay.com/itm/CHELCIE-ROS...031881?hash=item2a869c8849:g:LWgAAOSwSzRZWI94


http://www.ebay.com/itm/CHELCIE-ROS...035114?hash=item2a869c94ea:g:m5YAAOSwkRhZWJH7

OK, now I am upset as he is now stealing BOTH of our intellectual property!