Piracy

I don't know how many of you out there are really aware of the problems designers are currently dealing with in acts of piracy. Before I became a designer, I saw the No Piracy statements and thought they were all about friends who got together and swapped kits with each other. You know, each one buys a certain number of kits and then they get together and share them with one another. A definite No-No! But, man, was I naive when I thought this was what the problem was! But I'm here to tell you folks, it's much worse than that! There are computer hackers out there who think it's OK to go into someone's store and take every kit in there and then share it online with whoever happens to stumble upon it! There are people using Commercial Use items without paying for them to create their own things to sell! There are people who have been given special access to kits for free, who are then sharing them with people they know! No...I don't know names and I wouldn't name anyone anway because I'm not the one with proof of it all. But it's happening.

I feel so sorry for the designers and stores this is (and has) happened to. This isn't just a one time thing...it has happened before. They must have someone on the inside that is feeding them information. It's the only thing that makes sense to me! And these pirates are ruthless. They don't care about the people they're stealing from, they don't care what happens to that designer, that store. They actually think they have a RIGHT to do this! They think that the kits they steal should be shareware!! Let me tell you something...designers work DAMN HARD to make the things they sell. They pour there hearts and souls into their designs! What right is it of somebody else to come along and decide that it should be offered for free all over the web? The designers to whom this is happening have been violated, raped, abused...and none of us are going to stand for it!! To do this to a person and then laugh at the pain you inflict is cruel, heartless and insensitive. If you want to give something away to the digital scrapping world, then get off your butts and design it yourselves. Don't steal something that someone else has created and declare it free game!

I have read some statements by people (I'm not sure if they were pirates or just people complaining) that designers charge too much for their products...that they're greedy. You know what? Designers spend hours on they're kits...even days. Just be glad they're not charging an hourly rate!! Most digi sites have sales fairly frequently. Make a list of what you really like and then check the site regularly for a sale. That's how I did it when I first started scrapping. Or, like I said before, get off your lazy bum and design it yourself. Don't know how? There are plenty of tutorials out there. Find them.

Some of these designers use the money they earn as supplemental income because they're stay-at-home moms or, like me, come home after working 8 or 10 hours and spend the evening designing in order to earn a little extra money for spending or (in my case) saving up for household repairs, childrens' futures, a new vehicle, etc. For all I know, there might be some out there who rely on this as a main source of income! Why do these bandits think they can come in and take that away from us? Would you like me to come in and steal that painting you made for a client? That webpage design you just put together? Your paycheck???

Some of you may be thinking, what's the big deal if I share a kit I just bought with a friend? Well, it is a big deal. You purchased that kit for YOUR use. What if the friend you share it with shares it with her friend, and that friend shares it, and then that friend shares it too? You see the pattern here? How many potential sales are you taking away from that designer by "just sharing it with one friend" ?? If your friend likes a kit you bought, tell her where you got it. The same goes for freebies. A lot of designers give out freebies because it gets their name out there, it brings people to their blog or store or whatever to check whether or not there have been new freebies offered. It's how we generate interest in our work and a way that we give back to the community who supports us. Please don't take that away from us either!

Are you unsure about what exactly is considered an act of piracy? Check out this blog. It's an excellent source of information. Do you know a pirate? Have you seen a site that is offering free kits from designers other than themselves? Or is giving info on how to find kits for free? Report it. It doesn't matter which digi store you report it to...just tell someone so we can put an end to this. There are people out there getting seriously hurt by this, folks, and we all need to do our part in stopping it. Please help to put an end to piracy before more and more designers throw in the towel. We can't afford to lose any of that talent out there!