Original Post Date- 9/10/13, 2:07 AM Central Standard Time
Now the thought has come to mind-as well has been suggested to me- to post the happenings of someone
stealing items out of my kit again & using them in her kit…
again. And yes, it is the same person as before.
But you know what?
I’m not going to do it this time….
But I AM going to post my feelings on
all sorts of thieves & pirates & my own
experiences with them.
First of all, for a time I was an Official promoter
for the band, HIM. Even now I still promote them,
just not with the word ‘Official’.
Over 8 yrs. of promoting this band,
I have come across Pirates- people who like
to illegally share things they’re not supposed to-
in the case of HIM- it was music Pirates.
There is literally NOTHING nice I can say about them
no matter what it is they are sharing- be it art,
music, designer’s kits, etc.
To me, they are stealing from that artist’s,
musician’s, band’s or designer’s pockets.
And they have no care about the consequences-
except for when it affects them.
They start to bitch when that band no longer
wants to tour where they live, or that artist who
doesn’t want to show or sell his work, etc…
Can you blame them?
Now I have always been one that if I see illegal
download links for HIM albums, I will report them.
I simply do not care. Ripping off a band, etc. is
ripping them off- Bottom Line & it’s WRONG!
Now, as far as thieves are concerned…
those REALLY piss me off- these are the ones who
rip youtube videos of the band’s official videos, etc.
And again, it has its effects as above… and they don’t care.
And yes, I report those videos ALL the time.
Over the years I have dealt with more thieves than
pirates. I have had my one HIM site plagiarized
so much I just took it down after over 5 yrs
of it being online.
HIM promo fliers I made have been ripped
with my watermarks taken off & claimed
as someone else’s work… And they have been
ripped into making a myspace layout!
Can you believe that shit?
I have also had other graphics, tags,
etc. made into HIDEOUS collages, etc.
by some weird fucking HIM fans.
And usually I DO track down the guilty party.
I DO find out who it is and
I am usually able to make them stop.
BUT! To have some one not only once-
but TWICE- steal from a kit I made & then LIE
about it… that just really frosts my flakes!
Not because she stole from me- it’s not just about that.
She has customers who have bought her kits,
a Creative Team who trusts her to be HONEST!
And she isn’t. She simply can’t or won’t be.
And where does that leave the customers & CTers?
It leaves them looking bad.
And that is what really pisses me off.
They have no idea what she’s doing is wrong.
The have no idea that she’s a thief.
And what about the store owners who
trust that person to be 100% honest?
How does it make those stores look?
They are putting their trust in her & she
betrays it every day she lives with the lie of her
dishonest actions.
And us other designers, who give a free kit here & there-
we trust those that download it to abide
by our TOU in the kits. They’re not to be ripped,
have items stolen & reused for profit
in any way, shape or form.
This is also the same for our PTU kits
& we trust our customers to enjoy them
but not use them in illegal ways.
But to see that person LIE & WEASEL their way
out of the hot water they got themselves into-
which puts everyone in positions on who to believe, etc.
That does NOT sit right with me. At all.
She can call me every name she wants-
it doesn’t change the fact that what she
has done/ continues to do is WRONG.
Is this fair- for thieves to do this?
I personally think it is the most selfish,
self-centered thing a person can do…
esp. when they continue to lie about it as well.
Look at who all it affects.
That should tell you something.
Her actions of ripping my kit again has
left me debating if I will ever share another kit
on my blog as a free kit.
I had one I was going to post next week.
I had another I was going to make for free.
But in all honesty, I don’t know.
Maybe I will be that designer who simply
refuses to design anymore.
So, with that being said, just stop & think for a moment
about that kit or mp3 you’re going to share…
Or that kit you want to use to make your own kit-
Is it fair what you are doing?
Are you being a Pirate or a Thief?
What effects will your actions have?
Those are the few questions that need to be asked
before you do something you know you shouldn’t be doing.
Eventually you WILL be caught- you WILL be reported.
Thank you for reading.
Feel free to share this message. =)
*hugz*