How would you feel if somebody copied your doll?

Like @Ara said: If the doll has an ordinary look that is quite common, I wouldn't mind, because it is very likely the person hasn't copied my 'style', but simply came up with a similar concept.
However, if the character design is unique and to achieve the look, you have to make lots of custom pieces, that's a whole different story. I'd definitely be miffed if someone copied that, because it took me a lot of time, trial and error and money to achieve that look, not to mention that this idea was my own.

It isn't though. It's a natural response to feeling robbed. It's a misconception to think that theft has to have a financial consequence, you can be robbed of many things that have no monetary value. And even if you lose money after someone stole from you, the emotions you have to deal with usually do not have anything to do with losing a few bucks. It's about being used, about your privacy being invaded and it's an unsafe feeling. So it's natural to feel negative about that.

We can't control our emotions - we're not robots - but we do control how we respond to that emotion. It's our actions, compared to the situation, that determines if we behave childishly or not.

 

I would be flattered if someone liked the style of my doll and copied it. I would not mind at all. To me it’s the same as people seeing someone else’s clothing style and getting the pieces to create that look they fell in love with.

 

I don't share my dolls' backstories with people, so all that's there to copy is the appearances. If someone wants to do something similar... who am I to stop them? (Actually, it would be fun seeing someone try to copy Aeona. She is very heavily modded).

 

I’d be a little taken aback, but really don’t care since I don’t have to see them or even remember they exist. Plus if they were even slightly different it’s like an expansion on the world I made for them, or like an alternative timeline so still pretty neat

 

I'm posting photos of my dolls on social media so if I ever found out that someone copied one of my dolls, I guess I'd just block this person and move on. While I like to think that each of my dolls is unique in their combination of eyes/wig/face up/clothing, I'm also aware that for example my DearSD Coco has her company face up and company eyes still hot glued in. And currently she's also wearing her original full set - so I could never blame anyone if they choose the same wig as I did for her.
But I know that there are highly creative people in this hobby who customize their dolls in very unique ways... I someone copied one of their dolls I'd totally understand if they get sad/angry. But I also think it's important to remember that it's not ok to start bullying or harassing another human because of this! This is where I draw the line, being hateful to each other isn't going to change a thing.

 

I really don`t care if someone copies my designs or characters.
My designs aren`t super unique, since it is pretty easy to find matching wigs, eyes, etc.. that I don`t have to commission.
I would encourage people to create own designs, but if they are happy at copying, I don`t care. Dolls are just a really nice hobby for me

 

My doll's style is very simple, so I'd probably see it as a compliment. Almost every item he owns is purchased from a website, so it would feel more like they're taking style inspiration.

I'd feel differently if someone did an exact copy. I think I'd just be confused and a little perturbed. If my style was more unique and recognizable, I think I'd be more annoyed. It's understandable to be upset if someone takes a feeling of uniqueness away from you. That doesn't mean it's okay to harass them, but you can have your emotions on your own time.

If you're crediting someone, it's polite to ask first if it's actually okay to use them as a reference/inspiration.

 

If your share your doll story (no matter the format) somewhere and people enjoy it you may end up with someone wanting to make a BJD of it, just like it's done to anime, comic, games and movies. The difference is that the story already have an "official" BJD, so people may find easier to copy the doll since it is the character. In this case I think it could bring weird feelings but hard to be upset unless you think all creator should be upset when it's done with them.

If no content is out there, maybe only photos, I can see how this can be more conflicting. If people make a complete replica with name and details. If the character is unique you are in your rights to ask them to stop. All art that is fixed in a medium is copyrighted. This includes characters, be in drawing, photos or dolls. And the right to copy and do derivative work belong only to the original creator. Think if there's any negative effects like impacting your reputation, taking traffic of your work and so on and if is worth to persue it.

The line for me would be if they tried to pretend to be me, to own the characters, make money of it and if they broke moral rights.