When is it alright to accuse someone of copying your doll/someone else's doll?

Other than what Jenny Nemesis mentioned above, I have nothing else insightful to add but this...more of a mini rant...

I don't get why people are so protective of names. My name is Victoria and I don't go around saying that I should be the only Victoria in the whole world. When I was thinking of naming my second doll, one of my girl friends was like, "You can't name it that because that's my doll's name!" Well, while I did like the name, but why be so protective about it? It's just a doll.

I don't know, maybe I'm more of the "Imitation is the greatest form of flattery type." *shrug*

I'm wondering how many people will chew me out for "copying" Gene Marshall's face up palette on my new Choa...hm...

 

When I requested a custom faceup from Luts for my dollie, I sent them a picture that I found on a website (that shall remain unnamed!). I didn't ask them to copy it, per se, but to give me something similar, using the same colors. At the time, I did feel uncomfortable about it, but since the faceup is really just *similar* and not identical, I don't feel as bad.

Personally, I think it's pretty childish to complain if someone else's doll resembles yours. Like others have already said, it needs to be addressed privately. I have to ask though...this only applies if you actually see the doll in question. If the owner of the "copycat" doll never posts pictures, does that make it more or less okay? It's only an issue if you see the doll, not if the doll exists.

 

Duplicate message...sorry!

 

Though imitation is supposed to be considered flattery...I think really I’d just feel pity for someone who had to resort to copying another person’s creation. It’s very..ah..sheep-like, though on the other hand it does show a complete lack of concern about being ‘unique’. XD

If you’re really concerned that someone might copy your doll, don’t post pictures of him/her. Unless, like Wotan said, your identity is based on the ‘uniqueness’ of your doll, and you require recognition for that fact. In which case, you should never, ever become a famous author and publish stories in which your doll is a character...because then there’ll be fandolls to deal with.

Which actually leads me to ask: What’s the difference between copying a published character and copying a non-famous one? Technically, copying a non-copyrighted character should be more acceptable than copying a copyrighted one, but here it’s the other way around. Is it only OK to copy a character if it reaches a certain level of popularity first? o.O

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Double post....

 

Well doesnt seem like i need to worry people obviously dont like my dolls ^^

 

Accusing someone of that is an extremely impolite thing to do, I feel, and should only ever be thought of if you are absolutely sure. As people have already said, lots of us think alike, and create characters who are quite similar. However, there is a line there. I think, if the backstory is identical, then you can shout imitation, but only by PM. Otherwise, it's rude and unnecessary.

As for creating dolls of copyrighted characters, I really don't see the appeal..

 

When is it alright to accuse someone of copying your doll/someone else's doll?

Well.. when you've got a proof.. but question is how can you prove it was copying?
Apart from cases when you're told so "I like this and that I'll do it on my doll or with my doll" or when someone asks for details of your work and then creates something clearly based on what you've said.

In other cases you have no proof at all.
It's very hard to come up with something that noone has done before.
And if we use already created patterns.. it's quite obvious someone, sooner or later will come up with similar or same idea.

I'm not "Imitation is the greatest form of flattery." type I'm rather "Inspiration is the greatest form of flattery." type (don't know if it's correct in terms of grammar but I hope it makes sense)

 

Looks are copied all the time, it's what fashion is all about... honestly, I think the most interesting and charismatic dolls on this board have been "copied" a thousand times over because they are amazing, and I hope it never has bothered the owners too much, because I hope they understand that it's the personality they imbue the doll with that is what makes it so fantastically awesome in the end.

 

Well, I think it is a bit ridiculous to accuse someone of something like that regardless of how similar it looks. I've looked around at a lot of wigs, and truth be told, most of them are very similar to one another. Same with the eyes. You are really just buying a different color/size/cheaper when going with a different company.

And the fact of the matter is, it is very hard to have a doll that is completely different from everyone else's when you the same sculpt, same face-up artist (and style)... The only thing that it would come down to is the clothes. And even those are cliched.

I think this entire thing can be summed up by looking at deviantart and searching for "the hedgehog." There's only so much you can do...

Oh, and mods. Pretty much the only thing I would accept as "copying" is getting extensive mods similar to the other doll. Like the same elf ears, eyes opened, lips thinned, etc. etc.

 

If someone would (be insane enough to) copy Kiahn, I'd go ahead and say something about it!

I'm trying my best to make all my dolls original characters, and for Falcon I've done some research on similar headmold and made sure he won't resemble another charater. Who's doll was first is in my opinion, how do you say, the one who has the 'rights' on the doll.

I think people with similar ideas should look their dolls names up in the member search to see if there's a doll of the same mold with the same name and same face-up, wig & eye color, so they won't (accidentaly) copy them.

I did this with a character I had in mind for my next doll, a Kid Dollmore Calvin who I wanted to name Nathaniel. But alas, there is another member saving for the same doll with the same name, so I changed my character's name to Crusayde.

*edit* For me copying is having a doll that resembles another doll as well in character, name, face-up, wig, eye color and (to a certain point) character/background. Especially background stories, many of us story-people put a lot of effort in creating a storyline, and we don't like it when it's copied >.<
For me copying is not wearing the same clothes as another doll (except when one copies an original outfit) or when two dolls have the same name, or when two dolls have the same name and same mold.

 

I think this is what it comes down to. If someone uses the same story for their doll, same name (or very very close to it) and same look, that's when it becomes an issue. Just image-wise, it's not unreasonable for someone to go "i love how that looks, I'm going to do that with my doll" but when they take something you've created like a story, that's crossing the line. It's not ok for people to take all the elements of a book and say those ideas were their own and it's not ok to take the elements of someone else's story and call them their own.

 

"If a tree falls in the forest..." Actually, all existentialist kidding aside, that's a very good question!

If the 'original' copied person never posts pictures of Dolly A, and the 'copy' Dolly B is posted a lot, & gets well-known because of it-- which one do you think the audience will consider to be the original? People know what they see, and their perceptions do harden into stone so quickly. What you see becomes truth. (Same reason that so many guys no longer care whether a pair of breasts is real or silicone. ^^)

 

I think that I may have to start off my opinion by saying that imitation of a doll...it's pretty much inevitable. The only time that I would be upset is if someone stole my ideas for their story line and slapped the same name on their doll. That would be a little disconcerting and while someone could easily PM that person and speak to them about it...it's not likely that you'll change their mind.

This is a big community and people are going to 'take cues' from other people on how a doll looks. I don't really think that it's a very big deal.

 

Kylyk may never again be mine (he belongs to Cenarius now), but if someone copied his look and style on another Dollshe Bernard... I'd be pretty upset. I'm in the midst of bringing him back as another mold, and if someone decided to do his same scars and general look... I'd be a bit disheartened as well.



His mods and customizations were singular, as was his hair (I still won't divulge the wig I styled, that was used), although I didn't mind saying what eyes he had.

Eventually all dolls (that aren't super customized) tend to resemble another. What am I to do if I see another black haired vamp woosoo that wears a fishnet shirt and tight pants? ... Nothing. Apparently, the other owner and I have similar tastes.

I can't tell you how many Leekeworld L-26 wig wearing, black haired, schwartzaugen blue eyed El's I've seen with the company faceup. Tons. I in fact, had one at one point. ^_~ So in a sense, I can see where it would happen with non-customized dolls. But if you customize them specifically and someone else does the same... then, it's a problem I think.

 

in my opinion, its copying if they have customized the same doll + eyes + hair + clothes, or any combination of three or more of those categories.... woah, i made a formula... o.0

 

Copying is somewhat subjective. There is a high possibility of coincidental "copying." For example, if someone buys a Luts standard doll with a default faceup. A lot of people may also say "Hey, I may as well order the wig at the same time to save on shipping." So they end up with a CP standard with a default faceup and a Luts wig. High chance of just happening to get the same combination! Sculpt + eyes + wig doesn't necessarily make an intentional copy in my mind.

I feel uncomfortable seeing people replicating distinctive features of a doll, though. Like specific birthmarks, modifications, piercings, tattoos, faceup elements, etc. Any one of those things by itself probably isn't a big deal, but when it's more than one thing, it seems less like coincidence and more like intentional copying.

That all said, I think it's tacky for people to call others out in public. And it's worse when fans of the owner call someone else out - because it usually reflects poorly on the owner. Even if the owner has nothing at all to do with it, she will probably be remembered as the one who initated it. (Like Xi-feng, who was used an example even though she didn't DO anything!)

I agree here - I don't like the degree to which people will say that copying is "okay" for whatever reason. I think it's insulting and ultimately self-defeating. If it's all been done before, why even try to have an original idea or develop your own opinions? The conception and development of an idea is something special - if you dream of it on your own and know its yours, it doesn't matter how many millions of people have done it before you.

It's like the difference between going outside and seeing that the sky is blue... rather than just parroting "the sky is blue" because someone else told you so and it sounded like a pretty cool thing.

Having the same idea does not automatically equal copying. Being "inspired by" doesn't automatically equal copying. But blatant, intentional copying does happen, and attributing all similarities to the "collective unconscious" is unrealistic.

You'd be surprised how many people want to do that, though! I get commision requests to replicate dolls all the time. If someone says "I'd like elf ears like the ones you did on [whoever's] doll," that's okay! But sometimes people ask me to copy a full doll or custom... and I always say no. At that point, it has crossed the line from borrowing an element of a doll to actually copying someone else's design. I've lost track of how many people have asked me to make copies of Junket's Sliver, a ragdoll CP Ani.

I won't help someone copy someone else's doll, either. I get really annoyed when people PM me with an entitled attitude, demanding tutorials or instructions because they want to "do the exact same thing to their doll."

Some owners have specifically asked me not to repeat certain mod on a certain sculpt because they feel it's something unique to their doll. I can respect that.

There are so many ways to customize these dolls and make them really unique, why would you intentionally copy someone else?

I don't think most people would take someone to court over a doll profile on the internet, though... and I think that if it was brought to court, it would be thrown out as a frivolous lawsuit. If it was a situation where you could prove that they were making money off of your design/story, you might be able to do it.

I think most people would just seethe over it, though, and tell their friends.

(Wow, that was tl;dr)