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Web Design Piracy: How serious is it?
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By Abygail Dela Cruz Last updated Oct 7, 2006
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It's a very, very serious thing—even though it's unfortunate that some designers and programmers don't think the same. It's not even surprising anymore that the "nothing is original" argument comes up ever so often when the issue of design piracy is discussed. Or the perennial "it's inspired, not ripped/stolen/pirated." Come on now, guys. Stop making excuses. Design piracy is stealing. And no matter how you look at it, stealing is wrong.
As a designer myself, I have a lot of things to say about that "nothing is original" argument, but that's already been discussed so I'll just be reiterating what Rome had said. Unfortunately, the "light" way some have been seeing the issue of design piracy, most often than not, stems from this argument. If you have already made yourself believe that nothing is original, then you really won't see anything wrong with copying somebody else's work.
"Conscience? What conscience?"
Whatever ethical voice telling you that copying somebody else's design is wrong goes out of the window, and down the drain. You've already given yourself the perfect excuse. Nothing is original anymore anyway, so what the heck right?
Wrong. This is where the question of whether a work is ripped or inspired comes in.
So, ok, some smart guy already invented the wheel. There's no point of trying re-invent it. But has somebody already thought of putting pink ruffles on the wheel to make it look pretty (oh, maybe even a sprinkle of blue sequins on top)? If somebody already did, well, I'll make my ruffles tangerine with pink polka dots. And make my sequins red and green. Oh, I think I'll put a little bit of spray paint splatter on the side, a violent shade of violet. I'll put a little more of this, and a little more of that. In the end, I'll end up with "something" that remotely resembles a wheel, but different enough for people not to consider it JUST a wheel.
It's probably not the best analogy (if you take that literally, you'll probably end up with a frighteningly ugly piece of junk), but that's the most I can think of. An inspired design can be built upon an "original" concept, but still modified enough that you will see the designer's touch (and other influences that may have added to the output). An inspired design takes some elements of the inspiration, but is still able to stand on its own as a different design.
As designers, we are paid to come up with "original" or inspired concepts. The talent behind thinking out of the box is basically the reason behind why we can come up with these concepts, and this same talent is the reason why we got hired in the first place. For us, a wheel isn't just a wheel—it's a wheel with ruffles, sequins, polka-dots, paint, ribbons, and other creative ideas we can think of in order to make that boring wheel look interesting.
When you rip somebody else's design, it's like taking my wheel with tangerine ruffles and pink polka dots, red and green sequins, and violet spray paint splatter, add a brown button or two, then pass it off as your own without even thinking of changing the colors or styles of what I have originally chosen for my wheel. When you put our wheels side-by-side, it would be like looking at a pair of identical twins—and one of the twins just happens to have a pimple on his left cheek and a small scar under his chin. Simply put, you are practically just passing off somebody else's work as your own. That's stealing, and you can really get sued for copyright infringement.
Another common excuse is "my client wants a clone—I need the money." Oh, poor you. Didn't you ever think that there people poorer than you but still had the decency not to steal? You'd probably even get poorer when a copyright infringement case is thrown at your face.
And please, don't ever tell me that ripping is "the sincerest form of flattery." What's so flattering about having a design you've work so hard for stolen? Worse, what if you lost money because of the rip? Would you still get flattered? I think not. Well, just think how you would feel if you had your mobile phone stolen on the way home. You must be insane to think "Omigahd! I'm so flattered the guy snatched my phone!" Sounds silly, doesn't it? We're in the same premise here. Ripping is stealing intellectual property.
It actually all boils down to one thing: RESPECT FOR EACH OTHER'S WORK. If you really don't understand the meaning of respect or that you're under the delusion that everything in the world revolves around you, then you probably wouldn't think the two are different. But if you do, you know that stealing intellectual property is as grave (or even graver still) as snatching somebody's mobile phone.
We are a small community of designers and programmers, each of us with a different kind of upbringing, hence having a different set of values and ethics. But respect is universal. It's a given for every community in existence. If you don't (or "can't") respect other people's rights, locking yourself alone in a cave might be the best way to go. Or maybe just admit yourself to a loony bin. Because no matter what you think, you are, and will always be, part of a community. And as a member of ANY community, you must learn to respect the rights of your fellows.
Everyone has a right to intellectual property. Respect that. |
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