Thread: Counterfeit Corsets (formerly Burlesque Corsets and more 10% discount)

Originally Posted by Lady K

Yes I agree we should have done our research in the business but it is almost impossible for any company to sit on google searching for dresses, corsets, armchairs, toys etc etc etc..................when you start a business you just find your suppliers and look for demand and your market.

I know, I too have just started a new business. Making corsets. What market research did you do that led you to MOB but didn't bring huge corsetry companies such as Vollers to your attention? I appreciate not every company will take the google approach, but this is why there are also many organisations which *sell* market research so that you don't have to do the legwork.

Originally Posted by Lady K

As far as copyright is concerned do not confuse this with patent..........copyright is very hard to prove and does not stand ground like patent does.

I think that the copyright of photographs from big companies such as Vollers is actually very *easy* to prove. Any professional photographer takes great pains to protect their work.

Originally Posted by Lady K

We should all work together and if someone does something wrong then tell them and if they don't put it right then they are not worth knowing. Be honest but give people a chance here o.k.

It's nothing personal. It's not about whether you are "worth knowing" or anything of the sort. If one chooses to post on a public internet forum without having done one's homework, then you can expect to be called up on any mistakes. What you have to understand is that the people here will have seen countless corset re-sellers using other companies' copyrighted images without approval. Then of course, the product arrives and is nothing like the advertising image. If you had researched at all you would know this. Being a corsetiere myself, I can appreciate why other corsetry companies and those who love to wear them would be upset by your mistake. If it was genuine, it was naive. And you can't expect the people that you are promoting your website to to not be annoyed by it. It makes customers wary of buying online and therefore injures the industry as a whole. I'm sorry if it makes you unhappy, but those of us within the industry won't forgive and forget quite so quickly as you might like. This is our livelihoods and our passion. We care about it and will do what we can to protect it.

You've taken the offending images down, well done. But I hope that instead of trying to make excuses for your mistake you'll actually consider why it happened and take measures to improve your knowledge and not make similar mistakes again. That's not meant to be harsh, I honestly think it's the best way to improve the situation, and create a lasting and successful business.

Originally Posted by Lady K

And just for information the people that said I had copyrighted my images need to look up on wikipedia the difference between copyright and watermark!!

I'm not sure I would advise anyone to rely on wikipedia for legal definitions. Watermarks are designed to assert ownership. Copyright exists as soon as a work is created, whether the work is actually registered with a copyrighting body or not. Watermarks, therefore, are simply another way of making this clear. End of.

Originally Posted by sparklewren

I know, I too have just started a new business. Making corsets. What market research did you do that led you to MOB but didn't bring huge corsetry companies such as Vollers to your attention? I appreciate not every company will take the google approach, but this is why there are also many organisations which *sell* market research so that you don't have to do the legwork.

I'll second this, while like most, new business start-ups dont have time for highly detailed google searches & market research, but there are places that will do it for you. For example I went to Business Gateway & they found all the facts & figures I needed to know for my market research.

But putting this aside, knowing you're competitors is highly important, if you dont put the effort into finding out about the big and small companies in the industry, how are you supposed to do your SWOT analysis & thus learn what you need to do to make your own business succesful?

If you haven't done so by now, I'd recommend you take the time to look around and find out as much as you can about you're competitors and the big companies in the industry, it'll help you be more aware of these things in future. As a corsetiere i dont deal with these mass produce suppliers so I dont know much about them but personally I'd be very suspicious of working with a supplier who so readily gave you copyrighted images without permission. If they're failing to be honest about their image sources, then you have to ask what else they're being dishonest about.

I'm not meaning to be overly critical here (& I apologise if it reads that way) and I don't believe anyone else on here is trying to be either, everything being said is sound advice, it's only unfortunate that you didn't come to MOB before launching your business, as it could have saved you the stress of finding out the hard way.