Don’t be a pirate! Thanks for downloading our freebies and purchasing our products–but please don’t share them. Send people to ScrapMatters to download/purchase their own digi products. Digital piracy has become a big issue recently. There are blogs where people are giving away links to entire kits on 4shared–that is stealing. We try to be very generous with our freebies and gift codes here at ScrapMatters. One of our very talented designers has had so much stuff pirated that she is considering giving up on designing all together. That hurts all of us!!!
For you that don’t know what pirating is, it is copying onto disk, thumb drive etc or uploading to an online data storage facility digital products with the intent of selling them or sharing them with others.
How do people scrap their precious family memories with stolen merchandise (because digital or not–kits are merchandise), it is just unfathomable to me.
When you download a kit, you are downloading the right to use that kit for your personal scrapbooking, not to do whatever you want to with it. Now some people have this misguided notion that scrapbook designers make a lot of money–there may be a few who do, but most of us would just be happy to break even on our expenses and make enough for date night or to pay the doctor bill!
Shoplifting is a crime! And so is uploading and/or downloading digital files with the intent of sharing them with anyone–your mom, your kid, your best friend!
So for all of you honest scrappers out there–please show your support of the designers and the digital scrapbook industry as a whole. Click on the “Stop Digital Piracy” graphic above and go check out the Stop Digital Piracy Blog. Snag one of their blinkies and post it on your blog. Comment on this post with a link to your blog and I will give you a $2.50 gift code to ScrapMatters.
If you come across a blog that is sharing illegal links please notify the designers so they can bring legal action against the pirates. If you come across any links from any of the designers at ScrapMatters please email me andilynn at scrapmatters dot com and let me know–please include the blog url. You will receive a generous bounty!
Thanks for choosing the right and downloading legally.
6 responses so far ↓
1 Ruthie // Dec 16, 2007 at 10:01 am
I couldn’t agree with you more! How can people sleep at night or even look at their family scrapped in stolen property?
2 Erica Ambrosio // Dec 16, 2007 at 1:52 pm
That is too bad. I do not know why the people do it, but is bad for everybody. I have never seen one blog with it, but if I see you can be sure I will talk.
3 Emanuele // Dec 18, 2007 at 12:46 am
I think people need more information. I think you have many people who don’t even know what “piracy” is or means. An information campaign would greatly reduce piracy. New to scrapping - I create IM stats where “ripping” is the issue and it happens all the time and often because people do not understand the concept. Stop using the reality comparison, it probably adds to the confusion. If you purchase a product in a local craft store, you can share it with anyone you choose. You need to specifically state that the product is not to be shared. Simply stating “personal use only” is not enough - some people will take that to mean that they can share it as long as they’re not profiting. Outreach rather than Outrage would be a great starting point.
4 Carolyn // Dec 20, 2007 at 1:00 pm
Yes, I agree with all the above comments and this write up. It does need to be made 100% clear what is considered as priacy on each and every designers ( seller - sharers) blogs. Some people just don’t get it.. .. But I do thank each and everyone of the designers for all their hard work and the sweetness of sharing their freebies. And the kits to buy are just awesome too. Thank you Thank you..
I hope everyone has a wonderful Holiday Season and I pray that the priacy comes to a stop soon… very soon.
Carolyn
5 Kristine // Dec 20, 2007 at 1:43 pm
Great post! People complain that there aren’t enough freebies. There are tons of freebies but designers are sick to death of being pirated.
6 Melanie // Dec 20, 2007 at 5:30 pm
Thanks for this blog! I’ve link it to your blinkie on my blog for my readers to read. I always worry that it’s happening to me, but so far I don’t know that it is. You try to give people the benefit of the doubt (maybe they didn’t realize they were pirating) but at the same time, how could you not know? My TOU specifically says not to share with their friends, so there’s really no excuse, that is unless they don’t read the TOU, but then if they don’t they still only have themselves to blame. You agree to it by downloading the products.
Anyway, thanks again for the blog and the awareness. Have a great day!
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