When someone copies your work?

[kurtrofl 0]

So I stumbled across this portfolio http://www.onassisteli.com/E-NEWSand noticed the design AND animations look super familiar to the FITC Tokyo Titles.

It's pretty obvious this guy was "inspired" by those titles but when is the line drawn? As an aspiring motion designer Is there anything you can do when you see this happening? I'm just generally curious if you guys have been in similar situations.

 

edit: Just to clarify I had nothing to do with the FITC Tokyo Titles, I'm just using this as an example.

Edited March 11, 2016 by kurtrofl

[pixel_pimp 0]

Welcome to motion graphics! Were only 1% of the people actually design and the rest copy and do production.

[ChrisC 2]

Not much you can do about it, just don't play that game. And if you're 'pushed' by a producer to take a direction that's too similar to something else, and your objections aren't being heard - probably better to walk away. You could get all whiny on his vimeo page if you like, but who benefits? Plus, you don't know the full story, he might have had horrible ethical dilemma but needed the cash to fix his grandma up with a new hip? Best just to rise above it.

 

The flip-side is that with online everything, and everything open to public comment - this can easily backfire when someone gets really lazy and pimps a blatant ripoff of something well known. FITC was ripped off elsewhere too, look near the bottom of this link:

 

http://www.elischiff.com/blog/2016/2/16/ubers-atomic-meltdown

 

But here, I think, Uber got called out and took it down; or I assume so anyway, it's gone away (the vimeo link in the article isn't the same as it was when they relaunched). As, I imagine, has the designer who left them open to ridicule.

Edited March 11, 2016 by ChrisC

[simonfarussell 0]

Quite a few people download my vids and post them on Youtube. I don't really mind if they credit me.

I did have one woman who got angry with me because I asked her to take it down.

 

It's true in a way that imitation is the purest form of flattery, it's generally only the good stuff gets copied.

[iMACHINE 0]

The FITC Tokyo titles video has a nice pace / rhythm to it. The ripoff feels too busy / crammed. Makes me uneasy, especially the first sample on that page. Think I saw a plugin on AEscripts.com or somewhere that helps with making this sort of nonsense.

 

I once has a prospective client that wanted to make an exact clone of a video. The video was for a service in the same market as the client. The money would have been decent but wasn't enough to compensate for the extra boredom I'd feel while blatantly ripping off someone else work. I turned down the project. The irony is that I found out months later that the video they wanted to rip off was a rip off of another video!

[kurtrofl 0]

Not much you can do about it, just don't play that game. And if you're 'pushed' by a producer to take a direction that's too similar to something else, and your objections aren't being heard - probably better to walk away. You could get all whiny on his vimeo page if you like, but who benefits? Plus, you don't know the full story, he might have had horrible ethical dilemma but needed the cash to fix his grandma up with a new hip? Best just to rise above it.

 

The flip-side is that with online everything, and everything open to public comment - this can easily backfire when someone gets really lazy and pimps a blatant ripoff of something well known. FITC was ripped off elsewhere too, look near the bottom of this link:

 

http://www.elischiff.com/blog/2016/2/16/ubers-atomic-meltdown

 

But here, I think, Uber got called out and took it down; or I assume so anyway, it's gone away (the vimeo link in the article isn't the same as it was when they relaunched). As, I imagine, has the designer who left them open to ridicule.

But then why put that on your portfolio if you know you blatantly ripped someone off?

Yeah I see vocal designers on twitter call out people who've copied them, but I feel like that just brings so much attention to you and I'm not sure I'd want that. I wonder if there is anything legal you can do but I'm guessing it'll be pretty hard to prove anything / not worth the time? Interesting article though, thanks for the share.

 

 

The FITC Tokyo titles video has a nice pace / rhythm to it. The ripoff feels too busy / crammed. Makes me uneasy, especially the first sample on that page. Think I saw a plugin on AEscripts.com or somewhere that helps with making this sort of nonsense.

 

I once has a prospective client that wanted to make an exact clone of a video. The video was for a service in the same market as the client. The money would have been decent but wasn't enough to compensate for the extra boredom I'd feel while blatantly ripping off someone else work. I turned down the project. The irony is that I found out months later that the video they wanted to rip off was a rip off of another video!

haha Rip-Ception

That's crazy. It's like the whole glitch thing all over again when VideoCopilet released that Twitch plugin. Suddenly everyone had the same glitchy animations.

 

simonfarussell, on 11 Mar 2016 - 08:13 AM, said:

Quite a few people download my vids and post them on Youtube. I don't really mind if they credit me.

I did have one woman who got angry with me because I asked her to take it down.

 

It's true in a way that imitation is the purest form of flattery, it's generally only the good stuff gets copied.

Lol I'd love to know how that woman could feel justified enough to get angry at you...

Edited March 11, 2016 by kurtrofl

[sbmotiondesign 0]

What's really unfortunate about these types of things is that it makes you question all of the other really stellar and top notch projects in the portfolio. There aren't any credits listed anywhere... Not saying this is the case here, but we've all worked alongside someone who has a kick-ass portfolio to only realize later, based on what they are able to do, that they were clearly only involved in limited production aspects of the work shown on their site, or were only a small part of the process.

[stoiqa 0]

He was not part of the Robocop // YuCo team, as me + Mert (Creative Director) and couple of other guys worked on these scenes.

 

Some people like posting work they didn't had anything to do with on their site. This is not the first or the last time you gonna see this.

 

 

PS: Just saw "Billions in change" on his site, he wasn't part of that either. This was our team over at Ignition (Sean Garfinkel / CD) and Blur

[kurtrofl 0]

Wow, really disappointing to here that...

Also just realized his site looks really similar to Danny Yount's http://dannyyount.com/

Background I mean. I'm pretty sure he's the same exact gray color lol

 

edit... his Linkedin page looks stacked https://www.linkedin.com/in/onassisteli...... O.o

Edited March 12, 2016 by kurtrofl

[jon 0]

Reminds me of tender and special moments from the dawn of Mograph time.

 

http://mograph.net/board/index.php?showtopic=4871&st=0

[vozzz 2]

ye this is life of a creative.

 

i remember i was telling someone about what i do and his suggestion was: "why don't you get other peoples work and put it in your portfolio? Then you'll get more work!"

 

and im like: "but then what happens when i can't deliver that level of work?"

 

he stared blankly back at me.. and this has happened on more than one occasion.. its just a mentality...

 

i guess these people mostly work with end clients, and probably small business who don't know or care or can even tell the difference.

[Detline 0]

I see a lot of people that make stuff thats just actually from VideoCopilot. Even people who put it on their portfolio :/..

 

I just get my inspiration from other works but never use it as my own O_o just use it as inspiration.

[Zickar 0]

So far I have found out about two projects of mine being replicated ... They weren't to the same level so I am fine with it .. I think the original piece will always be more relevant rather than forced .. for example the FITC ripoff you posted seems out of context when used the way it was while it seemed more natural and relevant when Ash did it

I think it's good to see other's trying to copy your work , it gives you an idea of how influencial your work is and is satisfying in an egotistical kind of way , Credits could be great but I don't force anyone to credit me .. Some people ask me for permission to do case studies of some of my older work .. that is great too

I myself try and always reference the original reference in the description but I never end up replicating it anyway and I was never put in a situation that merited that ... The end file is usually 70-80 % off the original source material

anyway my research method is getting refined now and it's more about fusion and trying to be more mindful about what I use .. I try and adapt what I use to what I am looking for .. if it doesn't work I don't use it just because it looks good

On Vimeo I try and leave links in the comments if I find someone is not crediting people properly but not really much more I would do

[ClintVideo 1]

Reminds me of tender and special moments from the dawn of Mograph time.

 

http://mograph.net/board/index.php?showtopic=4871&st=0

 

That is a painful reminder on so many levels - it was before The Crash when everybody lost their post count and had to become ubernerds all over again.