Venutian_Lures

Wow, I came back to lots of different sides. I appreciate everyone's take on the matter. My question is, if I were to apply for a copyright, would I have to do it on every single pattern? If so...damn. I've got wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy too many patterns to do that. But again as I stated, my main concern was with my name being thrown around loosely and my reputation being muddied by this. I'm assuming for it to have any legal grounds, I would have had to have the copyrights and trademark in place BEFORE this occurred? I'm really not too familiar with court proceedings, civil suits and everything else like that. Jonister, I would reveal names only if they gave me attitude back and continued to act in this way after being confronted. I don't like to throw people under the bus if I can help it, even though in this case it may be needed if nothing can be done legally.

So far I've had 2 confirmed people come to me about it thinking they were done by me, one of which initially tried to file a paypal claim through me...but obviously it was settled because I have no records of selling to them ever and it was taken care of. It was just a pain in the rear to sort through that mess and try to explain to angry people that they got duped!

Well, I wouldn't say every dot is in the exact same location, but the colors are spot on, the way the design is laid out is spot on, eye colors spot on, he even signed them with my company name. About the only thing that is different is the signature and technical skills of how the bait looks. I have no issues with someone taking a colorway and molding it into a different pattern or adjusting shades etc, but he didn't even go that far. To look at them side by side you can tell there is a difference but it is only in technical abilities and hand writing. It's not that hard to copy me, I've just been airbrushing for a long time!

hmmm good idea you've got there. It might just be the ammo I need to let him know I am serious.

hahahaha! yes I think we can all agree the main issue is the "identity theft" of my business name being used, because let's be honest....there will always be copy cats and so on. However this is the first time I've encountered someone trying to emulate my entire business, name and all. I think I will sending an email in regards to my business name being used.

pssst, I'm a female ;P

huh, interesting! I didn't know paint jobs could be copyrighted. thanks for that little tid bit of information.

Oh trust me, my taxes are paid in full!

I currently have 1 bait that is an original design, 1 true "knock off" and the rest are legit Lucky Craft's, Mega Bass etc. The only reason I bring it up is because of the fact it is having a negative impact on my business, otherwise I would have probably just brushed it under the rug and forgotten about it. I was contacted about refunding baits that I never touched, and someone tried to file a paypal claim against me for the baits that are being marketed as me, that aren't me. I just don't want it to happen again because it was a headache and a half to deal with.

The initial copying of paint jobs is flattering at times, my main issue was that baits were being marketed as painted by me and they weren't. I'm pretty sure if he were just copying I couldn't do anything other than to express my displeasure, you're right. I however am not ok with these products being marketed under my companies name. It's also not just my company he is trying to....imitate? If that's the correct word. I don't want to release any names because chaos might ensue. Thank you for the compliments though! I definitely am ok with people drawing inspiration from my work.

This might be a hot topic for a few people, or pinch some nerves, however I thought it should be brought up at some point if it hasn't already. I am all for people being inspired by my work, but what is the appropriate action to take when you find someone out right copying your paint jobs? Legally I don't believe there is anything anyone can do unless each pattern is trademarked or something along those lines. It's just a little aggravating to spend hours creating a paint job from scratch, to then have someone copy it color for color, markings for markings etc. I've run into this situation only a handful of times, and not all the times has it been someone copying me. In the past I've lightly confronted them just saying I would appreciate it if you tried using your own creativity. However this one I am about to discuss may be a legal matter? The only reason I bring it up now is because lately it has been negatively affecting my business. I recently had a prospective customer accuse ME of being the copy cat, and he then linked me to a new artists page that literally blew my mind into pieces. This person had every single pattern I've ever done reproduced (to the best of their abilities), as well as a few other artists patterns, and none of them had been changed, at all. Not only were the patterns identical, but they were marketing their baits as directly painted by me and other artists, which they absolutely were not. After having a conversation with the prospective customer and giving him all the proof he needed to see that I was the original creator and owner of my brand, he settled down. Further digging uncovered that the copy cat is young, very young, and is probably just trying to make a quick buck or doesn't understand ethics and morals yet at his age. I would like to know how to easily approach this situation without turning it into a legal matter because of the false claims that he is all these other companies, because if one of the other artists he is copying finds out....that person is not so nice about it.

Sometimes I get rusty/forget how to use certain baits that aren't something I've made, because I'm always itching to get out and test my lures. I was having a terrible time this year at the beginning of the season trying to catch anything over 1lb. I don't have a test tank (just a bathtub), so a lot of my testing is done on my own personal fishing time. So I don't forget to fish...more like forget HOW to fish anything that's not my own.

I donate all my extra stuff to Wounded Warrior/Veterans Fishing type charities. Or sometimes I'll try to host auctions to raise money for a charity that doesn't want my fishing crap, like ASPCA, Laura's Fund etc.

The only thing I buy at the store anymore are soft plastics (because I haven't gotten into making those yet), rooster tails, and general tackle, ie: weights, snap swivels, line, hooks blah blah etc. OR if I don't feel like making anymore jigs or run out of materials I'll buy a store bought jig, but I will either replace the skirt with one of my own or tie the skirt on with 210 denier thread. The discount bins are good for things needing a custom paint job as well! I still have a tonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn of tackle from before my days of making baits, and being the tackle hoarder that I am (and we probably all are), I refuse to get rid of it because it's well...tackle and I need all of it.

Are you looking for precut blanks like JBlaze linked to? Or are you looking for wood blanks that already have the detail carving done, weighting etc and literally just need to be painted and hardware put on? LPO wooden blanks are great for just getting back into the swing of things, but if you wanted to have things pre-carved with detail I know a few people via Instagram that make some amazing wooden baits, but fair warning......expensive is an understatement on those puppies :/

Wow, I guess I was horribly mislead about this stuff..or the person who suggested it to me and it's use is not doing it right at all. Won't make that mistake again >.< Thanks for the honest feedback.

I bought a can of this stuff not too long ago, because I had seen another bait maker on instagram that used this stuff and it had a similar shine to my BSI but looked a lot thinner, which I wanted for some of my smaller/top water baits. I haven't used it yet, but I was wondering if this is something I need to rotate after applying or can hang dry? I'm also assuming after you spray it on that you might need to brush through it to even it out on the bait? Also wondering how well it holds up to rocks/toothy critters etc. It also states on the can that once it is activated it only has a 48-72 hour shelf life, so I would need to have a ton of baits ready to clear at once in order to not waste this, as it was prettyyyy expensive. If anyone has used this stuff and could offer any negative or positive feedback, that would be great, thanks!