I feel sad that I even have to write this page.
As my previous customers know, I used to sell the pattern/tutorial set on my website. It was a real labour of love to draft the patterns, write the tutorial, take the photographs (thanks to my partner for those), and format it all into a downloadable, printable PDF that would be easy to follow. I was pleased with the end result, and had very good feedback from the people who bought it.
Then in 2014, a concerned customer contacted me and pointed out that my pattern was being sold on Etsy by another maker – Happy Moon Pads. The item being sold was 100% my work, even down to the text in the listing, but my business details had been ‘shopped out and replaced with hers. She was claiming the pattern as her own, and was even selling licences for people to sell pads made from it, as long as credit was given to her. You can read more about it and see the screenshots on my blog.
I was devastated that somebody was passing my hard work off as their own, and making a profit from it. Myself and several others reported her to Etsy. I had complete confidence that Etsy would be keen to resolve it, but they weren’t interested. Only one of us got a response, and it didn’t even relate to the complaint. It was extremely disappointing behaviour from a company that is supposed to be a champion of small enterprises.
The pattern is still being sold on Etsy by Happy Moon Pads, and people are still buying it. I dont have the time or energy to keep pursuing her, so after much deliberation, I decided the best way forward would be to offer the pattern/tutorial set for free, or for a small optional donation. This is the best way I can think of to stop her from profiting from my work.
You can help by sharing this pattern with its Luna Wolf branding far and wide, and speaking up if you see it being sold on and/or claimed as somebody else’s. I am happy to provide the original high resolution photographs from the tutorial photoshoot (including the many that didnt make it in!), photographs of the original patterns drafted on cardboard, screenshots of the original tutorial files on my PC date stamped 2009, a screenshot of the Paypal transcation from 19 April 2014 when Samantha Hughes (AKA Happy Moon Pads) purchased the pattern from Luna Wolf, or whatever else it takes to prove this is my work.
If you have previously bought this pattern from Happy Moon Pads without realising it was stolen property, I suggest opening a dispute with Etsy and/or Paypal, although I have little faith in the former.
Thank you for reading and sharing.
Update 27 July 2015 – Etsy have now removed the infringing listing! Thank you to Danny from Etsy’s legal team, and especially to everyone who reported it. Happy Moon Pads has a history of relisting this pattern/tutorial set after Etsy has removed it, so I will be keeping an eye on her shop to make sure it doesn’t appear again.
