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Client came up to me a month ago to create a website design, I realized very early on in the project that he was trying to get me to copy the website of a rather heavy hitter in that industry. I. Pitched. A. Fit. He'd mentioned beforehand that he really liked the design of theirs a lot, and that he wanted to copy them, but I very carefully explained that copying is bad, and that lawsuits are very, very bad. And I outlined how I planned to make him a unique design, blah blah.
An entire month. An entire month of constantly digging in my heels and throwing a fuss because they kept trying to have me copy things. The client ended up being super ticked off with me at one point, and chewed me up and down over my stubbornness. I almost quit the project altogether, but unfortunately he'd done the project through Freelancer, and I have a 100% project completion rate I'd like to keep. Grr.
I'll admit right off, I was a total witch to him every time he asked me to make a change to the template that would alter it to look even further like the Big Site. I constantly warned him about copyright laws, and how I really did not appreciate being put into the position that he was forcing me into.
I did my best though. I made the design as different as possible, even though the client refused flat out to use anything but a remarkably similar layout to theirs. There were still a few places where I felt very uncomfortable with it, and I tried to change those pieces. Client got upset, and just pretty much told me at that point that he appreciated all the work I'd done, but that he was tired of fighting me and just wanted to finish the project then. I was just about nigh gleeful to finally see the light at the end of the tunnel, and marked it off as complete, and sent him the files.
Lo and behold, a week later someone mentions the site. They had no idea I made it, but commented on "wow, BigSite's gonna sue the s*** out of them"
I went back, and....OMG. Client had taken the files, and every part that wasn't similar, he changed to a near carbon copy of BigSite.
Fuming, I messaged the client and quite plainly told him I was super angry he'd done that to my design, and after I'd told him about copyright violations umpteen times.
He pitched a fit right back, declaring I had no idea what I was talking about, and that he was "just different enough" that nobody could claim it was a copyright. I pointed out several images and animations that he'd stolen DIRECTLY from BigSite. "Well, its not like I couldn't say I just saw those images elsewhere and used them." No, but they can sure as shooting use those as a lovely foothold to prove you ripped them off.
After arguing with him for about 20 minutes about him not using my design that way, I gave up. I told him I was taking screenshots of the conversation to prove that I had no part in him making the site so similar, for if and most likely when the suit came through....and I guess that got to him. He asked exactly why I thought I needed to take those precautions, and I said "look up confusingly similar copyright violations. I'm done with you."
Today he emails me, declaring he thought it over, and with some "helpful advice from a friend", decided that yes, he would most likely be sued silly if BigSite ever saw it. He asked if I would be willing to work on a new design for him, and I said sure. "Great, just make sure to give me a really big discount since I wasted all that money on you earlier."
<screeching halt>
What?
"I wish I'd listened to you, but since I did now, that counts more than the not listening! But anyways, I practically threw that money down the drain, so I'm going to need your help to keep costs as low as possible, so if you can stay like super, super cheap, that'd be awesome."
Oh you have to be....yeah...yeah you're delusional.
I told him I don't have the time for a new project right now, and to just email me if he wanted to discuss it further. He got angry, and said well then fine, he didn't need me, he had a template on his PC he'd bought off some cheap site years ago anyways.
Then I started getting the occasional IMs asking for if I thought "that thing you did with this thing here would look good on the new template." I'd politely tell him, NO TIME DERP, and move along. Eventually he asked if he could show me the new template, and I said fine, sure.
....He'd taken the template I made for him, and just thrown it haphazardly with this other cheapy thing he'd found off the internet. It was a monster. First main problem is that the atrocity is SUPER WIIIIIDE, and literally 40% of would be cut off on monitors.
Add to the fact that since I did the original template so cheap for him, he'd signed a contract stating that he was not to manipulate the template I sold him into new ones that would not be recognizable as my original work. (Note: this is because half my clients are skeezebags, and I have to cover my arse as much as possible because they like to find loopholes and RUN WITH THEM LIKE THE WIND)
So now he's violating my template copyright. <facepalm> I told him this, was kind enough to include the part where it states that exactly, and the conversation snippet where he said that was "a smart move, considering the jerks out there". He. Flipped. And literally told me "I will fight you on this".
I told him to bring it on, I had a nice contract he'd agreed to, and to have fun with that. He yammered on at me for a while about how much of a witch I was, how I had a heart of ice, yadda yadda, and then moved to pleading, then saying "oh come on, just let me slide this once, nobody will EVER know!" (Sure they won't...)
Ended up telling him the whole spiel of "its a policy, I have to hold to it for legality's sake, and if I violate it for you, it'll set a precedent and EVERYONE will want to 'slide just this once'. And then, really, what's the point of having a policy?"
Client did not like this, went back to yammering that I was a coldhearted witch of the west, blah blah, and then...quiet. Just suddenly dropped silent.
Grateful for this, I proceeded to get back to work, and then out of the blue he asked if I'd be willing to give him "a small discount possibly, considering his foolishness", and that he understood my position, but that he'd appreciate it if I could "give him a helpful hand" in this matter.
I'm half thinking someone else decided to type instead of him for a bit. Seriously.
But anyways, I told him he'll have to email me, like everyone else, and that I was simply much too busy to carry on an IM battle with him at the moment...
He said yes, he knew, and that he was sorry for saying he wanted to fight, because he didn't fight girls anyways.
I told him, "You'd lose horribly anyways. Just like you did now."
An entire month. An entire month of constantly digging in my heels and throwing a fuss because they kept trying to have me copy things. The client ended up being super ticked off with me at one point, and chewed me up and down over my stubbornness. I almost quit the project altogether, but unfortunately he'd done the project through Freelancer, and I have a 100% project completion rate I'd like to keep. Grr.
I'll admit right off, I was a total witch to him every time he asked me to make a change to the template that would alter it to look even further like the Big Site. I constantly warned him about copyright laws, and how I really did not appreciate being put into the position that he was forcing me into.
I did my best though. I made the design as different as possible, even though the client refused flat out to use anything but a remarkably similar layout to theirs. There were still a few places where I felt very uncomfortable with it, and I tried to change those pieces. Client got upset, and just pretty much told me at that point that he appreciated all the work I'd done, but that he was tired of fighting me and just wanted to finish the project then. I was just about nigh gleeful to finally see the light at the end of the tunnel, and marked it off as complete, and sent him the files.
Lo and behold, a week later someone mentions the site. They had no idea I made it, but commented on "wow, BigSite's gonna sue the s*** out of them"
I went back, and....OMG. Client had taken the files, and every part that wasn't similar, he changed to a near carbon copy of BigSite.
Fuming, I messaged the client and quite plainly told him I was super angry he'd done that to my design, and after I'd told him about copyright violations umpteen times.
He pitched a fit right back, declaring I had no idea what I was talking about, and that he was "just different enough" that nobody could claim it was a copyright. I pointed out several images and animations that he'd stolen DIRECTLY from BigSite. "Well, its not like I couldn't say I just saw those images elsewhere and used them." No, but they can sure as shooting use those as a lovely foothold to prove you ripped them off.
After arguing with him for about 20 minutes about him not using my design that way, I gave up. I told him I was taking screenshots of the conversation to prove that I had no part in him making the site so similar, for if and most likely when the suit came through....and I guess that got to him. He asked exactly why I thought I needed to take those precautions, and I said "look up confusingly similar copyright violations. I'm done with you."
Today he emails me, declaring he thought it over, and with some "helpful advice from a friend", decided that yes, he would most likely be sued silly if BigSite ever saw it. He asked if I would be willing to work on a new design for him, and I said sure. "Great, just make sure to give me a really big discount since I wasted all that money on you earlier."
<screeching halt>
What?
"I wish I'd listened to you, but since I did now, that counts more than the not listening! But anyways, I practically threw that money down the drain, so I'm going to need your help to keep costs as low as possible, so if you can stay like super, super cheap, that'd be awesome."
Oh you have to be....yeah...yeah you're delusional.
I told him I don't have the time for a new project right now, and to just email me if he wanted to discuss it further. He got angry, and said well then fine, he didn't need me, he had a template on his PC he'd bought off some cheap site years ago anyways.
Then I started getting the occasional IMs asking for if I thought "that thing you did with this thing here would look good on the new template." I'd politely tell him, NO TIME DERP, and move along. Eventually he asked if he could show me the new template, and I said fine, sure.
....He'd taken the template I made for him, and just thrown it haphazardly with this other cheapy thing he'd found off the internet. It was a monster. First main problem is that the atrocity is SUPER WIIIIIDE, and literally 40% of would be cut off on monitors.
Add to the fact that since I did the original template so cheap for him, he'd signed a contract stating that he was not to manipulate the template I sold him into new ones that would not be recognizable as my original work. (Note: this is because half my clients are skeezebags, and I have to cover my arse as much as possible because they like to find loopholes and RUN WITH THEM LIKE THE WIND)
So now he's violating my template copyright. <facepalm> I told him this, was kind enough to include the part where it states that exactly, and the conversation snippet where he said that was "a smart move, considering the jerks out there". He. Flipped. And literally told me "I will fight you on this".
I told him to bring it on, I had a nice contract he'd agreed to, and to have fun with that. He yammered on at me for a while about how much of a witch I was, how I had a heart of ice, yadda yadda, and then moved to pleading, then saying "oh come on, just let me slide this once, nobody will EVER know!" (Sure they won't...)
Ended up telling him the whole spiel of "its a policy, I have to hold to it for legality's sake, and if I violate it for you, it'll set a precedent and EVERYONE will want to 'slide just this once'. And then, really, what's the point of having a policy?"
Client did not like this, went back to yammering that I was a coldhearted witch of the west, blah blah, and then...quiet. Just suddenly dropped silent.
Grateful for this, I proceeded to get back to work, and then out of the blue he asked if I'd be willing to give him "a small discount possibly, considering his foolishness", and that he understood my position, but that he'd appreciate it if I could "give him a helpful hand" in this matter.
I'm half thinking someone else decided to type instead of him for a bit. Seriously.
But anyways, I told him he'll have to email me, like everyone else, and that I was simply much too busy to carry on an IM battle with him at the moment...
He said yes, he knew, and that he was sorry for saying he wanted to fight, because he didn't fight girls anyways.
I told him, "You'd lose horribly anyways. Just like you did now."
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