Creative Accountability Program [cap]
Overview [ Short version]
- Unethical designers are stealing artists' work by downloading the images and creating copies on an AI platform
- The art thieves submit the copied work to other backdrop retailers for money.
- The thieves and backdrop companies make money on stolen work, while the original artists lose money and credit for their hard work.
- We want to stop this cycle by removing the financial incentive for thieves.
Our strategy is to ensure no one is getting paid for someone else's hard work. Here's how:
- Keep an eye out for our distinctly unique designs being sold by other backdrop retailers.
- Copy and paste the link to the product on the website where you believe our design is being sold and email the link to cap@snobbydrops.com
- If we determine the design has in fact been copied unethically, we will respond within 24 hours via email and offer the drop to you at cost.**
**This price will be lower than companies selling the same quality fabric as Snobby Drops but will not beat low prices that reflect the low quality of certain retailers' fabric.**
Read below for more details on our Creative Accountability Program [CAP]
BASIS FOR PROGRAM
Snobby Drops’ Creative Accountability Program is centered on preserving artistic integrity in Artificial Intelligence [AI] assisted digital art. AI can be an incredibly useful tool in image generation and manipulation and is becoming more prevalent. However, due to its relative infancy, the laws surrounding AI and copyrights are not in sync with its growth. What isn’t new, is the knowledge that an incredible amount of time and effort is put into the creative process, with or without AI assistance. Time spent brainstorming a new idea, the trial and error of developing, editing, and reshaping that idea until it’s perfect can be a long and tedious process. The expense of software, subscriptions, licenses, and equipment needed to generate and create digital art all add to the overall cost for creators. For some, their craft is their livelihood; the revenue they generate pays for the associated costs as well as for the food on their tables. But one of the greatest rewards is credit for that creation; being recognized as the originator of the idea you brought to life.
INTELLECTUAL THEFT AND INFRINGEMENT
Unfortunately, the increasing popularity of AI assisted art has increased the incidence of intellectual theft and infringement. There are opportunists that lie in wait for a creator to publish their latest work so they can screenshot that image and use AI to replicate the work. In a matter of seconds, these people duplicate the art that the original artist spent time and money on, claim it as their own, submit it to other fabric backdrop retailers and get COMPENSATED for that theft. They put in zero time and zero expense and are not only paid, but also credited with someone else’s work.
We are not referring to common backdrop themes and designs that are prevalent in the backdrop industry, but unique designs and/or collections that no other backdrop company has before we release it. We have already seen our unique and original collections outright copied and released by competitors. In the spirit of giving the benefit of the doubt, some retailers may be unaware their designers are copying other artists’ work and will appreciate this initiative. However, there are backdrop companies that are aware but ignore it or even encourage it in the interest of generating sales. The revenue generated from these sales is nothing short of stealing directly from the creator. It’s unconscionable. Its unethical. And we aim to make it as difficult as possible for others to benefit from our work.
CAP STRATEGY
The majority of consumers are driven by the price point. We get that. If two companies sell the same thing, you go with the lower price, because you also have a business to run, and cost is a driving factor. In cases where a competitor is duplicating our work, all we are asking from you is to be given the chance to be that choice.
Specifically, our ask is this:
If you see a unique design that we released being duplicated and sold on a competitor’s site at a lower price and you are considering buying it
- Reach out to us at cap@snobbydrops.com,
- Send us a link to the product on their website.
- If we determine it to be a case of artistic infringement, we will do our best to sell you the drop at our absolute lowest possible cost.
We know that even if we are selling at cost/loss, unethical designers will not continue to benefit financially from others’ hard work. THAT is our goal.
CAP MISSION
In our strategy, our mission isn’t to MAKE money, but to PREVENT others from being unjustly enriched.
We hope to accomplish this by removing the financial incentive of submitting and selling copied work. This is true for both the unethical designers AND the retailers supporting them. If the copied designs aren't making any sales through this initiative, our hope is that backdrop retailers will choose not to work with these designers.
Ideally, our long-term goal is to encourage designers to create responsibly and ethically, with a respect for other artists. And for retailers to have more oversight on which designs they sell, to honor ethics over profit, and to implement a process to thoroughly vet the originality of the designs.
CAP VALUES: create
Conscientious
Respectful
Ethical
Accountable
Truthful
Earnest
QUESTIONS or COMMENTS
We'd love to hear from you. Contact us at CAP@SNOBBYDROPS.COM