I don't even know if they're intentional, but I get rather annoyed seeing the numerous different items that have nearly the exact same overlay as my . I'm not referring to just items that give freckles, because there are a lot of them, but items that give all over freckles and blush. [preview=Mineral Blend SPF Beauty Powder] [preview=ginger paint]

One is mine, one is not.

And I'm not ragging on the artists that make them. They have just as much right to make the items as I do. Plus, until recently, my item was a bit more hard to find. I'm more annoyed that they're being accepted by staff knowing that the CW Creation Guidelines state:

"You may not replicate, duplicate, heavily reference or edit any existing items on site."

And it's not just my items either. I see so many different "long wavy hair over the HAs right shoulder" CW wigs that I don't even want to buy them. They all look the same.

I dunno. Maybe it's just me. It just aggravates the heck out of me.

Yeah it's super annoying...same with people taking ideas too -.-

But with hair, it's hard to come up with original designs since there are so many styles on site already. Also sometimes, commissioners say "make me a wig that looks like this one points to existing item "

So it's not just me. Good. Cause it really irks me.

I can understand that, but I don't really have issues coming up with wig ideas? IDK. I've got a massive library of unique hairstyles that I just haven't drawn yet.

And on the commissioner note, I would just tell them no. Unless it's a private item, it's not that hard to just save up and buy it.

I think the largest issue is that people are unconcerned by copycats.

Most people will by default declare that they are against it - this resolution usually melts down when offered a copy of an item they never thought they could own (exclusivity, private, limited batches etc.)

I will wholeheartedly agree that some items are just too generic to be copyrighted ; how many long wigs with side bang can you do, that look like no other existing on site. However in some cases, the overall style is copied (lineart style, hairstyle, curls, shading), and that's where it becomes trickier.

I have had to cope with numerous people copying my style, imitating my shading (particularly the wigs) over the years. It happens because people don't mind asking for copycat versions. It happens because artists let is happen. There is no one and everyone to blame, really.

The line between 'reference', 'inspiration' and 'copy' is also very thin - it is harder to assess whether an item was made with the sole intention of creating a copycat version or not (I've even heard people saying that copycat versions are like a form of flattery to the initial artist). I personally gave up raging about it - years of this happening to me have brought me to the conclusion that copycat items will always be there, and that's that. I took a break for a while, and I'm still drawing my usual style, hoping that people can still recognise my art.

(Also, it is very possible that the 'copycat' item ended up being a coincidence. I've spoken to some people before, who had no idea that a similar version already existed - with the amount of existing cws on site, it's hard to know what has or hasn't been done.)

Regarding commissions ; To a certain extent, it is the artist's decision to put its foot down and refuse to make a cw when explicitely asked 'to look like ____'. If they willingly decide to copy an item, it's their choice, but it also makes them part of the reason why copycat items exist.

Last note : I realize that I'm sounding very serious right now, especially with the lack of my usual smilies and all haha

I don't intend to sound mad or rude or unpleasant!

Edit: To 's reply, because I do find it very relevant - It's even harder to keep a color to yourself. At some point, artists have to let go of their 'inner pride', too. Sure, that super unique combo that you've created is amazing - but it doesn't mean you can stop anyone else from imitating the color.

Personally, i'm happy when I see people making items with some color combos I've thought of - just makes more items matchable anyway!

Last last last last note, im sorry!

I define 'copycat' item, any item that overall has all the features of another existing on-site item ; not just a single strand framing the hair, not just the color being similar/identical, not just a few details that look alike.

To me, 'copycat' is whenever the whole style, from the shading to the technique, resembles another item. When you can compare them side-to-side and frankly, truthfully think 'wow, this thing is exactly like mine'.

In many cases, I was forced to admit to myself that inspiration may have been there, but it wasn't necessarily a 'copycat'. And this sole revelation is the reason why I still enjoy drawing & why I still enjoy seeing other people's art, regardless (:

oh hi there. first off, i'm sorry if you feel that i was "copying" your item when i made my (which is the item you have shown here).

my primary goal for all CWs i draw for my own release is to use. i think about what i want to wear on my body, head, chest, etc, and then i make it. when i made this specific item, i wanted to make a blush with freckles that had distribution on the knees, arms, and hands, as well as a splotchy, sun-kissed blush type look. i also had a specific color in mind for a blush i wanted. i understand your frustration at seeing items that are the same over and over, but with all due respect, your blush has none of the criteria i used as a basis for my item, let alone the fact that i was unaware your item even existed when i made mine. to be honest, you probably could have found a much better example of this "copycat" trend... our freckles are completely different shapes (the pixels themselves) and are distributed in completely different ways.

i know you're saying you're not attacking/ragging on CW artists, but by saying "staff shouldn't allow this because of X rule," that's kinda what you're doing, friend! believe me, i roll my eyes as much as the next person when i see 18 sakura blossom headpieces or 12 different wings that look similar. but please don't assume anyone who does this sort of thing to be a "copycat," because that is, quite frankly, very hurtful.

edit: but besides that i do agree with what is saying. the only thing i've ever "copied" for a commissioner is items with specific colors/color schemes. if someone sets out to intentionally create a copy of an item, that is awful - but i think a lot of the time any similarities are entirely unintentional. at least that's how it is for me. /shrug

I don't feel that you're copying my item at all. My wording is terrible. Copycat was just the first word that fit. My issue isn't with the artists, like I said. My issue is that rather than letting some CW items be rarer because of their popularity, the people accepting the CWs don't seem to care that they're allowing similar items to be released and driving down the rarity of items that were originally considered special.

In my case, my item was released for three batches when CWs first came out, with the intention of releasing it again at a later date. At the time, the only other "freckle" items were the Freckle Pencil and Freckle Applique. Now, there are so many other items that are similar that I can't even sell mine for base price. Heck, I only had three people interested when I was giving it away.

I only used your item as an example because it popped up on the Newly Released CW page. There are a lot of other similar "freckles on the face and shoulders with a bit of blush" items out there. Yours was just the easiest one to post because I had the name right in front of me. I wasn't meaning any disrespect. If you'd like, I can swap it out for a different example once I sort through them all.

It just drives me nuts that if you copy an official site item, like your wig or something, they won't accept it. Copy someone else's CW? Eh, good enough.

I totally agree. Everyone hates copycats until it's the easy way out. Then they rave over them because they're cheaper.

And I've gotta say, you're like the top of my list of favorite CW makers. If I had the choice between getting a wig by you or a copycat at half the price, I'd save up and get yours any day of the week. I'd rather pay an artist I respect for their work than a copycat for the look.

I guess I'm just frustrated because I try and make things that are original and nice, but no one wants them when they can get a copy of a popular item or style instead.

And I can understand not being all haha laughing with the topic. If someone were to do this with an actual art piece, they'd usually be asked to take it down for copying or get approval from the original artist. It just doesn't work that way here.

ahhhh well i understand kind of what you're saying now, and nah, you don't have to swap mine out now that i know what your intention was (even though i still think it looks nothing like yours haha)

but (and sorry if this comes off the wrong way) i think tbh you might be happier if you care less about what other people think of your items and more about what you think of your own stuff : people who intentionally copy other items are awful, yes, but it's not staff's job to ensure that rare things stay rare... i personally don't think we need more policing of the CW section of the site. many of my items have been intensely "devalued," but i still love them. as long as i get my own copy, i don't care - if enough people like them too, that's a great feeling but it's never my first motivation to make a CW.

and yes, it does suck when something you work really hard on doesn't sell, but that's just what happens sometimes. i've pushed through MANY batches of my own things and given away extra copies as gifts or raffle prizes because there wasn't enough interest. but my number one priority for making items is to make stuff that i like, and that i want to wear.

this doesn't excuse people who purposely copy CWs, of course, but it might make you feel a little better about making an item that seems now to be pretty common.

I've edited my post (yet once more haha...) to add one last paragraph n_n

Thank you for the kind words! I appreciate them a lot, they are the reason why I'm still around & still drawing after nearly four years (... wow, 4 years).

I understand the frustration, trust me - I've been through it as well. Like I said in my last edit, I think what you really need to see, is that sometimes inspiration is there, but 'copycat' isn't necessarily. It helps to accept tht some items will end up similar, and that it isn't a reason to get too frustrated!

And ah yes, the whole copyright ownership is a debate subject on subeta, sadly. Some artists have stopped drawing because of subeta's legal claim to 'own the art as soon as it is accepted on-site', which means they could technically do whatever they want with it later on.

The whole 'copycat' arose a few years ago, particularly when a wig similar to the was accepted (both made by the same artist). People thought it was similar enough, staff replied that a curly wavy wig couldn't be copyrighted.

This will always remain an issue here, but I do believe that in most cases, intentions are not malicious.

Y'all are both right on all of this. I guess I just let this all get a little past me and got upset when really there's nothing I can do about it anyways. A few years from now, there will be no original ideas left and we'll all be suffering.

Also, now that I got the stupid beta wardrobe to work right:

Plus however many more I missed. Not all the same, but ahhhh freckles.

I don't even know what will be left to create on subeta in a few years from now, honestly lol

The only thing we are allowed to do, and that still hasn't reached saturation, are backgrounds. And possibly very intricate and unique hairstyle. Other than that, almost everything has been done already, in one way or another. (we are also constrained by the format of the HA and its proportions, some items looking pretty terrible because of it)

As for freckles - you know, they're all freckles, you are right. But I see differences in all of them, be it the amount of freckles, the color and position of the blush, its opacity. I could think of different HAs to use for all of them, and not just 'any pair of those freckles' for one HA. Sometimes, a shade is too dark, too pigmented, too this or too that - it is what motivates people to create (or else commission) a version that responds to their needs!

i think it all comes down to how you view it... while some people may think "all of these people made the same type of item because ideas are bound to overlap" i view it more as "look how many different freckle-blushes there are, they all look different! i need them all!"

i guess it just also depends on what you look for in a CW and when/where you want to use it. (like for me i need multiple styles, shapes, colors, and intensities of blush depending on the HA i make!)

I have a lot of feelings about this, because honestly it's happened to me a few times. A couple of commissioners have taken sample sketches that they declined/wanted to use later and either finished them themselves or had another artist work off of my sketches, not to mention a couple of my babies in terms of ideas have been recycled once or twice. I've been approached to do 'knockoffs' and haven't. I did one commission I was uncomfortable with, but at the end of the day the user wanted the similar idea-- not the identical or even a copy/reference of the item. And if they did and were trying to be sneaky, then woops, I changed a ton anyway.

It sucks, but at the end of the day I agree more with -- there's a definite line between what's a copycat and what isn't. There are a lot of similar items on-site, but only a handful that I would consider 'guilty'. I think a "famous" (ok, subeaspeaks famous) example would be the fox vs. wolf booties:

The fox booties were released as a fairly exclusive item by the...I'll say pioneer of animal butts as CW wearables, since they weren't a 'thing' or a trend yet. At this point in time, though still not being a very old item, sell for up to 7 or 8k CSC a pop regardless of colour. The wolf booties were commissioned and people raised hell about it, basically. But at the end of the day, is it a copycat? And if it is-- is it justified? From an artistic point of view, I would say it isn't justified to copycat anything. As a consumer, I feel more lenient. It clearly isn't traced, and there are differences which make it either more versatile or offer different colour combos, etc., and it makes the 'look' affordable and available to people that weren't in someone's personal group. There are a lot of users on-site who get off on being withholding and making things private out of...I won't say 'spite', but to be petty and exclusive (in the very base meaning of that word), in some cases. Not all private items or people who release them are like that, but famously there have been some. Does that make knockoffs or copies okay, morally? It's subjective depending on who you ask.

But when looking at the scope of CWs and copycats-- the freckles (any freckles, imho, and any blush-- since there are literally about a hundred at this point) you referenced above definitely aren't one that fall into that category; in the last year or two alone there's been a big influx of freckles and body blush, of which many are actually site items. There's also a very distinct difference between shading, density, colour, and distribution on both items. I think it was kind of unfair to use it as the flagship of your cause, but I understand since it's the most recent freckle to be accepted. Moreso than hair, though, I think items that provide contouring or blush or colour at all to the HA base are almost impossible to make unique, unless you go way out there, and at that point it stops being the staple, layerable make up that it was meant to be, and it starts being costume, fantasy, tattoos- all of which are good and interesting, but obviously not what the artist set out to make. A one-batch, private item isn't going to be the reason for your freckles not doing well publically, though. The sp equivalents might be the culprit to point finger at, but then subeta is explicitly allowed to do that, and that's not really anything to post about. We sign our rights away when we submit stuff. I try not to think of that sometimes.

ANYWAY with all that said, idk if I'm bringing anything new or interesting to the table (I genuinely don't think so), but it's my two cents.

I think it mostly comes down to the artist's intentions when making a design, either for themselves or for others. If someone is intentionally copying another person's work, then they should be told off for it, and I don't think their designs should be accepted, because it isn't their design. It's their copy of someone else's design.

Now there's obviously going to be many similar items because there are sooo many CWs now, and like site items, they may simply be similar because two different people wanted something and thought to make their own, and it just turns out similar. I can think of an example right off the top of my head where someone blatantly copied a popular design and released their own. Needless to say, it didn't go over very well, because people realized immediately what the intent was. Now I can think of countless more examples in which the designs came out similarly, but the intent was not to copy or to rip off anyone else, it was just to have something pretty for theirself and for others. Coincidence does occur.

Not to mention, I've asked about items before, only to find that someone else had made something similar, and had to reassess my plans, because it would have been too similar. And there's nothing wrong with seeing someone on-site that is either private or hard to get and wishing to create something else, not a copy or reproduction of the same design, but rather, your own version. For example, those freckles, or beards, or makeups. Those tend to be very similar, because there's only so much you can do, but I don't think anyone is maliciously creating "copies" most of the time for these kinds of items.

Anyway, back to my original point. I think it all boils down to the intent. I remember when CWs first came out, everyone was trying to copy artists like and . Not necessarily their designs, but their style. That's still wrong. Artists need to find their own methods and their own styles, because otherwise, they'll make it nowhere in the real world. The art community doesn't tolerate copycats like the subeta (consumer) community seems to. They will call you out, they will have you blacklisted, and you will never get a good job again in the field. Because it's copyright infringement. Now subeta may claim ownership over any CW that you as a user or artist submit, and that's part of the terms and conditions that you accept. You should definitely file a ticket if you see someone blatantly ripping off another user, but it's up to the staff to determine what's copying and what's not. Copycats that push it too far will be punished, and some will get away with it. But that's the danger of submitting anything to a site like this and signing the terms and agreements that you do. At the end of the day, it's subeta's, not yours. They're the final say.

I definitely have the same view as on multiple kinds of a specific wearable. I see all the different blushes and makeups and wigs and I just want them all. When I commission something, I do because I personally want it for myself, and I plan to use it. But again, if I were an artist and I had someone come up to me with examples of on-site art and asked me to replicate it in my own way or make it as similar as possible, I would say no. There's no reason for anyone to be copying someone else's designs. The idea of art is not to recreate something that someone else has already made, it's to create things of your own, whether for yourself or for others. Really, I think copycats are just hurting themselves.

I definitely see where you're coming from though, and it definitely does bother me a lot when I see this happening. I just have to remind myself that I don't know what that person's intention was, and just because I think it looks to be a copycat item, it might not be. They could have similar styles, there can be multiple ideas that are very similar (I mean really, look at how many CW wigs we have already on-site), etc. My views on "rare" CWs or "devaluing" of CWs are a whole different story, and probably too far off-topic to post here, but I pretty much agree with . n.n'