CopyCat Economy - How to Fight back

Lately I’ve been reflecting on creative energy, creative rights, and protecting ideas. Over the years I have worked with so many talented creatives that felt robbed of their ideas by big brands, employers and even clients. Myself included and more than once. Whether pitching article ideas to big journals or start up brands building a community on instagram, copycats are everywhere and they need to be guarded against. I recently noticed Frida Giannini fighting back on instagram and solidifying her work before being credited to others. In a day where big brands and new creative directors dig into archives and often times call new designs their own, copycats are everywhere…and very sneaky. I applaud all creatives who are working hard to protect their ideas and I will work hard at supporting these creatives. Letting the public know that you got their first is not easy but somehow, all creatives need to protect their work, their ideas, their art and be respected. Academic environments also need to get more strict, encourage uniqueness and assure students respect & acknowledge references. There is absolutely nothing wrong with references or inspirations, but there is something fundamentally wrong with pretending an idea or a design is yours when it isn’t. Over the next few months I will deep dive into this topic to help build a tool kit around this problem.