As creative people we live and breath in an environment all our own. Sometimes I like to imagine it's like that awesome 90's flick, Bio-Dome, where everything is green and lush and beautiful. But the reality is it's just a bubble. And there's a whole big world outside our tiny, albeit beautiful, little design world. There is a point to this post, I promise. Today I came across another instance where the little guy gets stepped on by the big corporate bully. Okay, maybe not that harsh, but it was a clear case of stealing someones work without any attribution. And what's worse, is the big corporations can get away with this (for the most part) because everyone else in this world who doesn't live in our tiny design bubble doesn't have a clue they're ripping anyone off. Sad, I know.
So let's put on our big boy (and girl) pants and accept our roles in society. We, as creative people, have a job of creating new trends, whether we know it or not. And sometimes that can turn around and bite us in the ass. As in the example I saw today, and have seen a growing number of times over the past couple years, people were outraged at what they saw. But let's not waste our time raging against the system, because the system is far too entrenched in it's own stench to change now. Instead let's educate ourselves about how to obtain patents and trademarks for the work we create.
If we're only ever pumping work out into the vast web-o-sphere then we have no one to blame but ourselves when it's ripped off. And unless we're willing to risk our work being copied without any compensation, then I suggest we start to learn what the big corporate dummies already know, and that is how to legally trademark and copyright our work.
But this is just a thought. My two cents if you will. Take it or leave it.