Unexpected Problem on eBay

I am still shaken up and confused. Today I got an e-mail from eBay telling me that my selling has been restricted due to trade mark violation. I am so shocked, everything I sell is real and legally obtained. I hold 100% positive feedback.

fantasy stockings on ebay banner 100 positive feedback

I called them and provided a whole bunch of financial documents to prove that I do in fact get this product from a reputable source. Custom clearance, paypal records, invoices, you name it, I have it.

Turns out that what got their attention are words in the titles such as “mock” and “Imitation”. I explained to the woman on the phone that these words refer to the pattern, like let’s say “mock stocking tights” or “hold up imitation” design. It has nothing to do with the authenticity of the brand.

Both parties agreed that I did nothing wrong and that it is simply a misunderstanding. However, they told me that this is an educational experience for me and I am still punished for a week. I’m kind of struggling to wrap my mind around it, as less sales for me means less money in eBay’s pocket too.

I guess I am going to spend a week “educating myself” as eBay put it, without being able to list any new items until Sept 13th.

In case you want to see my eBay, here it is. You can still buy stuff, it’s just that I can’t list anything new for a week, that’s all. http://www.ebay.ca/usr/fantasystockings

 

Intellectual Property Infringement on Facebook – Please Help

Dear friends, please help me fight this.

Two of my Hawaii pantyhose photos are being stolen from me by this group – Olivia Straps on Facebook.

olivia straps copyright violation photos

I told them about this and even left comments on the actual photos asking to take them down. They just said that the photos are not mine and blocked me from their page. They have no right to put their watermark on my work. 

olivia straps copyright violation

They are also using a photo from TightsFashion. This is a credible website, run by CJ, that invests a lot of time into doing nice photoshoots and writing good reviews. No one has a right to present their work as if it’s their own.

Please support people who produce pantyhose photos and not people who steal them and has the audacity to slap their own watermark on it.

Report the page Olivia Straps for copyright violations!

Elka accused of plagiarism of Hot Hot Heat song “Shame On You”

elka singer in a pink dressRecently I’ve been visiting Victoria, BC for the weekend.  It’s a city on Vancouver island, full of local artists.  Maybe I would not even mention this fact, but coincidentally I was just reading about how their local band called Hot Hot Heat got one of their songs copied by a famous European singer.

Russian/Ukrainian singer, who goes under the name of Elka (pronounced Yolka), for the past two years gained enormous popularity in former USSR for her song called “Provence”.  But she is now accused of plagiarism, the chorus of her song is almost identical to the tune from the Hot Hot Heat song called “Shame On You”.

You can listen to the music in the video below where they alternate between the Canadian original and the song that is thought to be the knock off.  Obviously, Elka completely denies such accusations and says that the song came to her composer from outer space by SMS.

elka singer in white socksCopyright violations make many of us upset, but think of it this way, you’d probably would never find out about this Hot Hot Heat song if a popular singer wouldn’t snatch it, as they say.

But why is it that the same tune performed by Elka got so much attention and the original didn’t?  Perhaps because of her beautiful video clip, uplifting lyrics (her song is about her exciting anticipation of her trip tomorrow to the suburbs of Paris), and of course her large promotional budget.

Would you say that it is possible that Elka’s composer didn’t actually copy that song and simply came up with such a similar tune?  I’d love to hear your opinion.

 

elka under water

elka singer in Kazan in pantyhose

elka singer in Kazan