Listing Descriptions

[blueedgecrafts]

When listing products for sale on eBay, do you use your own unique descriptions, or do you borrow them exactly from online stores? I only ask as I found a seller who has taken text exactly from our online store. I created the description - we always try to use original descriptions. I'm astounded by her reply that it's her own text - when it's exactly the same - how can that be? I know great minds can think alike, somehow I don't this is the case here

I do remember this seller from a few years ago as she stole one of our online store pictures and claimed it was her own when challenged. When I showed her the original, she backed down and took the time to take her own picture and removed ours. It's a little bit cheeky don't you think? Not to mention lazy - I don't spend my time thinking up original stuff to have it used without my permission.

[blueedgecrafts]

These cute owls die cut sheets are great for card making and scrapbooking, decoupage and many other paper craft projects. All these sheets are pre cut, which means the shapes just "pop out" ready to put together. Two design projects are shown on this sheet of A4 card each with numbered pieces for easy placement. The sheets also include a tag and two borders.

Just pop out and build into a 3D picture using 3D foam squares. 

And this is my online store description:

These wonderful Owl themed die cut sheets are great for card making, Scrapbooking, decoupage and many other paper craft projects. All these sheets are pre cut, which means the shapes just "pop out" ready to glue together. Two design projects are shown on this sheet of A4 card each with numbered pieces for easy placement. The sheets also includes a tag two borders.

Another idea for 3D paper tole designs is to make them into pictures. These would look cute made into little mini hanging decorations.

[clarry100]

I would think pretty much all you can do is to report the listing to ebay as plagiarism.

Not that I would expect they would do too much about it tho.

[blueedgecrafts]

No, I don't suppose eBay would do anything, it's just such a cheek when she has done it before. How lazy can you be not to come up with your own words and pictures? Anyone can copy and paste - the fact that our online store sells them for for over half what she is selling them for is neither here nor there 😉

[phorum_junkie*]

The text is not absolutely identical, the change of  a few words means it is not a breach of copyright.

If both descriptions acurately describe the product then they could say that was reason enough for there to be many similarities.

It is a bit easier with photos that you have taken yourself as long as you have a liting that appears earlier than yours but I am afraid you will not get much joy if you report the text, no harm in trying though.

[digital*ghost]

eBay has a clear policy when it concerns listings on eBay http://pages.ebay.com.au/help/policies/vero-image-text-theft.html (i.e. both your and the other member's listings are here), not so sure about website > eBay theft, most likely because it's harder for eBay to determine which one came first, but if you can prove you're the copyright holder of the text, you can send them a cease and desist notice, which could be followed up by legal action if they ignore it (I'd advise consulting a real lawyer if you go that route). 

[digital*ghost]

---

@phorum_junkie* wrote:

The text is not absolutely identical, the change of  a few words means it is not a breach of copyright.

---

If that were true, I could change the first word or two of a novel and claim it's not a breach of copyright,

[blueedgecrafts]

We were the first to import these items into Australia, so my original text came first. Although they are not exactly identical, the other words used come from other items listed (same items, I just used slightly different descriptiosn for a few of the others) What this person has done is take the text from one or to items on our online store. 

I have asked her why she has used it and would she mind mentioning that she copied and pasted it from our online store - so far, she has just claimed that it is her's and that it's original - which it so obviously is not.

Thank you for your replies, it's not a case of being petty and mean, we take the time to come up with original detailed descriptions and so often people are too darned lazy to do that themselves. They obviously think I shld waste my time to make life easier for them. 

[digital*ghost]

One thing I would recommend after checking your site is to add in some terms of use expressly forbidding the use of your site's content in any way, shape or form, including text, images etc. Not that not having that there means it's ok to breach copyright, but some people presume these things are freely available for their use just because it's on the 'net.

[blueedgecrafts]

Thanks for the advice, I thought we did have it on our website, I'll check it out later. 

Her replies beggar beleif, one would think that once you'd been caught out, you wouldn't then be rude to the person who's work you were stealing. Oh well, better just get on with the cease and desist to eBay and see if they will stop her silliness. Some people just don't get how annoying it is when we try to be a bit different and actually think about describing a product, they they come along with their copy and paste.