I think this is pretty much a lost cause - but someone might have an idea I haven't thought of - so here goes!
I create several event specific info dump sheets for one of my clients. She owns three franchises of a Children's Consignment Sale event and she's very successful. As such other franchisee's constantly look at what she's doing so that they can copy it.
A few of them ask if they can use whatever we've created - this is ethical and good. My client always directs them to me - because we put our specific event name and etc... on these dump sheets so those people do need the sheets altered.
I'm happy to make the changes for these potential new clients, for a small fee.
After hearing about the very reasonable fee, at least 75% of them simply pull the PDF files off of my clients website and re-create the documents in Microsoft Word, Paint, Publisher... whatever they have and they end up looking either decent or pretty awful, depending on the skill level of the user... And at this point, my idea of a "what we accept sheet" or whatever else they like is being used without my consent. We have no recourse through the Franchise because they expect all the franchisee's to share and share alike and/or to use their corporate contracted designer exclusively. Since I'm not her, they won't protect the value of my work.
I've thought about locking the PDF's so that they can't be printed - but we want our consignors and shoppers to print the files, so that doesn't work. I outline all the fonts on the uploaded PDF's so that everything has to be retyped. But outside of that I don't know any other way to protect my work from these people who are pirating my ideas...
Any thoughts? Including get over it... :D
I create several event specific info dump sheets for one of my clients. She owns three franchises of a Children's Consignment Sale event and she's very successful. As such other franchisee's constantly look at what she's doing so that they can copy it.
A few of them ask if they can use whatever we've created - this is ethical and good. My client always directs them to me - because we put our specific event name and etc... on these dump sheets so those people do need the sheets altered.
I'm happy to make the changes for these potential new clients, for a small fee.
After hearing about the very reasonable fee, at least 75% of them simply pull the PDF files off of my clients website and re-create the documents in Microsoft Word, Paint, Publisher... whatever they have and they end up looking either decent or pretty awful, depending on the skill level of the user... And at this point, my idea of a "what we accept sheet" or whatever else they like is being used without my consent. We have no recourse through the Franchise because they expect all the franchisee's to share and share alike and/or to use their corporate contracted designer exclusively. Since I'm not her, they won't protect the value of my work.
I've thought about locking the PDF's so that they can't be printed - but we want our consignors and shoppers to print the files, so that doesn't work. I outline all the fonts on the uploaded PDF's so that everything has to be retyped. But outside of that I don't know any other way to protect my work from these people who are pirating my ideas...
Any thoughts? Including get over it... :D
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