New Marketplace Targets US Sellers for Copyright Infringement

by: dander

One more shake down artist to deal with

by: FeelingFroggy

HOT AIR THREATS

by: iheartjacksparrow

I agree with the guy who said why not just sell the products made by the artisans right from Guatemala. Instead of Mr. Dillon spending his time going after a few Etsy sellers, he should be working to set up a web site to sell products. That would be a bigger win for the artisans he's worried about.

by: Trying-My-Best

Uhh ... Guatemalan artisans?!  What do they market with any significant interest or sales?!

by: Rexford

Define "going after".  When I hear phrases like "copyright and trademark protection filings",  "legal weight" and "going after" it makes me think that someone is more interested in taking someone to court than they are about selling art.

Time will tell how ethical Ethical Fashion Guatemala is.  Perhaps Fashion Gestapo would be a better name.

by: Trying-My-Best

I dislike sensational headlines like this.  US Supreme Court upheld First Sale Doctrine.  Retailers and folks like Dillon and Goebel  love to capitalize on Copyright and trademark infringements making quick and dirty claims to online platforms - knowing these sites will be ''complicit'' with their often, unfounded claims.  

I suspect Dillon and Goebel  are seeking free publicity with this sensational headline.  If they really cared about the welfare of these artisans - they should pay these artisans a living wage.  The average hourly rate for these artisans is $1.35 an hour.  

by: mcposty

If a company wants to control distribution they need to do it at the wholesale level. Wholesaling out to anyone pretty much Gaurentees your product will be sold by everyone.

Regarding fakes..this is a legitimate concern of all artisans.

In the end..we have a right to resell anything we buy. End of story. EBay amazon etsy all need to defend their PARTNERS from this type of harassment.

by: RL15

this is stupid! seems like something fleecebay would invest in

by: Coolstraps

The one thing I could never understand is why it is the buyer's fault that the seller under prices their product. I visited the website and he complains that a buyer buys a handbag from a Guatemalan artisan for $60 and sells it for $300. Why should the buyer be shamed for buying a product at the price the seller set? If Guatemalan artisans don't like the going rate for their product, they could always form a collective to set a higher price.

I doubt these folks are doing this for free for the artisans. I wonder what their cut is.

by: Sierra

According to Google, the minimum wage in Guatemala is $346 per month (as of 2.5 years ago). Not that artisans should work for minimum wage, but hopefully they're making at least this much!

by: funkygrrl

I used to live in Guatemala. Most people are living on less than that. The indigenous weavers there make incredible stuff. I think that rather than going down this (probably futile) copyright path, a better idea would have been to give Fair Trade designation to legitimate Guatemalan artisan's creations.

by: Sierra

funkygrrl, I have no personal knowledge of Guatemala, but Google's $ sounded high to me. Just because the pay sounds ridiculous to Americans (and perhaps those in other countries), it might still be normal for the locals.