#&$%! Design Thieves!
 

Got my Xbiz newletter today, and saw these guys took out an advertising spot: http://www.goodthinxxcash.com

So I checked out their portfolio of sites - I almost fell of my seat.

Below are just a few of their sites, compared to ones my crew has designed for clients such as Maxcash & ARS.

WTF are these guys doing??? They've also stolen designs from the crew @ webinc, and I would bet that other designers have been ripped off as well!

Q: What Action should I take?

http://www.bluedesignstudios.com/sites/sites1.jpg http://www.bluedesignstudios.com/sites/sites2.jpg

http://www.bluedesignstudios.com/sites/sites3.jpg http://www.bluedesignstudios.com/sites/sites4.jpg


more to come...

http://www.bluedesignstudios.com/sites/sites5.jpg http://www.bluedesignstudios.com/sites/sites6.jpg

http://www.bluedesignstudios.com/sites/sites7.jpg http://www.bluedesignstudios.com/sites/sites8.jpg
more to come...

http://www.bluedesignstudios.com/sites/sites9.jpg http://www.bluedesignstudios.com/sites/sites10.jpg

http://www.bluedesignstudios.com/sites/sites11.jpg http://www.bluedesignstudios.com/sites/sites12.jpg

more to come...

http://www.bluedesignstudios.com/sites/sites13.jpg http://www.bluedesignstudios.com/sites/sites14.jpg

http://www.bluedesignstudios.com/sites/sites15.jpg http://www.bluedesignstudios.com/sites/sites16.jpg
more to come...

http://www.bluedesignstudios.com/sites/sites17.jpg http://www.bluedesignstudios.com/sites/sites18.jpg

http://www.bluedesignstudios.com/sites/sites19.jpg http://www.bluedesignstudios.com/sites/sites20.jpg

...end

I was offered a job here a little while back with a company in Tempe that wanted me to scam design from other profitable sites. I refused because I just will nto do that.

It is a compliment in a way, but is also suck too.

I forgot to mention - sites on the left are the ones that have been design by Us (Bluedesignstudios.com) and the ones on the right are the ones that look a little too similar - what do you think?

I think your companies designs are splendid and this fakers designer sucks at design. Crumby knockoffs haha :)

yep those are rip offs alright. some more than others obviously.

Yes I guess the upside is that it is a compliment, but it's just not on, it's stealing IP from me, as well as stealing the sites from some of the most respectable names on the net :BangBang

They are all showing top and bottom to me.... are yours on top?

The ones that link of to my domain: bluedesignstudios.com are the ones done by us - my guess is that this is the top one for you

Nice designs.

Thats fucked bluedood...


BTW i got your icq from Stu (I'm also a perth guy) - ill be sure to call if i ever need any design done...

Ozi ozi ozi!

That would have been my guess, they are a bit nicer. More balanced. Good work.

Yes, that is totally uncool.

Oh shit, total ripoffs. Don't fuck around, get an attorney.

Dude.. just tell us they didn't touch the jelly beans!

except for the teen one, most of those look different enough that you probably have no case.

The Jelly Beans are safe :) Rest Assured Mate

I agree.. Porn sites all look the same now anyways and sewing them will probably just cost a lot of money. However you should send them an invoice for each and every design at a "reseller price". Also add a fine for not paying before using them... They might just pay :)

Brutal, sue 'em.

Sue their ass :ak47:

Nice work on the initial designs,


But the right ones are a TOTAL ripoff..
Contact them first though.

Could be a designer of them who took your pages as an example but the owner didnt know about it.

(im not into their companies structure, but it could be an option)

Iff not, Sue their ass.

Are you blind or retarded?

Both??

Welcome To The Fuckin' Internet - Quit Complaining and make money - sue and you lose dough :Grrrrrr

... call me blind and retarted too, but I agree with splinter. they look similar, but they are no blantant copies ... you have no case here and you won´t have any chance if you sue them.

You're blind and retared too

Sue the bastards :BangBang:

All of the ones listed with the exception of the two Asian designs look similiar.. The asian one doesn't even come close to Ex. Asians.

If this went to court and i was on the jury...
I'd have to say they are different enough to not be copies

His designs are obviously based on yours, no question about that
But, not outright copies. They changed enough on thier pages so that even though they used your page as a model, they didnt outright copy anything.

what he said

If it was just one or two designs, the coincidental similarities among pornsite tours excuse might get them a pass, but there is an obvious pattern of abuse that you'd have to be stupid not to see.

Sue 'em.

I agree, and if you check out their site portfolio, there are a lot there that look very similar to webinc's

How many sponsor programs do you know that handle their own in-house designs?

Chances are, they outsourced this design work to someone and the designer they used did the rip-offs.

Goodthinxx are good people and i am positive they wouldnt knowingly rip-off other designs :thumbsup

Regards,

Lee

Raw deal man.. they certainly look like ripoffs to me.

I'd send 'em a firm email, let 'em know you're onto their game and if they don't pull it down immediately you'll take legal action.

OR.. you could offer a settlement, you gotta figure they paid a decent amount to have someone do those rips, maybe they'll be willing to pay you a few grand if you let them use what they have and not rip off future designs? It might work out for you in the end.. $2k for 3 emails. Ya never know.

exactly... some are very apparent ripoffs. shit like this makes me wanna puke.

those who can't innovate, immitate.

So... are they cheaper than you, Andrew?

:)

I vote complete rip off, 7 out of 8 times, and partial rip off 1 out of 8.

Haha. Most are even rips of the same niche. WTF?

If you're going to steal, make sure you'll get away with it. Geesh!

Most of those look like direct rip-offs. However, before you attack Goodthinxx, you might want consider the possiblity that they are unaware the designs are copied.

We had an in house designer for about a year who we later learned had copied most of the work he did for us from other people.

I wouldn't even bother contacting the designers that ripped you off, since they probably are lightweights if this is their modus operandi and have no cash. Instead go to the companies they did the work for since they have the most to lose here. Ask them to pay you for the use of your copied designs.

Try suing them.

If you think they ripped your design, you haven't seen true design rips. ;)

A few of them are merely just inspired off your design. They're not "rips".

Seriously though, as others have stated, contact them and tell them to immediately switch the designs. If they ignore you, take legal action.

That is the worst! I cant believe they nicked your designs! :disgust

voice your opinions like I did:
http://www.goodthinxxcash.com/contactus/contactus.php

To funny.
Sorry to see this. Not necesarily the design matches. It just sad, that Designers enmasse downgrade themselves in value and pay and are so underpaid that they need to meet a production line criteria that almost forces them to tag designs off other designers.

Design is the most difficult aspect of the industry shoulder to shoulder with the business mind that lights the candle.

When will designers arise and realise there value in the business.

Answer.
NEVER.

very good point.

It sucks that someone ripped off your work. But Goodthinxxx is a good company and I doubt they knew that this was happening.

Have you contacted them yet? What was their response?

Yep, I agree. Looks like they created all those graphics on their own, based on yours. They didnt take your actual images and change them or incorporate them into their sites. Your only argument would be "they're stealing the look and feel". I'm not an attorney, so I dont know how that would hold up in court, but I'd say that wouldnt be enough to actually get compensation from that other company.

Well, if nothing else, I believe I have just discovered a new niche to promote...Porn for Visually Impaired Webmasters....

How can any of you even say for a second that the offending designer did not blatantly and deliberately copy the original designs.

I just can't figure out why the other company/designer finds the need to copy. He obviously has the photoshop skills to create his own work.

many are blatant rippoffs. Demand this Goodthinxxx company give you the name of the design company. Goodthinxxx could be completely innocent bystanders.

wait until Todd finds out, he won't stand for it at all if the Webinc knockoffs are as bad as these are. Post some of the Webinc side by side comparisons.