Copyright Infringement - I don't think so....

I just got a message from themeforest explaining that my first ever product that has been a great seller has been reported for copyright infringement – wtf! I don’t think so – I’m so annoyed right now that this can happen when I have the full development files showing my original work with date stamps etc

Someone asked under the product if it was mine or copied from a website – I looked at the website and could see that the site was indeed using my design – altered slightly (logo etc) and I explained this company must of bought the template and used it – isn’t this surely why we sell templates – how do we prove after someone buys and uses a template and then says it’s theirs that indeed it is our original.

My product has been removed – I am awaiting a reply from Envato Support.

Has anyone else had this issue occur – what advise can you give to me to prove my point please – I’m reaching out to every author to help me in this case – it could be you next.

Thanks guys.

(PS – I cannot show my product as it has been removed)

i heard somthing similair a couple of days ago. not on themeforest though. The guy was designing logo’s for over 20 years and got sued over conpyright infringement for $18000!! about 65 of his logo’s were ripped of his profile and altered a little somebody got suspicious and reported the logo’s so now he’s sued for ripping logo’s from other guys while they ripped him… Can you beleive it.

Exactly – 10 years being a designer – well respected in my niche market (day job) and I get called a thief!

Really looking for some way to prove myself here. I wouldn’t mind but if they would of looked at my profile and products they would of seen that my psd version of the template, which was for sale for several weeks prior to it’s html version, I even had help from the community in getting the html to work correctly in IE6 !! How could I of copied it…...

Thank you Jeffrey – please ask me for anything I can supply to prove I am the original author.

My first PSD template was removed and my account was blocked, because some one reported that it is similar with some site. After i wrote to envato support my account was returned, but template don’t.

Funny is one thing that all similar parts in my template and that site was some free patterns from deviantart.

Yes – this this is 100% mine though – no pattern taken from stock – nothing – actually the background in the lightest areas is taken from my development files from my website that I created about 12 months ago…

It’s terrible and very worrying that someone can just do this to you – basically buy a template use it then report it as theirs – how can you possibly prove.

However I did send an email to support showing that this company website didn’t have their product (that is using this template) until April 2, 2009 – my design was on sale in February – just how can you really prove this.

I really hope this NEVER happens to anyone else here – but I have a feeling that it may. Be warned.

I’ve seen the evidence and I can confirm that this is Jonathan’s design.

Maybe a tutorial on how to protect ourself from that kind of situation would be a good thing because Envato will lose some really good authors if this is not well controled.

That me feel like we have nobody behind us to protect us … and that Envato doesnt hesitate to make it like everybody is right except authors and that make me feel like its not right.

Just my opinion.