Almost a year ago UEN reported on a site called Polyvore, which allows users to upload, alter, clip and assemble images from the internet into collages or “sets”. This site was brought to our attention when Etsy users noticed that their images were being taken and used without their permission. After much pressure, Polyvore agreed to block imports from Etsy.com.
At some point during the past year, Polyvore surreptitiously lifted the block. Etsy user Artandghosts, noticing dozens of her images had been taken and manipulated by Polyvore users, started a thread in the fora about the issue. Since then many other Etsy users have since chimed in to say that their photos and artwork have been used without their knowledge or permission. Although Polyvore claims that all of the uploaded images on its site are linked back to the original source, artists have found that many are not. Furthermore, some people have discovered personal photos of themselves and even the interior of their homes have been taken from their blogs and Flickr accounts. Others have discovered that their watermarked images have had the watermarks removed using Polyvore’s alteration tools, an illegal act punishable by fines between $2,500 and $25,000. Many have found their images used in multiple collages, bastardized, distorted, and otherwise altered by the user.
We at UEN respect the rights of artists to control how and where their images are used, and support any efforts to prevent intellectual property theft. Some individuals may be content to let Polyvore users manipulate their work, and we encourage all readers to investigate Polyvore’s use of images for themselves. This article serves as a notice to our readers so that they may take appropriate action whichever their perspective.
For more information and to view some of the altered works, you can visit this article at ArtandGhost’s blog.
Etsy artist SagittariusGallery has also started this petition against unauthorized use of copyrighted material on Polyvore.
Should you find your works being used on Polyvore and wish to have them removed, you can contact Polyvore here.
January 10th, 2009 at 2:22 am
Great article, quirke.
The copyright infringement and image butchering that is rampant on that sight is horrifying. It should have been nipped in the bud a year ago. Here’s hoping a permanent solution is found - and enforced - this time around.
January 10th, 2009 at 4:12 am
I’ve gone through 30 pages of items found by searching “etsy”, one seller has almost every one of her paintings uploaded and manipulated by members there, it’s an easily recognizable style among the jewelry and clothing. Some photography is up there, which is really breaking copyright because the photo itself is the item.
I hope polyvore gets fined.
January 10th, 2009 at 3:16 pm
Many of ArtandGhosts stolen images were NOT credited. One polyvore user in particular made many collages with ArtandGhosts paintings of girls, and every layer of the background or overlayed textures would be credited in the sidebar, but NOT the focal point image of the girl. Polyvore allows this- the policy seems to be that credit or listing the source of every part of your collage is optional. This polyvore member did not explicitly say she painted the girls, but many of the comments were assuming that since there was no other source given. By not even listing the main item in the sidebar “list of ingredients”, she gave the very false impression that those were her own creations. Polyvore allows this, they have not removed the collages or the member despite many requests from ArtandGhosts. They also deleted ArtandGhosts own account at Polyvore so she cannot comment on any of the stolen images.
January 10th, 2009 at 5:17 pm
polyvore must’ve finally removed the set - the link on ArtandGhosts blog now reaches a “set is no longer here” error
January 11th, 2009 at 3:34 am
er, my work reappears, afresh, in abundance, daily.
thanks for making a write-up here. awareness is vital:)
January 14th, 2009 at 5:55 am
I had read the thread artandghosts started about this problem. I was a bit confused as to what polyvore is/does…I couldn’t tell if they sold anything or if it served as a gallery for the collages people made. Anyhow, in my search, I came across this:
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/polyvore.html
The date on it makes me feel that there have been some ramifications there due to Etsy and Etsian protests! Hopefully there will be continued enforcement/education.
March 8th, 2009 at 4:25 pm
hi there. as a sometime polyvore user i just wanted to clear up some confusion about polyvore. i’m not a moderator or anything just a user of the site.
polyvore users NEVER claim that the images used in their scrapbooking ’sets’ or layouts are theirs. polyvore is not a site for creating artwork it is a site for creating collages.
in the same way that you would never assume that the picture in your grandma’s decoupaged tray was actually drawn / painted by her (but simply arranged and laquered by her) polyvore users NEVER pretend or assume that the images they are using for their collages are made by the person who put it together.
furthermore, this site does not allow you to change the image in ANY WAY (cropping, distorting, photoshopping) except by layering other images over top of it. watermarks cannot be removed. the list of items in the side bar will always show the image in its original form. it does, however, allow you to cover and layer images, thus altering the look of some images, or hiding the watermark.
i dont think etsians should ever think that a polyvore user is claiming their work as their own. it is reasonable to say that you dont want to have your work somebody’s hobby collage, and to ask to be protected from that, but please dont think that polyvore people wanted to ever claim your work as their own.
March 10th, 2009 at 7:17 am
Hi Carli, several of the collages by one polyvore user which used Artandghosts paintings as a base did not have that image listed in the sidebar. All of the textures and patterns they put on top were listed but not the base image which was the focal point of the collage. It was the base image (paintings of girls) which all the commenters mentioned and praised, not the textures and patterns overlayed onto it. And many of those comments DID seem to assume the collage maker was the artist who painted the girls, because they would praise that specific aspect of the collage and compliment the collage maker on her artistic “talent”.