While rare, it does happen from time to time that a designer’s work gets copied. It’s always upsetting but sadly most of the time there’s very little that you or Hello Pretty can do.
Q. Someone has stolen my photos or writing and is using them on Hello Pretty. What’s the process for getting them taken down?
A. This is a clear copyright violation and we’ll take action within no more than 2 business days of receiving your complaint. When you send the complaint include links to as many of the products in question as possible, and provide any evidence you have that you own the rights to the work.
Once we receive your email we’ll contact the designer[s] in question and give them 2 business days to respond. The procedure at that point will vary on a case by case basis. If they don’t respond within 2 business days the Hello Pretty team will remove the products on their behalf.
Q. I own the trademark on [YOUR TRADEMARK]. There’s a shop on your site who’s violating that trademark, how do I go about getting it removed.
A. Please send us an email to info@hellopretty.co.za with the information about your trademark and any links to the products or shops in violation and we’ll get in touch with you within 2 business days to resolve the issue in whatever way is within our capacity.
Q. I own a design patent that’s being violated by one of your sellers.
A. Please send us an email to info@hellopretty.co.za with the information about your design patent and any links to the products or shops in violation and we’ll get in touch with you within 2 business days to resolve the issue is within our capacity.
Q. Someone has clearly copied my designs and is selling them on Hello Pretty. Will you take their products down?
A. This isn’t as clear cut as when someone is using photos or trademarks you have the rights to. We require that you first get in touch with the shop in question and try to resolve it directly with them. Unless there is some specific legal infringement, there is nothing that we as Hello Pretty can do.
We won’t remove another seller from the site because they have a similar (or even identical) design because there’s no way for us to know who produced it first or whether both designers were produced independently with similar inspiration. If they aren’t infringing on any intellectual property or violating any laws, we won’t take any action due to copying.
Q. An ex partner has started producing and selling the same products as I produce.
A. This is a similar issue to the above, but likely a lot more personal. Hello Pretty will not intervene in issues unless there is evidence of clear intellectual property infringement or other legal issues. When partners split up often it’s very hard to determine who owns the rights to what and it’s important to have agreements, in writing, with your partner that details this if you both plan to pursue similar ventures after the split. If, however, you do have signed documentation to this end, please send it along because in those sorts of cases we might remove items off of the site.