"Boygirlparty.com As you can see here: http://bit.ly/chDVVf Paperchase (HUGE stationery co.) sells a line that looks a LOT like my work. I want to clarify that I had nothing to do with this line, and that it is not my work since there seems to be some confusion and it likely sits next to my work in many of the same stores. I've contacte...d Paperchase and hope to hear back. Please feel free to contact them here: http://bit.ly/cpHwhV and let them know what you think of the similarity, about the trend of larger corporations making work that looks very similar to the work by indie designers, etc. & Please spread the word. I really appreciate the support & am hopeful that Paperchase will see the similarity, hear the voices of all the people who agree, and do the right thing. thank you."

This is not the first time this particular company has taken this route. Another example of their designers submitting images that in a quick comparison, demonstrates exact likeness of an original produced by a talented artist.

From what I hear, there is not a lot that an artist can do to protect their creations from being copied by lazy designers/artists. I looked up some information about copyright laws in the US and if you can decode half the language, then please let us know. Also, here is some general information on copyrights and what it all means. I have been of the mind set that if you mail the original (even the written concept of your ideas) to yourself and store it, unopened, in a safe place, the federal stamp provided by your country's post office serves as a date indicator to prove that you are the owner of any particular concept, if it is ever in question. This is definitely not the BEST way to protect your work but it has come in handy for me in the past. 

We do live in a time where we can show our friends/family/fans images of our work online through various mediums, this also provides a time/date stamp when uploading images, however if creating art is your livelihood, proper legal advice should be sought.  Here's more and easier to understand information about copyrights and a service from myfreecopyright.com (thank you Debb of Handpecked desgins for the link and info!)

Always support original artists and keep an eye out for copy cats. If the story of Susie's injustice doesn't piss you off, check this out.

This goes back to supporting small businesses and appreciation for unique concepts. If you have some information on how artists can better protect themselves and their work from plagiarism or have a story to share please feel free to share it in the comment section below.