Very Upset...

Tuesday, June 3, 2003 by Zodiaq~ | Discussion: WinCustomize Talk

I'm feeling extremely upset. Another skinner from this site (you know who you are) stole one of my graphics from my "Blue Pearl" skin and is using it. I'm not sure what to do. I don't want to say any names, just looking for advice on the matter.

I would never make such a controversial statement unless I was 100% sure. I have taken and reproduced the stolen graphic many times, the pixel pattern is almost exact, it can be reproduced quite easily with just using layer styles in Photoshop.

What can I do?
First Previous Page 1 of 7 Next Last
Fuzzy Logic
Reply #1 Tuesday, June 3, 2003 12:24 PM
Report it to an Admin...
Zodiaq~
Reply #2 Tuesday, June 3, 2003 12:28 PM
Thanks Fuzzy Logic...I will do that.

It's so obvious. I can't belive someone would publish a skin here with it modified only slightly. The second I had seen it I knew exactly what it was
Styl-X Design
Reply #3 Tuesday, June 3, 2003 1:49 PM
Don't have any idea about witch skin you are talking, cant see any skin using your stuff....
Zodiaq~
Reply #4 Tuesday, June 3, 2003 2:09 PM
Styl...once you know what graphic it is, you'll say to yourself...Holy S**t...that's blatantly obvious.

Is their a list of Admins and their email addresses anywhere? I can't seem to find them. I contacted Frogboy, I'm sure he's a busy guy but I feel that this is very urgent.
sig101
Reply #5 Tuesday, June 3, 2003 2:16 PM
Click links on the names to send email (on the "about" page): https://www.wincustomize.com/index.asp?Cmd=about



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[Message Edited]
Zodiaq~
Reply #6 Tuesday, June 3, 2003 2:19 PM
Thanks sig101
Jafo
Reply #7 Tuesday, June 3, 2003 2:27 PM
I'm currently 'awake'[email protected]
Jafo
Reply #8 Tuesday, June 3, 2003 2:28 PM
Doh....got your email...
Jafo
Reply #9 Tuesday, June 3, 2003 3:05 PM

Zodiaq~....I openned your taskbar.bmp in the BluePearl WB skin and compared it with every image in the other skin and quite frankly cannot see any connection at all.

Sure, they are both a 'similar' blue with a 'similar' shiny finish, and yes, if you were so inclined you might manipulate one far enough to look like the other...just like if you apply a black fill to a white square you make the square black.....but that doesn't mean the blck and white squares are the same or even came from the same source..

It'd be easier to make the buttons yourself than to bother manipulating another's as much as these would need to be done.

If these works are from the same source, then probably 50% of the WB skins are from the same source....since so many of them have 'shiny' 'blue' buttons.

Your lowlight...20 59 149

His lowlight...51 4 128

Your hilight...160 188 250

His hilight...205 225 248

Sorry, but I'm betting there are other skins out there far closer to yours than this one...and very likely none are 'rips'.

The last issue I had to argue to convince someone of a ripped work on another site was to do with this site's Universe Metal theme....[a skin graphic I'd just been adapting myself so I knew it VERY well]...and the colour picks were IDENTICAL at every salient point which is purely impossible to fluke as there are 255x255x255 different colours....and the only difference was one image was a 256 colour gif and the other was a true colour jpg.

Unless I have got the wrong skins and images...[I referrred to the skins in the email]....this is not a case of ripping...

Zodiaq~
Reply #10 Tuesday, June 3, 2003 3:11 PM
Jafo...Not the taskbar.bmp...It's the taskbutton.bmp.
Jafo
Reply #11 Tuesday, June 3, 2003 3:15 PM
Sorry...that was a typo....yes, I compared your taskbutton image with all images in the other skin...
Jafo
Reply #12 Tuesday, June 3, 2003 3:18 PM
None of the other's 120 images, be they bmp, psd or tga is the 'same' as your taskbutton.bmp...
Zodiaq~
Reply #13 Tuesday, June 3, 2003 3:22 PM
Jafo...Not all other images. Compare to the sytemtray in question...All one has to do is cut my button and paste it over the left or right half of the systemtray button of the other file. The height size is exact. Stretch it a little. You can play with the opacity, softlight, overlay etc. and the color and pixel pattern is exact.

C'mon...seriously, is it not obvious?
Jafo
Reply #14 Tuesday, June 3, 2003 3:28 PM
What is the EXACT name of his image?
Zodiaq~
Reply #15 Tuesday, June 3, 2003 3:31 PM
TrayNotifyHorizBack.bmp

I wouldn't push the issue if I wasn't absolutely 100% positive. I feel violated.
Jafo
Reply #16 Tuesday, June 3, 2003 3:32 PM
If you mean 'TrayNotifHorizBack.bmp' then as I said a common glassy button gradient...as common as mud....but in this case differnet highlights, intensity and shape...
Jafo
Reply #17 Tuesday, June 3, 2003 3:33 PM
OK...I'll upload both images for people to comment and I'll place a link here.
Honestly I think this is a non-issue...
Zodiaq~
Reply #18 Tuesday, June 3, 2003 3:39 PM
I didn't want it to be this public. Can't you and the other Admins make a collective decision on this?

Not saying that you don't know your stuff, but other opinions from fellow Admins would be a better approach then a public forum War. Which is exactly what I don't want.

grayhaze
Reply #19 Tuesday, June 3, 2003 3:44 PM
Just so long as nobody uses glassy green buttons. They're all mine.

Without seeing the images in question yet, I can't comment. It's true that when you have two 'glassy' buttons there are always going to be similarities between them if both artists use a similar technique. Since I released my 'glassy' skin all those months ago I've seen a lot of skins which use a similar technique to the one I did. I wouldn't consider any of them outright rips unless the colours and pixels were exact.

Are you sure this other skinner didn't just try to mimic your method of creating a 'glassy' button by studying your images? If so, that's not considered ripping.
Jafo
Reply #20 Tuesday, June 3, 2003 3:44 PM

https://www.wincustomize.com/skins.asp?library=13&SkinID=2079 

Sure, you can manipulate one to resemble the other...in either direction...but there is no indication that is what has happened here.

There are bevelling tools/software that can create buttons such as these....two people could quite easily use them and create identical images...but these aren't clones at all...

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