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fribbles, ltd...I make little bears with wings, thusly I call 'em FaeryBearys---made sense to me, I thought it was cute, I didn't want to infringe on anyone else's names for their little teds or fairies, etc.
So, today I wanted to make sure my gallery photos on eBay looked nice on the search list [turns out I actually needed to crop 'em a bit more, but anyways] and I found this:
http://tinyurl.com/q2hlg The seller's using the same words [not WORDING] in a couple of their auctions.
---it's a brand-new seller, and the spelling is a WEE bit different, but..I mean, DUDE!
I understand about people getting the same ideas around the same time on opposite sides of the world, that's understandable, and I don't think just 'cause I make a purple bear, or a bear with wings, or a band-aid bear, that means everyone who makes one after me is copying me..eek, that's be a huge complex! Plus I know heaps of people have made those types of bears before me.
It's not like I have a huge ego, or following, or an ax to grind---but my feelings are hurt. 
Am I just being a total wuss and a bit of an egotist, or does this happen alot? *furrowing brow*
I would love to hear some feedback.. 
Amelia *who is currently 
blah*
Posts: 3,540:hug: Its supposed to be a huge honor to be copied, but most people just feel 
peeved by this. It *could* be that someone's come out with a similar idea. I've had bear ideas in the past that I thought were original, only to spot a photo in a bear magazine almost at the same time with the same idea!
With ebay you can get a lot of copiers too ~ especially if they think you're 'onto something' and are selling. Try to ignore them, and just put your best into your little fairy bears 
Hi Amelia
I know how you feel - countless times I have had an idea for something only to open up a magazine, or log on to ebay the next day and see something so similar to what I had imagined. Then I am put off creating it because I don't want to appear to be a copier.
However, I think you need to be really careful when you use fairly generic terms, and popular ones too and feel a sense of ownership. With both fairies and bears being incredibly popular, there are any number of artist who at times have created either a single bear or a range of bears and called them "fairy bearys" or "faery bearies" with variations on the spelling. I have used the term myself about 8 years ago when I 2 big bears with wings and I'm sure there were artist way before me doing the same thing.
The same thing has happened with angel bearies and dare I say it those bear creations made from thread and called a name we won't mention! From an artist's point of view, I would say it's not worth getting worked up about. All it does is consume your time and direct your creative energy into negative thoughts that help neither you nor your bears. Focus on your bears and making them as good as they can be. Your customers will know you for your quality work and the look and appeal of your bears way more than any name you may give them. I
like your fribbles name as it is cute and unusual and to be honest, that's what I think of when I think of your bears not faery bearies. (that and their little noses!). Were an artist directly copying your techniques and looks, then you might be more concerned, but I still believe that good customers, the kind we want to cultivate, are fairly loyal and buy what they know and what they like, so if as an artist your work is consistantly good, then again it's not worth the stomach ulcer that worrying gives you.
As a collecter, my perspective is, there is nothing more off-putting than when artists start ranting on their auctions and their websites about how they were the original, and that all else using a term, nose shape or whatever are fraudsters or copiers blah blah blah. It comes across as being very defensive and angry. It detracts from their bears and auctions and it makes me wonder why I want something from that person. You can also guarantee that it sets tounges a wagging and emails circulating which has to be hurtful for business.
Oooh this isn't meant to be a rant and I'm not getting at you in any way Amelia. My thoughts are all rather idealistic and I know oh so well how it feels and I'd probably have a hissy fit if I found someone calling something "honeythorpe" as it's a 100% made up word and has great personal meaning to me but I honestly wouldn't have even noticed or thought of that particular bear as even being in the same category as your creations and I dont think your customers will notice either.
I guess what I'm saying is that i think of the term "faery beary" as being a bit like the term "anime". Lots of artist use them and when I think of those terms, I think of the artists who are the highest examplars of their art and who make things to my taste.
To be honest Amelia..I wouldn't worry...your bears are lovely and it really is probably a genuine coinicidence...and while it's disappointing to discover someone else had the same ideas, unless you take steps when you start to use a tradename or an image to safeguard it's exclusive use by you, you have to let it go.
If your bears are selling I'd concentrate on making them the focal point....that way no-one can touch you.
Amelia, I understand your bummer completely.
Having said that... I actually considered using the term "FaeryBeary" to describe my own bears with wings when I first started out doing them. I think the rhyming element -- fairy, beary -- just beckons people to stick those two words together. And for fans of Brian Froud/Alan Lee and their book FAERIES, like me and about ten gajillion other people, it becomes, I think, a natural outcome to at some point land at some permutation of "beary" and "fairy" all stuck together.
Also, I agree in spirit with what Jenny said about making the bears your focus and letting everything else go (so much energy can be wasted in these things!), and with Melissa wrote when she said:
there is nothing more off-putting than when artists start ranting on their auctions and their websites about how they were the original, and that all else using a term, nose shape or whatever are fraudsters or copiers blah blah blah. It comes across as being very defensive and angry. It detracts from their bears and auctions and it makes me wonder why I want something from that person. You can also guarantee that it sets tounges a wagging and emails circulating which has to be hurtful for business.
... especially the part about how it detracts from the bears.
And I'm not the only one.
I don't intuit you as the kind of person who'd go off on a rant, so no lecture intended here! But it's a worthy point to consider, all the same, methinks.
:)
Chin up, love. Your work is spectacular. You could call those little button nosed darlings "ToiletLickers" and they'd still find good homes with ease.
:hug:
Hi Amelia,
I am afraid I can remember seeing Faerie Bearies as long as ten years ago at scottish shows.I suppose it is too obvious not to have occured to people before.(don't mean to be cheeky there )Maybe she thought it was a long used term like traditional and anime???I don't think you should worry as it would take a lot to beat your wee bears.
Diane xxx
Cleathero CreationsYes I used the term Faerie Beary to sell one last year. It is one of those things i life! 
Chin up they are gorgeous and they will sell.
West Sussex, EnglandHi Amelia, It's a toughie but as others have mentioned here it could be a genuine coincidence. On the other side of the coin, I knew instantly when I started making bears that If I ever sold any I wanted to trade as 'Meri Bears'. I thought it was a good twist on 'Merry'. I got all my tush tags printed up and started selling on eay under this name quite happily for a couple of months.
I then realised with shock that there was another bear maker from the USA trading as 'Meribears' and had been doing so for much longer than I had. Fortunately our bears are totally different ( I think the others are miniatures), we are in different countries and I've never had negative comments from anybody about the name similarity. 
I hope it will never become a problem as I feel that I am starting to establish my name now. It just shows that there are genuine similarities. This could also be said for the names we give our bears. There are always unintended duplications on names.
Cleathero CreationsAh thanks Kate you have answered my question for me!
:hug: Oh Amelia :hug:
It happens all the time on ebay...
With all sorts of things...
IVE EVEN HAD LISTINGS TAKEN AND USED BY OTHER PEOPLE.
Dont get upset its not worth it ....Ignore it and carry on doin what your doing...
Your bears are simply lovely.... 
Lanie x
Jellybelly BearsHey Amelia...I make heaps of fairy's too and when I started was so careful and worried about stepping on anyones toes....I've called them Bearies instead of fairy's, flutterbears (which I found out someone else used before me! ouch!) Beary Angels...I think it is so hard to be totally original when there are only so many ways to make up the word in a cutesy fantasy way...With me I thought flutterbears was original and I was being very clever lol. I think if you keep a watch on this person and they do something else similar...then take action. It may just be a coincidink. You can usually tell when someone is after your ideas and trying to copy etc a lot of the time they don't even realise they are doing it! They just think you are very clever and want to do what you do...which is a compliment, tho annoying too... Just keep a not too focused watch on things....is my advice
And have fun, don't take anything too seriously. Before I chose the name Jellybelly Bears I thoroughly searched for every combo and there wasn't anything out there. I chose it in 2002 and I saw in a mag someone called Jelly Bears the other day. I had a think about it and now don't care. I love my name, it comes from my dogs Jellybelly and how she loves it being rubbed 
Nothing can take that away from me :)
xox sarah
ToadBriarwhat a bummer it can be to find something out like that.
It's very cool how in the responses there are stories from both
sides of the fence tho - showing that people have come up with similar
names & ideas completely innocently!
I googled toadbriar before I chose it - I wanted Toad Hollow, but
only a bazillion things share that name - including artist studios etc.
Baird'sBears Amelia,
I'm sure it was a shock to see virtually the SAME NAME on that other auction, but I agree that it's probably a case of two people combining generic names in a similar way. Who knows how many other people, not on eBay, are thinking up the same name at this very minute?
It can be discouraging, I think Ecclesiastes is probably right--there really is nothing new under the sun.
Anyway, her little bear is made of polymer clay--an entirely different breed of cat!
Eileen
