Youtuber taking others puppet work and claiming as own

[Frogpuppeteer]

Hey guys i mentioned this in the frown thread but i feel i should give a heads up to a few others and the puppet community on this board.

the other day somoene added me on facebook and yourube want to use my puppets in his show, as a i looked through his pics i noticed some pics of puppets ive known from friends here and online.

few minutes ago i was on his youtube when i saw he was claiming this video as his own

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-Fy42bVCfc&feature=relmfu

not sure exactly what we can do but keep an eye out and watch your videos try to protect your characters

i wish i new a way to block him from my vids so he wouldnt steal them

 

[Keeermit]

haha - yeah I found him on facebook the other day and told him that half of the puppets on his facebook that he said was for his show were actually puppets I had built and I asked him to take them down - his response was " oh my friend said they were his puppets " needless to say they are still on his facebook. Also he asked me to make quite a few puppets for him - but of course he couldnt pay anything until he gets money from the shows ...... hahaha ..... thats the best you got?

 

[The Muppaphone]

This is disgusting. Unfortunately, people need to realize that just because someone is a puppeteer does not mean that they are an honorable person. For the most part, puppeteers are kind, respectable people, but just like any other group, you cannt steriotype, for good or bad.

Sadly I personally have experience with a less then honorable "puppeteer". Shortly after I graduated college I was asked by a man named Shawn Ayers to join his puppet company. I was hired as a performer and builder. I worked for him for three months, and he paid me a total of 48 dollars for performing (I performed over 20 shows supposedly at 12 a show) and he NEVER paid me for the puppets I built him. When I finally had enough, I left trying to take back the $200 worth of materials I bought and was never reimbursed for, and take back the puppets I had built and paid materials for. He stole all 5 of those puppets, locked me out of my workshop, and tried to slander my name. Fortunately, a quick trip to the local court house to file suit resulted in the return of all the money owed to me with interest.

Two months later, I find he is trying to start up a new company under a completely different name, (both new company name and HIS own new name). He has taken advantage of several new puppeteers, including some good friends of mine, and it breaks my heart.

So to make a long story short (too late) I feel it is my duty to warn people to be aware. Make sure you do your homework and check someone out. Just because they claim to be a puppeteer does not by ANY means mean that they are a good person.

Thanks for bringing this to the community's attention Frogpuppeteer! And I invite anyone else to share their stories and help educate us all!

 

[D'Snowth]

Yeaaahh... there's another puppeteer Joseph guy out there... Scarbrough I believe... he's, like, at least ten times better than this guy is... I think...

 

[Frogpuppeteer]

haha - yeah I found him on facebook the other day and told him that half of the puppets on his facebook that he said was for his show were actually puppets I had built

i noticed that and i first i thought he just bought them...he is local to me so i wonder if he has contacted to few local puppeteers around here

 

[crazy chris]

i was a mixtape dj for 15 years before entering the world of puppetry professionally...and sadly this type of shady activity happened to me as a dj... a guy stole my dj name (forgiveable offense) but then began stealing OTHER dj's mixes and posting them as his own...

the splashback then effected me... because i would check comment sections for MY mixtapes and people would say... HEY...AINT THAT THE GUY WHO'S ALWAYS STEALING PEOPLES MIXES??

uggggh... it ruined my dj name for months to come until enough of my fans spread the truth around the mixtape community...

moral of the story...theres a few truly creative talented people in the world...and then theres a buncha guys like this one who WANT to be talented...but they want it the EASY WAY... without effort...so they just steal from the TRUE creators

cc

 

[Frogpuppeteer]

i was a mixtape dj for 15 years before entering the world of puppetry professionally.

wow, I learn something new everyday

its a though call, he could very well think he isnt doing anything "wrong" , but at the end of the day he sorta is...i dont know him personally so i cant say..i do know since i brought it up to him he hasnt responded..i am still keeping a close eye to see if anything pops up​

also recently iv had a troll on my videos saying what i know he thinks is "right" but very wrong that my puppets "{insert character name here} will be in the new muppet movie nov 23"​

and calling each one a muppet​

 

[D'Snowth]

moral of the story...theres a few truly creative talented people in the world...and then theres a buncha guys like this one who WANT to be talented...but they want it the EASY WAY... without effort...so they just steal from the TRUE creators

cc

Indeed... there's a big difference between drawing inspiration from true creators like Jim, the Kroffts, other masters out there, and people who intentionally try to copy work like the Muppets and such: just about every puppeteer here is pretty original in their works, though obviusly drew inspiration from people like Jim, but I have seen people on YouTube who basically do just try to copy the Muppets just so they can call themselves puppeteers (or even "Muppeteers").

 

[Gonzo's Hobbit]

I just had a thought. I'm not too familiar with how these things works. But could we perhaps considerdoing something where if he rips off someone, they cold let us know and we could all go post on his board that it's not his it's (insert real creator here). If we do it enough times it might mess up his name enough that people won't even want to watch his site. Dunno, just a thought.

 

[BobThePizzaBoy]

This reminds me of the two puppets I have built by Russ Walko (including Milo who you can see on your left!). The two characters were designed and built and sold by Russ on eBay long before I approached him about building similar puppets. I'm pretty sure he hasn't copyrighted them but I feel that if I bring them to television the way I hope to, I will be in hot water with Russ. It's quite a dilemma really. But I got to make sure to never be like this guy.