I wanted to put this out there to CakeLady. I will also privately e-mail. Recently a Mother-to-be requested that I make a cake similar to one that you have posted.

I agreed to do so but with some changes. Instead of 3-tiers she wanted three with the top layer on columns. I made a flower arrangement out of the same little flowers used on the sides of the cake (flower cutter is available everywhere to everyone). I didn't put the baby on top but instead put flowers. She wanted the moon and stars but in pink. I added cherubs on the columns and instead of grass edging I put flowers. I happened to have the same stand and she wanted to use it. Also, Instead of white fondant I used pink BC.

Please see the attached images of both cakes.

My question to you - do you want me to add some sort of recognition for being inspired by your cake even though mine has a lot of differences? If you would like I would love to add that I was inspired by your design.

Does this mean that if I see a particularly cute baby made of fondant on CC and baby booties that I also saw on CC and a rosette border that I saw on CC but on 3 different cakes must I list everyone saying they all inspired me?

I am new to CC, have a website and do cakes professionally. I love this site and have sat for hours looking at the gallery. I use ideas from everywhere. I have NEVER made an exact cake or copied anyone exactly. To me that would be wrong. I do admit to using ideas that I have seen other than in my dreams during the very few hours of sleep that I manage to get (I have a full time marketing job and babysit 3 Grandchildren also).

Sorry this is so long. This seems to be a very touchy subject.

AlamoSweets, I know you are directing this question to the Cakelady but this is how I see it. Hope you don't mind my comments. Just by the wording of your post, you used this cake as your inspiration so the only question that remains is whether the Cakelady herself would feel offended if you didn't credit her for the obvious inspiration and that is where it does get really personal. Which is why, I believe, it is important to credit others when their designs influenced you. Yes those cutters, that stand, whatever - is available to everyone but it is how they are used. You used the flowers the same way around the sides and you used the moon etc on top, the colours to me are not the issue. You did make a few changes and the cake is stacked differently but to me, it is still based on the original and from what you have said this is where you came up with your idea. It still looks very similar, but with your slight variations. Some people may not care but others will so it is better to be safe than sorry. Anyway, that is usually the way these things are seen on most cake sites, from my experience.
Hugs Squirrelly

This might be the lawyer in me thinking too hard...but anything you post (that you did originally) on your website should be subject to copyright laws...

I dont know a whole lot about them (not an area I have studied)...but if you are that concerned and that serious...you could take action (or at least contact the person and let them know they are in violation)...

I thought about it long and hard, then it dawns on me when I watched Bravo Channel's "Project Runway" - a reality show about fashion designers competing for $100,000 prize. At one episode, Paris Hilton's sister (I forgot her name?) asked the designers to design a party dress for her. The designers got a chance to look at Hilton's pictures of her party dresses that she worn for the last few years. This help the designers to get some ideas on what she's really looking for.

Well, during the judging, one designer created a similar dress that Hilton worn before because she couldn't come up with the new idea. The judges, including Hilton, gave her a poor rating. That was so embarrassing!

Copying someone's else cake is like plagarism, especially when the photos doesn't belong to a person!

Alamosweets, I'm flattered that you like my cake so much that you made one similar to mine. Its ok you are not posting my cake pic. as yours. I think we all post our cakes to inspire and help each other. You did a great job on yours it looks beautiful.

Cakelady52

Thanks so much CakeLady. I totally agree with you. Your cake is beautiful and thanks so much for sharing.

I just wanted to say that both baby shower cakes turned out great! I will be doing a baby shower cake in a few weeks...but mine may have some dragonflies and butterflies to go on it. If I do something similar...I will make sure that I give credit to both of you!

Thanks for the kind words. Don't worry about giving me credit. I think it is great that we can all share our creativity and ideas.

I may be using the stars and moon idea for this Saturday. Someone called me this morning wanting a baby shower cake! Are the moon and stars fondant or gumpaste??? Also...are they dusted with edible glitter???

Thanks

Sorry. I just couldn't leave this one alone. IMHO: The fact is that its human nature to admire and want to recreate what we see. Ultimately, we all come to this site for the same reasons: 1. To learn new ideas and techniques, 2. to see other peoples handiwork, and 3. Inspiration. I personally dont think most people on here set out to be malicious. I think that because of all the different personalities, intentions are often misconstrued and taken the wrong way.

If you are that uptight about your ideas or designs being used, dont post pictures-anywhere. Instead, put your ideas together, go to a publisher and have your designs put into a book so you can at least make money of other people copying you. People who are lousy at coming up with their own ideas (namely: ME) would buy your book.

Im NOT at all saying that its okay to claim someone elses idea as your own. But as for using a design as inspiration, I just dont see what the fuss is all about. One day someone saw a rose in a flower garden and thought I could make that out of buttercream and put it on a cake. Who was the person who first did that and are they angry that thousands, if not millions of cake decorators world-wide copy them? I have no idea but does that mean I should not use that technique because I cannot credit them specifically? Well, if so, too bad. Im going to anyway with my many thanks for the great idea.

Sorry if this angers anyone, but Im entitled to my opinion just as everyone else on here is.

I just would like to thank everyone in this site who day after day selflessly share their new ideas, techniques, tips and ultimately their pictures which help us become better at what we do. It is great to see how a wonderful bunch of people we are!!!

The question that I keep asking myself regarding this post "Are you REALLY the original designer?" Cake decorating has been in existence since wayyy before I was born 1800/1900, probably before than. A lot of these ideas are recycled from the past. Also we all live in different parts of the world, always thinking of cake designs, decorations etc. Someone right now could be thinking of the exact same cake design that I plan on doing for a Batman birthday soon. We could make the cake at the same time and post. Who is the original designer and who takes full credit? We can't possible know what people are thinking and doing every minute of the day.

I have never thought of being inspired by someone else's cake idea as stealing. There are millions of people each day making and designing cakes. Again, how would you give credit?

I see notthing wrong with useing other ppls work to help u out, if u dont want ppls using ur ideas dont post ur pics make a book. Make us buy ur book. I just dont think it a big issue. I wouldnt care when ever i post pics of my cakes which i m going start to do because i have never done a cake b4. Any ways if ppls want to copy my ideas go for it. It is a honor.
Look i have had pictures of my how i look physicaly stolen from my websites and also pictures of my son now that hurts not a pic of a cake.


Jessica

Ok, I am going to make one last post here on this thread and it will likely not be well-received.
That is fine, some people don't mind you copying parts or all of their designs and that is their personal stand.
But I am at a loss as to why this is the only cake site where people think it is ok to do this, regardless of how people may feel. I am not sure if it is because many people here are newer decorators or new to cake sites or haven't been on any other cake sites. Perhaps that is it.
But I can tell you that if you should go on another cake site, any other cake site in fact, or go to any DOS or convention, or post a copy of a cake from any other cake site and not give credit to the original designer that inspired your cake, well you will be in a lot of hot water. It just simply isn't done, isn't acceptable, not anywhere else but here, in the opinion of some members here. In fact, even making a cake that is straight out of a Wilton Yearbook, people always include that information. It is also not acceptable to just post pictures of other people's cakes in a general post without at least saying you don't know whose cake it is. Most sites, you cannot even do that, you have to give credit to the cake decorator, often people even get permission to do so. It is not that difficult when you are saving pictures of other people's work to take that extra moment to put their name in the title.
It doesn't matter how I feel about it or how you feel about it, it is really just a question of how it is generally perceived and what has become acceptable and considered good manners.
People share their pictures and methods here to help or just to share. It doesn't mean that they are giving you carte blanche to go ahead and copy their work and not at least mention where the inspiration came from. To me, that is a bit dishonest too, after all people are going to assume it was your original design unless you tell them otherwise. There are a lot of folks who spend more time figuring out the original designs than decorating the cakes. I think they deserve a little credit for their efforts, maybe for some that is where their talent lies. For others it is the ability to copy. That is fine too.
But think about it like a painting, the people that copy great art works always state who the original artist was. A Renoir copy is just that, some better than others, but copies nonetheless.
And this is not my opinion, it really is just the way things are elsewhere on other cake sites.
I am at a loss as to why it is so hard for some to give others credit for the inspiration, not sure if it is an ego thing or really just a lack of experience with sites. But maybe if they had sat down and spent many, many hours coming up with the design, ideas, done the research, explored the structure etc., they would understand. I am certain everyone here is happy to have others copy their work, that isn't the issue. The issue is that in crediting the originals for their inspiration and sometimes the complete instructions, you are thanking them, just as you would thank them when they send you a recipe. It is really a question of manners.
hugs Squirrelly

OMG! I am one of those who's mind is not always in the "creative mode". BUT If I see a cake design I like, I always ask if I can re-make that design.. Lord knows it will not be "EXACT". But I just sometimes cant be so creative. I thank everyone for allowing me to re-make a cake. (sigh) I have a website, but I don't claim as it to be "My Design". I am just excited about showing what " I can do". JMH

i agree with pumpkin...

Inspiration in my opinion is very different than copying. When I create a cake I get inspriation from many things. The leaves on the trees in my yard, a napkin, my daughters clothes and toys, a card I recieved, maybe even a cake I have seen somewhere. I don't always recognize where those inspirations originated, because I don't always remember. I think there is a fine line between taking someones design and creating something very similar and being inspired by a color scheme or a technique and running it with it to your own idea. I try to recognize those that inspire me, but really I think it would be impossible to include a recogition of all of my inspirations.

Now I guess the problem really lies in how you define Inspiration. Is it any whim that gets you thinking in a direction that eventually outcomes in a design, ehich is how I have always looked at it. Or is it looking at one cake and saying hey I like that I am going to try to make one almost the same just changing the color or a few details.

I think it is nice to recognize who or what inspired your design, however I just don't see how it is always possible.

I think the bottom line is...if all we have to worry about in this lifetime is someone using our cakes for inspiration...then we have it pretty good! How quickly we forget about the real problems in this world!! I feel really lucky to even have somewhere to bake a cake after what has happened in the last year, so if anyone wants to copy a cake I've made...go ahead!

Cake Makers Unite!
J Dogga you got the idea. I know how you feel - sometimes with cakes it is like love at first bite! I may borrow ideas and adapt but the bottom line is. "Don't fight love bite it." You can borrow any of my ideas too y'all! In this world that we live in I am going to share with my brothers and sisters and not get caught up in silly business.

It's obvious (still) that no good can come of this thread at this point. People who are hard nosed about having their ideas copied without recognition might stop showing pics of their cakes, not should, but might. And people who don't give a rats you know what, will not care what other people think about them stealing an idea.

There's an obvious difference between being inspired and crediting that inspiration, IF inspired by a particular person's cake or design and outright "stealing" the concept or idea and not letting people now you didn't come up with the idea(s).

As I said before, it's like the copyright issue, some people will never ever understand it, no matter how much it's pounded into their heads.

It's why I won't put info about about a cake I have to make, that is too specific and I know an original idea that I came up with. I want to be the first person to do the cake and show the "world". Not have my concept taken and made by someone else and not get credit.

It's not about "making a book", designs get used from there too, the diffence is you are supposed to get paid for being the author of the book. Does it make it any better to make a replica of the cake after you bought the book? Does it give you the right to duplicate someone elses hard work verbatim? Not at all.


(Edited for spelling - and not edited very well either.)

I don't think you can copyright cake designs:

http://www.copyright.gov/forms/

I find this whole discussions rather pathetic.

um, it's about the hard work that people put into making the cakes.

This discussion may be pathetic, but I think that it is even more pathetic that some don't acknowledge the difference between inspiration and blatant copying or stealing!

Cakeman66 is right, it is the hard work put into the cake from the time you have an idea until you make it an actuality! Until you have been stolen from or copied and had your cake idea thrown in your face you just really don't know how it feels, or how you would react. Janice

I think Squirelly is right that is is mostly a matter of manners. I think the majority of people on these sites do not mind at all if you copy a design as long as if you go and post it somewhere else you say who was the original designer. If you do not people assume it was you and that is dishonest. I think everyone agrees you cannot take a picture of anothers cake and pass it as your own - not nice.

I love cake decorating. I am not an artistic or creative person. I can copy a design pretty darn good. It makes me happy that I can make a nice looking cake and make people happy by giving it to them. I wish I could come up with more of my own ideas it is just not in me as yet. If I am speaking to other cake decorators I do not pass the ideas off as my own but I do have the talent to recreate. I also would never copy another persons work if I were in the same town as them and try to sell them - again not nice. Do i think i am as good or talented as the people who come up with their own ideas - no. But I also contribute to the cake decorating world in other ways like teaching. I feel I am a good teacher and it makes me happy to give something back as I do feel like a "taker" not coming up with a lot of my own designs. If a person really does not want their cake copied even if they are acknowledged as the original designer I think they should not post cakes or say on the post that they do not want it copied.

I can totally understand all the feelings going on here, and I must say all have their pros and cons. The last thing we want to have here are hurt feelings and it seems as if peoples feelings get hurt everytime. It's for this reason I will lock this topic and hope we can bake together with all the respect that EVERYONE is entitled to when decorating a cake just like before... come on chins up..... and mixers out.....