Home
Artists
Search Recent Random
Posts
Search DMs Popular Hash Lookup Tags Random
Importer
Import FAQ
Register
Partychan SimpleX Chat ThePornDude
Home Artists Posts Import Register
Join the new SimpleX Chat Group!

Patreon Art Thief... (Patreon)

Published:
2015-11-06 22:18:39
Edited:
2015-12-01 06:28:35
Imported:
2021-02

Content

Friends, I have some sad news to share. It seems that there is a thief among us.

Pledge dodging has become a common thing, where a person "pledges" an amount to the Patreon page, and then goes through and downloads all the work, only to remove their pledge before they are charged. This sort of thing happens all the time, and although it's terribly dishonest, I can ignore one person being selfish. However, what this person did was more than just "Pledge-Dodge". This particular person decided to upload a majority of my works to a site meant for collecting pirated artworks. It was an intentional effort to sabotage what we have here, with no regard for me as the creator of the work, or the people who actually supported it's creation.


So, I'd like to talk about this. Let me know what you think should be done, or if anything should be done at all! Do you think it's a big deal, or do you think it's something that we should be concerned about? Or is it to be expected?



Thanks,


~Ray

Comments

HEARTZMD

If 'Pledge-Dodging' is the problem then there's an easy fix, just e-mail the rewards. However, if piracy is your problem there is nothing you can do. Because a 'pledge-doger' is only one form of pirate.You will eventually have Pirates that aren't pledge-dogers; people who pay for your art and still leak it. It happens with the music and movie industry; someone purchases the original product then leaks it. This is probably the reason why the creators of this site aren't too concerned with fixing the 'pledge-dodging' issue because this wouldnt stop pirating in general.

RoninDude
>>1010944

Thanks for the thoughtful comment! It's true, piracy is annoyingly not going anywhere. For now, I am focused on discouraging pledge dodging. My current method is to email links to a dropbox for the current month, so one could only get the current month's high resolution files. I will be setting up a way to sell the previous months, as well, so that a pirate can only get away with about 4 images at a time. It doesn't solve the problem of piracy, but it at least halts the pledge dodgers from doing their thing.

HEARTZMD
>>1010944

Like I mention before, setting up a gumroad will help. Examples: <a href="https://gumroad.com/tsuaii" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://gumroad.com/tsuaii</a> <a href="https://gumroad.com/adovion_art" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://gumroad.com/adovion_art</a>

Anonymous

I don't know if it is a pre-requirement but you can also set Patreon to Pay up front so they will always have to pay up and if they then leak your stuff they still paid but the damage will still be done, as Heartzmd mentioned Gumroad is a nice alternative only problem I Tend to have with this is lack of information knowing whats in the pack so I thats where if I can drop the lowest pledge to scout see if the artist in question has what I seek. So to keep damage for yourself to a minimum, but still have something to show off maybe work with Watermarking, or censoring bits so it become a preview, as for my earlier statement I always seek out the hentai stuff so preferably Clean, Creampie. not so much into pin-ups but sometimes even pinups are too amazing to pass up.

RoninDude
>>75969603

Hello! This post is over 6 years old now, so I've moved on from whatever questions I asked in it, but I do appreciate the feedback, all the same. :)

Anonymous

I'm with David Best. Nothing good can come from making a stink about it and finding a clever way of turning it around as a positive can reap rewards. In short... just keep kicking ass and you'll be fine.

RoninDude
>>962129

Thanks for the input! That's actually what I ended up doing. :) It makes sense to not feed the ugliness. I just left a comment telling people where to find me if they want to support the creation of new artwork.

DonAnon

I searched and found said forum/thread pretty easily. You did the best thing possible. You can't fight that, it is going to happen. All you can do is try and gain a positive out of it. Post in the thread! Let them know about your patreon and become an actual "person" to them and some will hop over. Some of their views are pretty hilariously wrong, but the second it turns into a battle/threat kinda deal, they will start trying to pledge dodge and upload out of spite and harm you however possible. You did the right thing, I would just suggest what is mentioned earlier, keep going exactly as you have been, but maybe add a little watermark to your patreon along with your DA. Major kudos for handling what (honestly) is usually is the beginning of the end for many artists.

Anonymous

A big downside to anything revolving art is this is bound to happen. It's not fair, fun or cool but it's a stigma that will fall here whenever there are any people that can find a loophole. Patreon is a great place but does have the "Pledge Dodge" loophole. All I can say is to keep doing what you're doing, like others have. You post lower res images on here and keep the good stuff through Dropbox and the like for those who are really here to support. Adding your Patreon site on the corners would not be a bad thing. With your art and ridiculously reasonable prices, you'll get some people who will join even through the poor way they found you.

Anonymous

Hey man, it was super easy to find that thread. All I have to say is that you handled it really classy. It amazes me how some people feel entitled to whatever they want regardless of how it affects the people they take it from. I think a lot of the people here give what we can and if we aren't getting all the art that you put out, we certainly wish we could.

Delta9-11

*picks up his rifle and puts on a stern face* Just give the word Ronindude...Just give the word....*looks at you all serious ready to kick some ass in the name of your art!*

RoninDude
>>962241

I was half expecting to get a troll flame war when I posted, but I did just want to be heard. I was ready to bounce when I got the first troll comment. And although the views that were presented to me were, as you put it "hilariously wrong", they were presented in a civil manor, so I decided to hold a discussion, for the sake of anyone who might pop in. As you said, some might think better of it and join up, even for a few months. I do have a backlog, after all, so it's not like everyone HAS to stay on. I appreciate that people do, but there are honorable ways to go about it that I have provided, that don't require people to cheat me. Thanks for your comment, I always appreciate your thoughtful approach. :) And I think I'll give those watermarks a second thought.

RoninDude
>>962353

That's a fantastic idea, I think I will start doing that! Adding the Patreon logo to the sides of the images when I upload the posts every week, and then send the clean versions via email after pledges have been processed. I'll be sure that the patreon logo isn't obscene, lol. Thanks for the tip!

RoninDude
>>962484

I appreciate that a lot, Jear. Honestly, I wish I could give it all away! There's just this pesky thing called "survival" that keeps getting in the way... XD Joking aside, I do wish people considered that. But still, I can't fault them for their interest. Even though their actions are wrong, I do appreciate the love for my work.

RoninDude
>>962552

Haha! At ease, soldier! I appreciate the readiness, but I think diplomacy might be out best bet, here. Thanks dude. :D

Anonymous

Hey, Ray, I've read a lot about intellectual property rights. First thing you can do is get a lawyer who specializes in intellectual property rights and have him/her draft a cease and desist letter. Then you go and post that letter to every webmaster site that has your unauthorized artwork on it. I understand it is fairly effective particularly if that site is trying to make money off of your work. If you can't find a lawyer, there are templates out there that you can edit and use for yourself. If the site persists (and the webmaster is located in the U.S.) you can try to sue them but that costs more money than you are likely to get back unless (unless it's a company Disney or DreamWorks). Steve

Anonymous

I don't need to pay anything to see good art, I pay money because I like seeing that Art coming. It's always been a shame that artists typically don't have good income. If I can support someone for doing what I wish I could be doing, I'm gonna do it. And I think I'm not alone in this mindset. That being said, Logos on the website page and clean in the downloads.

RoninDude
>>962677

Thanks for the input, Steve! That's good advice, and I will keep that in mind. Perhaps once my situation stabilizes, I will look into a good defense system for such occurrences. I'd actually like to set aside a budget for dealing with this sort of thing, as my career progresses.

Anonymous

I just read this thread all the way down. The watermarking idea is very effective for giving you credit for the work as is embedding member numbers within the artwork itself (Jab Comix uses this method to control unauthorized re-posting/pirating and they actively sue people who steal their work). That way when you see your artwork up on an unauthorized site, you can ID the individual and Patreon will have that person's personal information (from their pledge) that you and your lawyer can send the "cease and desist" letter to. That might get their attention (ha, ha unless they are in Easter Europe, Russia, or China). Another way of looking at it is as free publicity. I'm starting to see my books pop up on Mobi, Bit-Torrent and other sites, so I say "Well, there are distributing my work for me for free." Your work also has that level of quality that, when people see it, will want to find your sites t osee what new things you have done.

RoninDude
>>962679

That's a noble way to look at it. It's exactly people with that mentality that make Patreon work. Rest assured, your help, and the help of everyone else here, is changing my life, and allowing me to be more productive. I hope it shows in my art. I am constantly inspired to make progress, because of what we have here. Thanks again!

RoninDude
>>962701

Those are very good points. WOW, I never would have thought about imbedding member numbers into the art. That would make finding the culprit pretty darn easy! It'd be a bit harder to distribute, I think, but it might be worth it... XD I could probably even do it in a way that people couldn't see it unless I added some kind of filter. How spy is that! XD For now, I am going to add watermarks to the work, as was suggested earlier, so at least people know where to find me. But in the meantime, I am going to be looking into building a better way to defend myself. You've given some great ideas. :D

Delta9-11
>>962701

Actually God damn this is a GREAT idea. ^ This all the way. Steven's got a great point, and great ideas.

tsuaii

Just read your entire thread on said pirate site, and you handled it exceptionally well! I wish I could communicate as eloquently about the topic as you did. You're more of an art industry veteran than I am so it was nice to learn about the pre-Internet days as well. All in all a healthy discussion! Though I wonder who they mean when they mention the artists abusing the system (besides the two obvious ones) hah

RoninDude
>>963957

Thank you! Let me say it was hard. But, I tried to be as honest and clear as I could. It was pretty clear that every excuse they used was just them trying to validate the theft with pseudo-morality. You could tell they were really reaching for justification. Their reasoning was weak, and didn't correlate with the topic at all. The general excuses that they gave had more to do with them feeling entitled, then anything else. "There is so much art available that we can't afford it all, so we steal it." Apply that logic to any other service or product and no one would argue that you are a thief, and it's wrong. It's like going to the music store and stealing cd's because there are too many artists to choose from. That makes no sense. In the end, it's clear that their views were really just aimed at making themselves feel better. Still, I felt the need to drop in on the conversation, so that decent people can get a chance to hear my side of the situation, without feeling like I was trying to shame anyone. That'd be pointless, anyways. :)

Anonymous

Watermarks is definitely a good way to go. I would also suggest you look at ways the music industry handles this sort of thing. A lot of musicians see their work pirated as often as bought, even if it is free and legit on sites like youtube. Maybe things they do can translate over your work.

RoninDude
>>966217

That's a good idea! I'll have to do some research, because you are right, musicians deal with a lot of theft, don't they? Thanks for the input!