If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, what is outright plagiarism?

My primary source of income these days is as a senior software developer doing implementations of Oracle’s Universal Content Management Server (formerly Stellent Content Server) for very large websites (tens-of-thousands of pages and  millions of annual page views).  Even though the majority of my work is highly technical, I am also an award-winning graphic designer. My logo designs have been published in numerous books, most notably the Master Logo Series and Best of LogoLounge.com series by logo legend Bill Gardner.

NOTE

For the record, I do not want to create trouble for the business in question in this post. Nor do I want to create trouble for or draw this kind of attention to myself. I have made reasonable attempts to resolve this matter privately and politely but the company in question ignored my communications. The reason I am posting this is frankly that I am angry that someone stole from me and was most likely compensated for passing my work off as their own. It’s that simple. If the company in question contacts me and we are able to come to a mutually satisfactory resolution, I will gladly remove this post and never mention the issue again.

The entire issue comes down to honesty, fairness and what is rightfully mine. I created this design. It evolved over many years from bits and pieces of other icons and logos. I support myself, now in part but at times completely from my icon and logo designs. Ripping off my design causes me direct financial damage and indirectly damages my reputation because I was initially accused of ripping them off.

The Full Story

In 2006, while still working  as a freelance designer and programmer, I had a logo design business called Catalyst Logos. The logo I designed for the business (shown below) is still one of my favorite designs I have ever done.

The design was a rework of an earlier incarnation of the same business name and logo design I did for my first business back in 2001. The original light bulb icon was actually created sometime around 1999-2000.

This evening, while browsing some comments on a logo design forum I frequent, someone pointed out the web site of a business in the UK with a strikingly similar logo:

This is not a case of the designer being (heavily) influenced by my design. This is blatant plagiarism. Just in case you are tempted to conclude that the designs are a simple case of two designers coming up with the same idea, take a look at the composite image below. The only reason the images don’t match exactly is because the designer who did the LML logo used a low-resolution GIF to create copy the image and adjust the color. In so doing, the edges of the image became blurred and the relatives sizes slightly larger. The shapes, proportions and even the angle at which the bursts extend out from the center are identical in both images.

The image below shows the full evolution of this logo design and what I believe is undeniable proof that this company plagiarized my logo. The diagram even includes the original light bulb icon I created in 2000. In Square A you see the original light bulb icon. Square B depicts the first draft of the new Catalyst Logo Design logo which combined the solar flare design from the Catalyst Workflow Solutions logo with the light bulb. Square C depicts the final logo design which drops the filament from the bulb and ads some enhancements (rounded corners) to the threads on the light bulb base. Square D shows a composite overlay that is, in my opinion, the indisputable proof that this is my design. The inner shape of the bulb is identical, the solar flares radiate out of the center at (almost) the exact same angles as the triangular burst from the original icon (this was quite intentional) and the threading of the bulb base is also identical. Every single point in the illustration lines up perfectly. None of these images has been altered in any way other than to change the color and opacity in order to demonstrate my point. Clarification: the triangular bursts were drawn free-hand and were therefore not perfectly symmetrical. I used the left-hand side of the burst as the guide for the angles of the solar flare then copied and flipped the image, so the angles don’t quite line up on the right.

I don’t know what makes me more angry – the fact that they ripped off my design and I wasn’t compensated for it, or that it is such an incredibly bad rip-off. It’s one thing to be a bad designer, but if you can’t create a nice logo when you flat out steal the design, you really should consider another line of work. I hear Tesco is hiring.

At any rate, I will attempt to contact the company and resolve the matter amicably. It should, at the very least, be interesting.

UPDATE

This article has only now, after several months started to garner some attention so I thought I would post an update. The text below is the email I sent to the Managing Director of the company. I got no response from the company.

To the Managing Director or owner of *** Name Deleted ***:

I am a professional graphic designer in the United States. Back around 2005* I had a business called Catalyst Logo Design. For several years I have displayed my logo designs on a web site called logopond.com.

Recently on Logopond.com it was brought to my attention that the logo for your business is identical to the logo for my business “Catalyst Logo Design”. I don’t mean to say that the logos are similar, I mean to say that the “burst” effect of your logo was taken directly from my logo. I can demonstrate to you that whoever designed your logo plagiarized my work.

I have no desire to create conflict or to cause any trouble for you or for me. However, I earn my living doing logo design. If someone is to use one of my logos, I need to be compensated for that use.

For this reason, I must insist that you either discontinue use of my design or you compensate me for it.

I am a reasonable man and am more than happy to discuss the matter. Please contact me at your earliest convenience to clarify this matter.

*** deleted contact info ***

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

Sincerely,
Scott Lewis
Richmond, Virginia USA

* In the letter I stated the business was founded in 2005 but after double-checking my notes, it was, in fact, 2006. My point is still valid.