Here is the article in question for Janae's Rage of the day:
https://www.yahoo.com/tech/taylor-swift-and-etsy-are-sparring-over-adorable-110250699674.html
I have had quite a few postings removed from Etsy because Taylor Swift says they are her property and I am not allowed to sell them without her permission. Now, mind you, the first time I posted the item, I did mention her name to get exposure and sales. The item was then removed and Etsy suggested that I remove her name. I did. Removed all mention of her name within my posting. No tags, no keywords, nothing. My post got removed yet again.
I contacted Etsy to find out how I am able to sell my item because it has absolutely no mention of 'Taylor Swift' in my posting. They told me to contact Taylor's attorney directly and to get myself an attorney. Now, obviously I'm not going to do that over one stupid item on Etsy, but for someone who actually has a creditable business and needs the income, this can be very frustrating. Who would take the time and money to go up against a big 'star' like Taylor Swift just to be able to sell their merch on Etsy. It's very akin to the term "bullying". Picking on the smaller entity, to make yourself feel more powerful or 'big'.
With no mention of Taylor whatsoever in the posting how is she allowed to remove it? Has she trademarked the phrase 'shake it off'? I am positive that people have said "Shake it off" to sad lonely upset people for millions of years before she threw it in her song. She is so damn pretentious that she thinks she can copyright whole sentences now? Who does she think she is, Nike?
And the worst part about all of this... Is the fact that the masses will take her side.
Etsy was created to help small business get worldwide exposure by selling handmade goods online at a minimal fee compared to their own websites. Isn't that the American way? Creating a small handmade goods business? Nope, it's letting the 1% of the world run it and not letting us make a living by the use of current pop culture.
So keep on keepin on, Taylor sheep. I'm sure she'll look out for you.
