I mentioned in my last post that I've had quite a bit of work over the past couple of weeks. Amongst that was a lot of preparative work for a collaboration with someone else for ongoing seminars. Meetings have been held, websites have been created, rooms booked and p.r. companies have been hired. Hours of creative mind-melding work (challenging at the moment) have been wrung out of my exhausted brain.
And today we had a meeting.
I've been a little bit protective of my "product" as I have no way of legally protecting the content that makes me "stand out above the crowd". But today's meeting was about discussing specific content and examples. And I gave those freely.
And at the end of the meeting, I was told that an ex-co-worker of his had recently returned from London and would possibly therefore be presenting the first couple of seminars with him. I could still, of course, pass on to my clients the marketing information as the seminar will be so incredibly useful to them.
I was speechless.
No amount of "of course we may still use you for other ones in the future" could bring my chin up off the floor.
I feel violated. And SO pissed off because I had allowed myself to count on the income to get me out of the mess I'm in.
And I have no one to blame but myself.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
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15 comments:
Yikes.
I can't say I understand exactly what happened? I'm a little confused. But it sounds horrible and I think I'd be mad too. Disappointed.
Is it that they took your idea and then didn't include you? Am I getting it right? Close?
Oh, ack! Several expletives deleted. Any chance you can turn the tables and use the marketing to promote seminars you do?
What did you say? Did you make it clear how unhappy you were? Egads is there any way of refusing to let him use portions of the content that you consider to be your intellectual property? I'm so upset for you. Sucks a lot.
xxxx
Oh Sh*t
Oh, I'd be angry too. That is not on! So sorry you have to deal with that too. :( xoxo
Hi Fe - remember me? I haven't been around much lately, but I do still check in now and then to see how you're doing.
I'm a little confused about what happened here too - sounds like you created a seminar (or something) along with a partner, and your partner took your work and is using it to do seminars with someone else? Without your permission? Am I reading that right? I don't know anything about intellectual property law in Australia, but I do know that in the US that would be against the law - assuming you can prove that you own the intellectual property. In the US, copyright is always implied - that is, the work need not have an official copyright for you to be considered its owner. You just have to be able to prove that you created it - original files on your computer, or something along those lines would usually be sufficient.
Look into your copyright laws. You may have more of a case than you might think.
Jeff D.
Bastards!
Thanks guys... it is infuriating and pretty low... but not too illegal. Unfortunately. It is a case of him trying to "steal" some of my material.
Happens all the time.
The preparative work was unpaid, as I have my own business and was going to "sell" my services as a presenter for the individual seminars.
It's not a given that he will use the information that I gave him (and he would have had that information after our first seminar together) it was more that he took it and THEN said that he had this other girl who he would probably rather work with because they've worked together before.
He should have told me before.
And I'm going to attend their first seminar and will watch for any of the information that I gave him.
I could then chase him for intellectual copyright... but seriously .... how many law suits can one girl bear?
Dina: Hope that explained it. Glad to have you back here... even if it means you're not in Oz anymore.
Wen: I can't promote seminars in this depleted market. I have nothing to put up and anyway, I don't want to be doing it full time. The idea was that he was taking the risk (and therefore majority reward) and I was charging a set fee. Plus... I didn't much like the marketing, which makes it even worse if he uses my stuff.
Ali: I was a stunned mullet. Seriously. My brain was running in slow-mo as it was happening. He said it just at the end of the meeting, as he was leaving, knowing full well that I was in a hurry and going straight to another job.
All I said was "Well now, everything depends upon that decision then." and he said that he'd let me know by next week.
M: Exactly.
Guera: Yeah. It sucks. But then... I have to put it into proportion and it's not the end of the world.
Jeff: SO great to hear from you! I never forget you Jeff... I have a pic of Jill and Katie on my wall above my computer and you and yours are always in my thoughts.
It's not that big a deal in terms of copyright. It's mainly my own method of doing things... and analogies that I use and group exercises etc. Some I got from other sources, but most were mine and they're the ones I'm annoyed that he now has. I don't even have them written down. They've been in my head (and in all the groups that I've run) for years.
This is only a small part of the work that I do. It's not worth following it up.
I'm just disappointed in my fellow human being yet again. I feel literally shocked that people can treat each other this way. I felt he was a bit "slick" but he is an old friend of a good friend of mine and I had no reason not to trust him.
Another lesson along the path of life.
Thanks again everyone.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
Hmmm, I think I would be incredibly pissed off too.
Don't these people have principles?
I am sorry that all your hard work and effort are going to be for naught.
I think that you have a right to be plenty peeved - your time and work are valuable commodities, and obviously you would have expected recompense.
That is low down and dirty. Seething for you here.
Well, if you want me to come over there and break his knees, the offer stands...I'm Italian, I got connections :). You'll just have to pay for my plane ticket.
Lara: exactly. Another one. Grrr.
Tiff: Yeah... it's frustrating. But it's so minor compared to what you've got going on. Just a grizzle really.
Jeanie: I guess it's the downside of being self-employed. Although I am composing a pretty startling email to send him. Hopefully it will prevent him from using my stuff.
Jeff: If you're willing to come here and stretch your Italian muscles.. there's someone else you could practice on!! (just kidding God)
xoxo
feffing b* heck...
Im with jeff - go the knees..
ahhh this is the danger eh of 'taking the fee' .... makes em think they can take your stuff - yet you never even got to the fee - poo on them ....
a bad thing will happen to these dudes - that is the way of the world ...
that jeff boy sounds rather handy - he should sort your other issues .... hugs le xoxo
What an assface. I hate that the ball's totally in his court and you have to just wait and see what happens. Sucks.
Hang in there, kiddo.
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