Thanks again tcturtleshell

I have a few silly questions. if i sent some pictures of someone else's to a cleint to get ideas for her cake(i let her know they weren't mine!). Was that ok? And if I do that to give other cleints ideas(if i let them know it's someone ele's and not mine is that ok?)

IMHO I would think as long as you are not putting someone's elses cakes on your website without their permission it's ok. Showing pictures & using them as your own are two totally different things. This lady & other folks are using our cake pictures as their own. No cool. I think that is illegal.

BTW... I just called the # on the website. No one answered but there was an answering machine. I left a message saying, "My name is blaablaablaa, I'm TCTurtleshell from Cake Central. You have a cake on your website that is mine & you did not ask my permission to use it. I also said please call me back & I left my #." I think I said I want the picture taken off the website. I can't remember LOL! This really makes me mad. Now I know why others got mad in the past. That is plan out stealing in my book. Hopefully she'll contract me. I'll call again tomorrow. If she doesn't return my call I'll contact AT&T, that's who the website it through.

Hey, two shells were typing at the same time

Hello, as one decorator to another i am writing to inform you that you have caused an uproar concerning posting other decorators cakes as your own on your site. Please promptly remove my cake (by confectionary perfection) from your site. I have contacted the attorney general with respect to copyright infringement and he has advised me to inform you that if it is not removed we will be pressing charges.

On a side note, i understand when decorators are just starting out or have not had the chance to build their portfolios they are tempted to use others pictures to show potential customers samples, however, as a decorator of over 10 years it is known to be a huge insult to the original artist. Some decorators will allow their work to be posted on sites if a note is posted stating who made the cake, however that is am issue that needs to be addressed with each cake designer. If you want to build your portfolio then i suggest that you purchase a few dummy cake forms and using royal icing make some cakes and take pictures, it is cheap and easy to do. Please feel free to email me if you need any pointers on cake design ect.. as i am always eager to assist up and coming decorators.

Terry Angelucci

Wow.. again.. non of mine were stolen.. **sniff sniff**

But I find it even more hilarious that she has one from Scott Wolley's site in her front page.. (the one on the bottom right with the beautious flowers and dome top).

That takes some cahones. I'd be mad if mine was up on someone's site. I keep meaning to watermark my pics.. it stinks though that we lose our descriptions and key words if we edit our pictures or I'd do it in a heartbeat.

I'm glad to know that a couple of you who have had your pictures taken have made contact. I think this is sufficient to let her know. I think you also may want to let her know that we realize that most of her pictures are not her own and she should remove all of them.

To answer an earlier post. This person HAS NOT been identified here on CC and even if I did know who she was I would not post that information. We were doing some joking speculation earlier. All the membernames you see listed on this post are people whose cake pictures have been used by this person. I made an assumption that Madison cakes is a CC member since we have found that most of her cake pictures are from this site.

Just a question. Is it posted anywhere in the rules of this site or when you sign up that the pictures you see here are not to be copied or reproduced without the owner's permission. If not that rule should be a requirement of signing up. I don't remember seeing that. Maybe I did and forgot it but it should be posted prominently somewhere here.

To answer the question of how many cakes have been identified. Of the 4 on her front page. All but the bib belong to someone else.

In her "portfolio" of 57 pictures, all but 19 have been identified as being CC pictures.

In album 1 these numbers have not been identified:
2,4,8,10,13,14,15,16,17,28,29,32,33

In album 2:
1,7,12,13,16,21

on numbers 13 and 21 in the 2nd album, I know I've seen these on cake central...just can't remember who they belong to.

And thanks confectionary perfection for a very professional sounding email. I think you did the right thing and said the right thing. You are representing all of us here whether our pictures were taken or not.

Well, she has to be a member to look at the galleries. If you aren't logged in, a message comes up saying you don't have permission to view the pic.

The owner of the website is named if you explore the page.

A note to those of you watermarking your pictures. You can use any photo editing software to do so, but I would suggest that you make it large enough to go across the majority of your picture. If you are only putting a small watermark on it, it can be removed or covered up using Photoshop.

I only have one picture in my photos and I doubt that anyone would want to "steal" it, but from now on, I'm watermarking my stuff.

I make photo announcements and holiday cards and I watermark all of my samples that I've made.

I'm sure this person knows what they are doing is wrong.

Here's what I wrote to her. I wasn't as nice.
LOL!

Dear Madison Cakes,

My name is Tina C. I am TCTurtleshell on Cake Central. Today I was contacted by several members of Cake Central that my cake was being used by you as "your cake" on your website. I took a look & sure enough it IS MY CAKE! I am very surprised & upset that you would steal someone's cakes & use them as your own. You DO NOT have my permission to use any of my cakes. That's why I watermark them to detour people from using my cakes. If you are indeed a member of the cake community then you know that that is illegal to use someone else's cakes on any website or any other use without permission. Please delete my cake from your photo album.

Also I see several other cakes that where done by Cake Central members. I am contacting them. I'm sure they will be contacting you too. I am sure you will handle this matter immediately.

Sincerely,
Tina C.
AKA ~TC Cakes~/ ~Turtleshell~


If I misspelled anything OOPS!! I can't spell LOL

I will be making my watermark larger from now on! Thanks!!

#8 is a cake by 4dollars...
http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=50813

Ok, this is all really bizarre because I'm moving to Richmond, KY this weekend.

I would think that you could file a complaint with the BBB and see what they suggest as far as "legal" action. Or threaten to expose her publically (ie news media...IDK ).

Anyway, it's a "small" town and word can travel fast that when things aren't on the up and up so she may change her evil ways once she realizes you all mean business!

And since I'll be at ground zero, if there's some way I can be of assistance let me know.

It's unbelieveable that she would have the sheer guts to use so many photos without authorization...

I just wanted to point out that on the bottom of her website is a link to click "Report Inappropriate Content". You could report her to the website host (AT&T) if she isn't responsive to the other contacts.

Another suggestion too, is on her website down the bottom of the page is "Report inappropriate content" which may report her to the website hosting company.
For the CC'ers who have had their photos used it may be worth reporting her to the website company as in the past several people refused to remove their illegal pics.

Someone noted that all of the cakes on the front page except the bib cake had been identified as someone else's. I find that interesting, since the bib cake is definitely a different quality than all of the others. A coincidence??...........

I posted some questions earlier regarding this subject...Just to let you know, the pictures I sent to a client (thru email) I saved on my computer but once I sent them to her I deleted them! She's a close friend and I had told her about finding CC and how GREAT it was! She knew from the start that the cakes weren't ones I had made, and they were just to let her get ideas! I have no intention of ever having a website(unless I get ALOT of business) and they will all be MINE(and watermarked)! If I ever show anyone pictures for IDEAS ONLY it will only be in privite and they will know from the start they are not cakes I have made! Just letting everyone know! I'm excited to get a picture of the cake (that I got my ideas from here) posted. Plus I will make sure to ask permisson first before I do the above! I have the greatest respect for all of you CC experts! and I hope I get good enough one day that someone would want to steal my pics.

This one is from Phoov:

http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-photo_17402.html

Just found 3 more:
Her picture 4 is by maplecakes
http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=44986

Her picture 17 is by reecie
http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=45388

Her picture 16 is by mocakes
http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=51543

I found this one too:

by angiescakes: http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-photo_303003.html

Thanks briannastreats. That one has been driving me crazy because I knew I had seen it here.

Only 16 more to identify. Here's an update.
On her first album these are unidentified.
2,6,10,13,14,15,20,27,28,29,32,33

On the second album:
1,13,16,21

I collect lots of photos of cakes via magz's and the internet. I have my favorites in a 3-ring binder that is CLEARLY marked "Cakes NOT made by CIS". When I hand a bride this book, I always tell her they are cakes not made by me.....they are for ideas. Each cake is printed on a sheet with the website address printed on the page, plus a "Cake Created By....." and the name of the decorator.

check out www.cakesfun.com, might find more cakes from cc .