I will be the first to say that I go on websites and save pictures on my computer as inspiration, but recently I've been seeing a lot of people posting pics that aren't theirs but with no credit listed. Can we please try to give proper credit to the original artist. I know most aren't trying to claim the creations as their own, but it's only fair to give proper recognition. I've just been seeing this a lot lately, and it sort of bothers me...so I thought I'd share. Thanks for listening to me.
Ami
i literally have over 4,000 pictures downloaded to my computer. what a challenge that would be to have to keep track of who made what cake. i, myself, am guilty of doing a cake just this weekend that i "copied" from someone else but could not remember who to give proper credit. cakes are posted for inspiration and i think most people give credit when they can. if you don't want people to use your cakes for inspiration then i say don't post them.
just my opinion.
I know what you mean redsoxgirl. I have so many pictures saved, I've even printed some out and have them in a book for quick reference.
The thing is, I may use an idea from this one, another idea from that one... but I have never duplicated, exactly, any of those cakes. They are just inspiration and once I get started, I get creative and end up with something different anyway. Even when I try to recreate my own cakes, they are different in some way.
I think that's the point of the gallery. There's so much creativity on this site, how can we not be inspired by them? Just my opinion also.
LOL My computer is so full, and about bogged-down, that I am going to get an external memory drive, oh whatever you call it......... just for my cake pictures! This at the suggestion of my computer-nerd ex-husband. I love my cake pictures. Some cakes I try to copy, some I use a few ideas from. And again, I try to remember where I got the idea, but I can't, because i didn't begin to note that until recently, and I've been saving these pictures since I first began decorating in 2002.
Again, though, are you talking about posting them here at CC or on our own sites? I can't imagine someone posting someone else's picture here.
then again, couldn't imagine someone posting someone else's cake on their own sites, either, til recently.
i agree with rezzycakes and redsoxgirl. I keep pictures in a binder for quick reference. If I were to try and duplicate a cake and posted a pic on CC, I would say whose the orignal was IF I KNOW or at least say that it was NOT my idea, but someone else's.
I am guilty too of saving others pictures! I have a entire photo album of pictures to use for insperation and all the great ideas. I get them developed as photos and put them in a photo album - but beside each pic i write down exactly who created that cake. Some might find this wrong, but under any circumstance would i ever take credit for someone elses creations
Just thought of something... Some people put their username or business name over the picture of their cake. That could help with people not saying whose cake it is.
LOL My computer is so full, and about bogged-down, that I am going to get an external memory drive, oh whatever you call it......... just for my cake pictures! This at the suggestion of my computer-nerd ex-husband. I love my cake pictures. Some cakes I try to copy, some I use a few ideas from. And again, I try to remember where I got the idea, but I can't, because i didn't begin to note that until recently, and I've been saving these pictures since I first began decorating in 2002.
Again, though, are you talking about posting them here at CC or on our own sites? I can't imagine someone posting someone else's picture here.
then again, couldn't imagine someone posting someone else's cake on their own sites, either, til recently.
I have been looking at thumb drive or they call them jumo drives but I need a 1GB or more and they are pricey!
We all get inspiration from CC and other websites that don't mind if you copy a cake that was created by the original decorater. Sometimes one may not remember the persons name but we do give credit. Whomever places the original cake to their photo album is the equivalent of a thief.
I am very grateful to have access to this site to learn from everyone. Eventhough, I attempt to make a duplicate cake from one of you I know it won't look exactly like yours. I am having fun trying to improve my skills as well as receiving new ideas from all of you daily.
Melomimi,
I'm confused as to your post. In the first paragraph, you say that "Whomever places the original cake to their photo album is the equivalent of a thief. " Are you saying that if you save a PICTURE of the cake on your pc that that makes you a thief OR are you saying that saving a picture of a cake and making YOUR version of that cake and CALLING IT YOURS makes you a thief?
In my opinion, CC is here for everyone to learn and SHARE ideas, tips, and techniques. As you yourself state in your last paragraph,
"I am very grateful to have access to this site to learn from everyone. Eventhough, I attempt to make a duplicate cake from one of you I know it won't look exactly like yours. I am having fun trying to improve my skills as well as receiving new ideas from all of you daily."
CC is a great learning tool thanks to the many talented people who SHARE and try to help each other. I think we agree on that.
Many times I have thought of an idea for a cake, thinking that is was a totally original idea, only to come on to CC and see that someone has already done a similar and sometimes identical cake. I think that it is nice to give someone recognition for inspiring you but just because they do a similar cake, it doesn't necessarily mean that they borrowed the idea from you. 
Sorry for the confusion on my part...I was talking about posting pictures here. I totally understand using other's creations for inspiration, I do it myself. My point was only that if we could try and give credit where it belongs, that would be great. I know it's hard when you have tons of pictures on your computer. It was just something I felt like writing. I really enjoy this site, and have pictures in my album. I was just hoping trying to get the point across that it would be courteous to post the creator of the cake when you're posting the pic. That's all.
I may be wrong but I read the orginal post asking if you post a picture that is not yours, as in you did not make the cake, that it would be respectful to post the orginal picture owner's information.
We often post pictures in posts that we pulled from websites when someone askes for ideas, and alot of the time there is no information about the cake creator with it.
It's actually against the CC terms & conditions to post or attach pics in the forum that don't belong to you/you didn't take without permission of the copyright owner (the person who took/owns the pic). You should be posting links to the images instead. This will also clear up any concerns about giving credit since ideally you'll be linking to the source.
http://www.cakecentral.com/terms.php
I am talking about the person that copies the original designer's cake from a website, places it their personal album, and did not even decorate the cake.
This is what I thought the thread was about, but the next comment makes it seem as though the upset is over decorating a cake like one shown on the site and then not giving credit for the design. I'm confused about what the original intent of this thread was. 
In any case, imho, I am completely against posting someone else's cake (that they baked and decorated) and not explaining that it's not your own cake. However, I don't see the same problem with posting a cake that you baked and decoarted. If the cake is exactly like someone else's or darn close to it, I think that it's nice to give credit as best you can to the person or site you got the inspiration from, but unless the design is copyrighted, I don't see the problem. I looked back in my album, and saw that for all the cakes I posted where I got the idea from here, I gave credit to the site, but not the actual person. Honestly, I just hurriedly wrote the description and gave a general thanks to whomever I got the inspiration from.
Okay, now I'm really rambling, but I was a bit confused by this thread....hope I haven't added to the confusion or been completely unclear.
Sarah
I agree with Sonoma9.. It can be misleading (intentionally or not) to post a picture of a cake that is not your own without saying that it isn't your's.
However, to post a picture of a cake that you made and decorated is different as long as you give credit for any inspiration you got from other decorators. Although the design of a particular cake may be similar (or identical) to that of another on this site, it does not mean that just as much work didn't go into its creation.
As an example, there is a baby shower cake in my photos that is an exact replica of another one done by cakesbyallison, and it was done to look as much like her's as possible because that's what my friend requested. She searched the CC galleries and sent me the picture saying, "This is what I want". So, when I posted the picture I didn't originally know who to give credit to, but made sure to mention that the idea wasn't my own. Once I found out I made sure to give proper credit.
In the end, I was thrilled to be given the challenge, my friend was happy because I recreated the picture for her, and I tried to make sure cakesbyallison knew that I was grateful to her.
If someone wanted to copy one of my cakes I would see it as an honor that they thought highly enough of my work to want to recreate it.
So, when I posted the picture I didn't originally know who to give credit to, but made sure to mention that the idea wasn't my own. Once I found out I made sure to give proper credit.
I didn't want to make it sound like I think that we shouldn't give credit to individuals on this site when we copy a creation. I think that's a great thing to do. But, if someone used one of my cakes and just gave a general thanks for the inspiration, I'd be happy with that.
If I were really concerned about a particular creation I'd come up with, I'd put in the description that I wanted credit for it if someone wanted to use it.
Sarah
First let me say I do not agree with posting someone else's picture. It's not right. I have made some cakes from pictures on this website because I haven't been doing the cake thing very long. Just since March. Sometimes withe the jobs that I have had I show them some pictures from this website of cakes that I think I can do. Some of them wanted exactly as it appeared, most I've changed a little. I have always given credit on these that I have gotter from this website and even the Wilton book.
My question is though, if I make a cake that was off of a cake I saw on this website can I use it on my website? I am in the process of becoming legal and working on getting my website up. I think just starting out just trying to get the technique down it's easier to use a picture and go from there then to create and decorate it. It definitley helps to have the inspiration.
Thanks,
michelle
Just to be clear....
If I make a cake that I saw on this website, or any other website, and I take a picture of mine can I put it on my own website?
Yes because it is your cake. You can make a cake that you saw in a Wilton Yearbook and post your picture where you want because that is your cake and you own the picture of it.
I think it's perfectly fine to attempt to duplicate a cake you've seen in a picture and then post a picture of your creation as your own, because in reality, your creation will never look EXACTLY like the one in the picture.
However, I do not think it's OK to take a picture of someone else's cake and put that very picture on your website and pass it off as your own. Scrumptions.com has taken my entry picture for the buttercream wedding cake contest and put it on their website as their own. And I am very upset about it! I do not think that is OK!!! 
Thanks! I would like to do something about it, but I'm not sure what to do. I did email the webmaster of scrumptions.com and basically told them that if they do not remove my picture immediately, I will be contacting an attorney. Hopefully they will not force me to actually contact an attorney, though I will if I need to. The problem is that technically, I don't know how I can prove that it's my picture, and not theirs. I guess from now on, I'll need to somehow have my business name embossed across all of my pictures. It's sad that I have to do that.
If it goes that far, you can always prove it's your picture by contacting the couple you made it for. The cake will be shown in their wedding photos and if you had a contract with them, it will show that you made the cake they see in the photos. It proves it indirectly, but still proves it.
What I can't understand is why this topic is repeatedly being brought up....over and over and over again. It's been talked to death.
There's a very simple solution to this issue: When you save a pic from CC or any other website, just rename the file to include either the decorators name or the name of the website it originates from. Easy peasy. Then when you go back and refer to it, either for inspiration for a creation of your own...or to post or link to in a forum to ask questions about construction or techniques used .... or to flat-out try and copy it - the information is there...nothing for you to have to try and remember. It takes all of less than 1 minute to rename a file.
Here's an example using a pic of one of my own cakes. Notice the name of the file: CC-4th of July-JennT ..... I've included the site it came from, the type of cake or short description/title, and the maker's name. This can be applied to any pic/file, no matter what. Simple.
This way, even if I forget to say in my post or whatever who specifically made the cake...it's visible in the filename itself. Though I do alwyas make a point to say so if it isn't my cake...but at least I don't think I have to just remember everything.
Cakesbyjess-ooooo.... I saw your beautiful cake on that scrumptions.com! I would be mad too! It makes you wonder how many other people/sites take photos from here or elsewhere and pass it off as their own creations!
What I can't understand is why this topic is repeatedly being brought up....over and over and over again. It's been talked to death.
There's a very simple solution to this issue: When you save a pic from CC or any other website, just rename the file to include either the decorators name or the name of the website it originates from. Easy peasy. Then when you go back and refer to it, either for inspiration for a creation of your own...or to post or link to in a forum to ask questions about construction or techniques used .... or to flat-out try and copy it - the information is there...nothing for you to have to try and remember. It takes all of less than 1 minute to rename a file.
Here's an example using a pic of one of my own cakes. Notice the name of the file: CC-4th of July-JennT ..... I've included the site it came from, the type of cake or short description/title, and the maker's name. This can be applied to any pic/file, no matter what. Simple.
This way, even if I forget to say in my post or whatever who specifically made the cake...it's visible in the filename itself. Though I do alwyas make a point to say so if it isn't my cake...but at least I don't think I have to just remember everything.
JennT, I think this is talked to death because there's people like me who have never seen the topic...we were all newbies once, right?
Anyway, I really like your idea about naming the file. But, are you saying that if you bake and decorate the cake that you need to say it is someone else's, just because you followed a design idea? I'm not being argumentative, just seriously wondering. I use the galleries here on CC to get ideas, and I often take a little of this and a little of that to create a cake. For example, I made a shirt and tie cake. I liked the way one person set theirs up (I can't find the pic on cc anymore, so I can't even tell you who did it -- doesn't seem to be in the gallery anymore). She cut a smaller size fondant shirt and put it on top of a 9x13. I liked this but didn't like the style of tie she used. I looked at a ton of ties and eventually found one that looked like I could do it. I made a similar tie and then added my own touches. I used a different border than the first cake I saw, but the same writing font. Now, if you looked at my photo and hers though, you would probably say that I copied hers except for the border, even though my tie and collar were different than hers. That wouldn't have shown in the photo I posted.
In this case, I didn't give "credit" to anyone on my post. On all my other cakes that I've gotten the main ideas from here, I've given credit, but I guess I just thought that there were so many differences, it really became MY cake in the end. Is this what you and others are talking about when you talk about not giving credit?
Sorry for the long ramble, but this is a very important issue, and I want to be sure that I'm not stepping on any toes.
Sarah
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