You Thought We Wouldn't Notice

“There have been loads of copycats since this series of admittedly simplistic t-shirt designs, created by Alyssa Zukas, first appeared at Urban Outfitters in 2007. Most of the biters were clever enough to change things a bit, but not this time. They even had the nerve to use the original Urban Outfitters product photography, AND Alyssa’s name, all over their site. The original tees have “Alyssa Zukas” and a bio screenprinted into the inner neck tag area, along with Urban’s made-up store brand “Spark in the Dark.”

Yes, that’s right… my shirts have been jacked once again! Check out the “you thought we wouldn’t notice” post to see the whole article including comparison shots and get the word out there about crappy counterfeiting!

Alyssa Zukas ripped off by Kmart? You decide.

And some more that may have been… oh… lightly “inspired by” my original designs:

Kmart Goes Too Far—these tees were NOT designed by Alyssa Zukas. Caveat emptor.

I guess imitation is the highest form of flattery and yadda yadda. On the bright side, it looks like my stuff has caught on so much that big-box stores want their little piece of the action. But I’ll be honest with you—it’s not like I’m making bank on my designs… I still rely on every single item I sell to make ends meet.

What do you think… outright theft? Or [gag]… fair use? Sound off in the comments. I’m pretty P’ed-O and I could use some moral support.