Honestly it’s mad!! I was scared to talk about it for a few months after it happened incase they sued me again for defamation or anything but nothing I’m saying is untrue or against their company it’s just facts haha! Thank you for watching!!
@@jammyweekend Imagine how much economical damage they did. Just add the time you had to spend, the energy, the loses of energy and all that 800 times (businesses), may be some got even into serious financial trouble during this period ... SHAME ON THEM, they deserve no smile
Who would have thought that the Smiley Face Company is so very much NOT smiley. 🤯🤯 You have handled that so beautifully. I don't know you, but I am very proud of you💪
Smiley Face Company is notorious for these shenanigans by this point. They had previous lawsuits decades ago that got dismissed as well. And also lost their case way back in the day so the general smiley face icon/emote is basically legally public domain - just not their specific image/design. Don't quote me on that one, since... you know... they're *still* going around suing people for stuff, so I don't want the info to spread if I am indeed wrong about it. But this is why we can have all these emotes everywhere without dozens of legal issues 😅
I played this video and my wife yelled from the other room "I love the Irish accent" as soon as I said it a Scottish accent the video played "I'm from Northern Ireland".... this world won't ever let me have a win lol
I just checked the US trademark list: There is no overlap between what The Smiley Company SPRL owns and what you sell. Emily D Baker has gone over this case and if I remember correctly the judge was not happy with Smiley's lawyers
i thought about it briefly but at the time I was so grateful to just not have to pay anything - figured it would have been more time and money up front but maybe I should have 😅
@jammyweekend Yeah, maybe best that you cut your losses. But yeah. Crazy and unfair that a company can disrupt your business and cost you so much without a good reason and there's no consequences for them
While she would have grounds to sue, paying for a lawyer is quite expensive. And time consuming. It's not easy to afford it as a small business.. Likely they would either try to get it dismissed or settle. It probably wouldn't be worth trying to move forward legally. Or if you're meaning sue smiley face company they'd likely try to drag it out and that could financially ruin a lot of people. Lisa Frank did this to a company, drug out a lawsuit to where the other company was drowning
Cudos for standing up to the legal monster! I’m a Ukrainian immigrant in USA, thus bilingual. I just wanted to say you need to keep this blog, you’re made for the camera, your vids are really entertaining for fellow Etsy sellers 🌸💛
Thank you so so much, I really appreciate that!! I’ll definitely keep going, I’m aiming to get a video up every week! I really appreciate you watching 💖💖
I love how honest and relatable you are about the ups and downs of running a small business-especially keeping the 'imperfect' items for yourself (so relatable!). Your caterpillar earrings are adorable, and I can't wait to see more of your creative work and stories in 2025!
Ahh thank you so much!! And I do the exact same, it’s like having company while doing the work😂 And oooh I’ll check them out as I love a good long video!! Thank you for watching!!💖
LOL 😆 I love it! Didn’t notice it but after recovering from your pic side by side with the yellow smile*y face, now I’m hysterically laughing again. Love your goofiness!
Absolutely fantastic news about your shop back up n running ,ppl seriously have gone nuts ,u are an absolute star ,I'm so shocked it's scares me to be honest to even start my own business xx
This is such a crazy story! I am so glad you were able to keep cool enough to do the right thing and reach out to the right people to help you! Personally, when something happens to me, my mind turns into tumbleweed and I cant think straight! Kudos to you! You have a level head! All the best to your channel, your vlogs and small business.
So good you didn't let them intimidate you and that you studied the papers and responded yourself !! Well done!! Wishing you a mountain of success. I will not be on Etsy exactly for this reason...
This shouldn't be possible. Companies should only be able to trademark words or phrases they create. Smiley/smiley face is such a common phrase. So sorry this happened. I hope you get funds to cover your lost wages. I'm obsessed with you accent. Love from the US 💕💕
I get the feeling that they earn a significant part of their income by suing other businesses-such scammers. I’ve just started my handmade business, and it’s good to know how to act in such situations. By the way, I like your hair! :)
Wow this is insane. The lawyers and company should do better in their research if they plan to ruin so many small businesses. So happy you got it all sorted and in the clear.
thank you so much!! honestly it was mad, they should have sent a cease and desist and I would have taken it out, but seems they just wanted to go straight to demanding money lol
Instant subscribe! Get it. I am here for your content. Thank you for posting and putting your story out there. So proud of the way that you handled everything. Such an inspiration. (BTW Monica's Collective, love love love her)
Bless your heart… sounds to me like they absolutely DID TRY TO SCAM YOU, but in a “legal-ish” way 🤦🏼♀️ Good for you for fighting back & not just paying off to keep it moving. A lot of ppl would just want to get out from under it, as quickly as possible… happy for you! Keep making videos… you give good vibes 😊
I was just about to say they are literally suing a man who has been making his smily face cookies with employees who have disabilities for years and then they come around and decide they want to trademark smiley, these people are greedy and wicked. Also, I will be subbing, you have such a soothing voice, the mic is great, sounds like you’re in the room with me.
Speaking from experience (although never got sued, thankfully)... Intellectual property law is a *mess* because there's an aspect of "no, it's not the same, but it's close enough to make us nervous" as well as some nasty surprises based in how trademark holders are expected to defend themselves. (Basically, if you don't warn or sue everyone infringing on your trademark, you've pretty much lost the rights to it.) The most (in)famous examples are probably cases where people used "xerox" instead of "photocopy," or "onesie" instead of "one-piece" or "bodysuit."
Welcome to UA-cam 😮 Urghhh GPSR, Brexit the gift that keeps on giving 🙃 I am planning on setting up my small business in the new year, so looking forward to watching your SB vlogs. I can’t believe they tried suing you for a commonly used word 👀
Ahh thank you so much!! Honestly GPSR is doing my head in 😭 But ahh that's so exciting!! Let me know if/when you have any social media for your biz and I'll give it a wee follow! And I know right! it was an insane time haha 💖
I am sorry you went through that, but I am glad to hear you are recovering. I hate how easy it is for large corporations to destroy small business owners that are just trying to make it themselves. Especially when the small business owners are honoring the copyright and trade marked laws.
I love that you shared this story!! I feel so bad that people need to go through this though, it's ridiculous that huge companies will take advantage of small businesses like this. Especially in your case where it doesn't even make sense for you to be included.. Etsy needs to get their sh*t together!! It's good you moved to Shopify.
I love your vlog style 😍 i love to chat as well so i appreciate the validation ❤ also love your jumper & earrings🥰 ps this is why i have my own website coz i couldnt cope with someone else controlling my business 🙈
Good for you, I'm glad you did your research, persevered, and won. It sets an example for other small business owners. Though I'm very sorry that you had to endure such a pointlessly terrible situation.
There is so much that is trademarked and copyrighted these days people really do have to do their research before they use any words or images. They've been doing this awhile now! That company is ruthless!!!
That kind of lawsuit is indeed a scam. They sue with the intent of blackmailing small businesses into paying $2500 each. They have no intent to take the case to trial. $2500 from 800 businesses is a chunk of money!
I would have told the Judge if the etsy shop is not up and running again soon you will counter sue for damages including stress compensation and loss in wages. These people need to have some kind of push back, they have lost the plot. I wish you all the best.
It's interesting that some companies are so quick to challenge what they argue is IP theft when other huge brands scoop up and copy the IP of independent designer makers and ignore any requests to take down replica designs, let alone compensate the design originator. Good for you, it's a shame that your understandable request for anonymity was ignored. It's all just content to someone.
when I saw the title I was ohhhhh like it has to be the smiley company :)))) probably one of the most evil company there is out there. that one and the hot pink colour thinghie. absolutely insane!
omg yes please do it!! It was so so lovely to see you the other week, definitely need to meet up for a wee coffee in the new year!! i'll message you on instagram xx
@ we’ll see how long it last but got the bug back haha I actually already messaged you on TikTok, those messages are useless though so probably should’ve DM’ed instead 😂
This story was crazy! If you figure out the GSPR stuff, would you be able to make a video about it? I'm Norwegian and I doooon't know how I'll ever be able to ship internationally again 🥲 I'd love to see how you're sorting all of that out! And - welcome to UA-cam! ❤
Of course!! It's absolutely crazy and it just feels like the whole GPSR thing came out of nowhere!! That's my plan for over Xmas to get all the paperwork sorted then I'll make a wee video! And ahh thank you so much!! 💖
I love that you said "Monica's candles"😂😂 her candles stand out to us that much. I also watch her vlogs, they're sooo good, so cosy, informative and inspiring 😍 Monica Razaq and the brand is called Monica's Collective
What a stressful thing to go through! Glad you managed to get out of it. Good for you! I also like watching business-related videos. I don't think I will be making any business vlog-style videos though because I'm in publishing and that would be boring I think lol.
Ahh thank you so much! It was honestly the craziest month of my life haha - And omg no there's so many people (me included) who would be interested in the publishing world!! Definitely give it a wee go!
So sorry you had to go through this nightmare! When you were on the zoom court meeting and they asked you if you got your court date back and you told them "no", you should have threatened to sue them for damages, stress and lost income....I certainly would have.
Hi I also watch Monica's channel. Loved your video. You're super likable and your voice is so soothing and peaceful. Good on you for fighting the American non-sense. As an American (and an accredited law firm), I hear-by grant you an honorary law degree. You educated yourself and provided enough information evidence that they didn't want to stand against you in court. *applause*
Hello, I’m New here listening as I #diamondpaint. Thank you for sharing your story because so many people need to be aware of how careful and you need to be on your channels. I’m sorry that you lost a family member this last year. I’m sharing this video on my community post for others to hear your story because it’s something everybody needs to be aware of. I’m also posting my comment because a lot of times they disappear, especially when I’m new to a channel. 20:00 Omgosh… I am happy that some of my supporters do long videos because those are the ones that I listen to when I’m diamond painting and doing things around the house. Ya’ll keep me company. 20:27 Exciting to do Commercials. Sorry to hear that it was cut and didn’t make it to TV. You are very intelligent at such a young age. 😊😊😊Sharon in SC Full Listening 21:07
How frustrating! I was looking at trademarks in the US and there is a company pending the trademark for “Cottagecore”. This is public info online. If that goes through is everyone online no longer goin to be able to use the phrase too?
If more people sued these companies for compensation after being proven innocent, there would be better due diligence to confirm copyright infringement claims. You can legally sue for restitution and I highly recommend it.
I'm so glad that things worked out for you. I'd have personally at least considered a counter suit for loss of income and stress but I can completely understand not wanting to delve back into it!! I hope that you're doing okay. I am looking forward to watching your journey, it's really inspiring to me. When I started my Etsy store I was suspended before I'd even posted a listing. This year I'm aiming to start one as soon as I finish my graphic design portfolio for applying for jobs in the field (I left a toxic job so I've been out of the industry for a few years). If you have any tips for starting an Etsy (especially figuring out how to charge for international shipping) I'd love to hear! 🥰🍄
It's the RØDE NT1 5th Generation microphone with the CACENCAN Boom Arm! I use them for acting/voice acting as well so def not needed just for youtube as they're a bit pricey - but cheaper mics I use are the Blue Yeti/Snowball or the Hollyland Mark M2 lav mics!
Wow, what a crazy story! The Smilie company is really scamming people like that-it's so disgusting. I'm glad you recovered from that scary situation, but I can't imagine how much energy, time, and life it took out of you. O_O P.S. I just subscribed to your channel! I love long-form videos and appreciate your storytelling style.PS. Just subscribed to your channel! I love long-form videos and love your way of telling things.
That's unbelievable. I think you are technically right about the company trying to scam people through "copyright" infringements because I bet that multiple people lost their shops/money/products permanently or thought that they had to pay such an expensive fine. This is our reality now and we need to protect ourselves from lame higher ups trying to steal or destroy what we have!
It’s trademark infringement, not copyright, which is an important difference. I do not agree with how the Smiley Company conducts themselves at all, and how they have been getting away with it for so long. It’s SAD, just like the scheme they use.
@@TabbyTabbytha I understand where you are coming from. I wasn’t aware of the Smiley Company either until a few years ago, when I came across other peoples’ experiences with them in a facebook group. It is very much a mess!
Lovely to see another Northern Ireland small business 💕 new sub here. Best of luck with your 2025 goals, I’d love to have the confidence to do UA-cam 🐰 x
Ahh thank you so much!!!💖 And I felt the same for ages but once you make one video it’s addictive 😅🫣 If you do make some I’d love to watch!! Love supporting other people from NI!!💖
Registered Trademarking gives companies the delusion that they own words. McDonald’s tried to sue all the businesses in Ireland/Scotland with McDonald in the name….Let’s just check the history books on this….who had the name first? Hmmmm
So do you have a website that you can check for trademarked words for your tags now? Do you check everything now, since this happened? Ugh..this is so terrible to happened to an Etsy seller!
Hi from the other end of the country :) I just knew it was going to be them the were suing! so awful of them to try and pull that when it wasn't even what the product was. I saw someone else that was in your position, can't remember now who it was but thankfully they were ok in the end.
Wow, thank you for sharing. What i can’t understand why in the US it is even possible to trademark any normal word? Like language we speak? That should be banned.
it boggles my mind how someone was even able to copyright the smiley face to begin with. this whole thing is actually so messed up! thank you for sharing. we need more light on how messed up copyright abuse is (and how etsy bends over backwards for bigger companies).
In a fair world, you'd be raising a lawsuit right back against them for the month's loss of business..... it's so unjust and I wish Etsy would show some backbone too !! Well done for getting through the corporate "legal" scammers ...
if you ever want to post a tutorial of how you pieced together the proof and documentation you sent that got you dismissed from the suit, i think that would help a lot of fellow artists. i would definitely bookmark and share! glad you were successful and it's terrible that they prey on small businesses like that!
It’s disgusting how huge companies feel entitled to try and ruin small businesses! I’m so glad you got through it unscathed. Thank you for sharing!
Honestly it’s mad!! I was scared to talk about it for a few months after it happened incase they sued me again for defamation or anything but nothing I’m saying is untrue or against their company it’s just facts haha! Thank you for watching!!
@@jammyweekend Just because everything you say is true doesn't mean that a large company won't file a frivolous lawsuit to silence you.
Suing for using a word in the dictionary that is legitimately a noun and an adjective is the wildest thing I have ever heard.
It’s the fact they didn’t even email me a cease and desist and went straight to suing - absolutely nuts
That’s US. They trademark everything there. People have nothing to do.
@@jammyweekendthat’s what your supposed to do before suing
@@jammyweekend Imagine how much economical damage they did. Just add the time you had to spend, the energy, the loses of energy and all that 800 times (businesses), may be some got even into serious financial trouble during this period ... SHAME ON THEM, they deserve no smile
Who would have thought that the Smiley Face Company is so very much NOT smiley. 🤯🤯 You have handled that so beautifully. I don't know you, but I am very proud of you💪
Honestly hahaha it was more like the Very Unhappy company 😭 But ahh thank you so so much!!
Smiley Face Company is notorious for these shenanigans by this point. They had previous lawsuits decades ago that got dismissed as well. And also lost their case way back in the day so the general smiley face icon/emote is basically legally public domain - just not their specific image/design. Don't quote me on that one, since... you know... they're *still* going around suing people for stuff, so I don't want the info to spread if I am indeed wrong about it. But this is why we can have all these emotes everywhere without dozens of legal issues 😅
I played this video and my wife yelled from the other room "I love the Irish accent" as soon as I said it a Scottish accent the video played "I'm from Northern Ireland".... this world won't ever let me have a win lol
😂😂🎉
I just checked the US trademark list: There is no overlap between what The Smiley Company SPRL owns and what you sell.
Emily D Baker has gone over this case and if I remember correctly the judge was not happy with Smiley's lawyers
The Smiley Company probably does nothing but sue other businesses. If only a few percent of them actually pay- they make big bucks.
Search for the video "Patent is actually a scam", it shows how some companies as Patent Trolls, which also applies to copyrighted material.
And the "I'm nosy". Just chef kisses, needed that.
hahahahaha I needed to see the man in the flesh there was no way I wasn't going 😅
@@jammyweekendthat would have been me too!😂
Girl… instant subscribe. 😂 I cannot believe you emailed them with all that documentation, so bad ass!
That’s craaaaaazy! Did you consider suing them for lost income due to your shop being shut down? I’m so sorry this happened to you!
i thought about it briefly but at the time I was so grateful to just not have to pay anything - figured it would have been more time and money up front but maybe I should have 😅
@jammyweekend Yeah, maybe best that you cut your losses. But yeah. Crazy and unfair that a company can disrupt your business and cost you so much without a good reason and there's no consequences for them
@@jammyweekendin my country there is the small claims tribunal which you can file a case online for
@@jammyweekendI think you can still sue if it’s within a certain timeframe depending on what it is
While she would have grounds to sue, paying for a lawyer is quite expensive. And time consuming. It's not easy to afford it as a small business.. Likely they would either try to get it dismissed or settle. It probably wouldn't be worth trying to move forward legally. Or if you're meaning sue smiley face company they'd likely try to drag it out and that could financially ruin a lot of people. Lisa Frank did this to a company, drug out a lawsuit to where the other company was drowning
Cudos for standing up to the legal monster!
I’m a Ukrainian immigrant in USA, thus bilingual. I just wanted to say you need to keep this blog, you’re made for the camera, your vids are really entertaining for fellow Etsy sellers 🌸💛
Thank you so so much, I really appreciate that!! I’ll definitely keep going, I’m aiming to get a video up every week! I really appreciate you watching 💖💖
🎉🎉 small bIZ for the win and girl don’t worry about the clay we all crafters here 🥰🎀
Hahaha thank you so much😅 I know after a long day of crafting and I’ll be covered in paint and clay hahaha
I love how honest and relatable you are about the ups and downs of running a small business-especially keeping the 'imperfect' items for yourself (so relatable!). Your caterpillar earrings are adorable, and I can't wait to see more of your creative work and stories in 2025!
Aw! What an ordeal! I'm sorry about your year, here's to a better one next year! I'll look forward to hearing more stories and watching your journey!
This was so entertaining. You are a great story teller. Sometimes when I’m working on my small business I need stuff like this to listen to.😅
Also McKenna from palm creative has super long videos like 2 hour videos. I love it
Ahh thank you so much!! And I do the exact same, it’s like having company while doing the work😂 And oooh I’ll check them out as I love a good long video!! Thank you for watching!!💖
also everyone please ignore the piece of white clay i have in my hair - it's annoying me too
Didn't even notice it.
I didn't even notice it at all.
LOL 😆 I love it! Didn’t notice it but after recovering from your pic side by side with the yellow smile*y face, now I’m hysterically laughing again. Love your goofiness!
@@vonnieofly 😂
Absolutely fantastic news about your shop back up n running ,ppl seriously have gone nuts ,u are an absolute star ,I'm so shocked it's scares me to be honest to even start my own business xx
Me too
This is such a crazy story! I am so glad you were able to keep cool enough to do the right thing and reach out to the right people to help you! Personally, when something happens to me, my mind turns into tumbleweed and I cant think straight! Kudos to you! You have a level head! All the best to your channel, your vlogs and small business.
So good you didn't let them intimidate you and that you studied the papers and responded yourself !! Well done!! Wishing you a mountain of success. I will not be on Etsy exactly for this reason...
I'm following simply because you went to the court hearing because you were nosy! Love it!
You had me at X-Files 😅 You rocked it girl, and kudos to you for taking charge! Continued good luck to you and all of your ventures! ❤
This shouldn't be possible. Companies should only be able to trademark words or phrases they create. Smiley/smiley face is such a common phrase. So sorry this happened. I hope you get funds to cover your lost wages. I'm obsessed with you accent. Love from the US 💕💕
And here I am rewatching again while in the studio packing orders - I could listen to you talk all day!
I get the feeling that they earn a significant part of their income by suing other businesses-such scammers. I’ve just started my handmade business, and it’s good to know how to act in such situations. By the way, I like your hair! :)
100%, suing 800 of us in one go was crazy haha - all the best with your business!!!💖💖 And ahh thank you so much!!
Hahahahaha! More stories please. "Story Time With Jammy Weekend"
Wow this is insane. The lawyers and company should do better in their research if they plan to ruin so many small businesses. So happy you got it all sorted and in the clear.
They should not have so much power. Extremely abusive and scummy. Glad you have that behind you.
thank you so much!! honestly it was mad, they should have sent a cease and desist and I would have taken it out, but seems they just wanted to go straight to demanding money lol
Instant subscribe! Get it. I am here for your content. Thank you for posting and putting your story out there. So proud of the way that you handled everything. Such an inspiration. (BTW Monica's Collective, love love love her)
Bless your heart… sounds to me like they absolutely DID TRY TO SCAM YOU, but in a “legal-ish” way 🤦🏼♀️ Good for you for fighting back & not just paying off to keep it moving. A lot of ppl would just want to get out from under it, as quickly as possible… happy for you! Keep making videos… you give good vibes 😊
I was just about to say they are literally suing a man who has been making his smily face cookies with employees who have disabilities for years and then they come around and decide they want to trademark smiley, these people are greedy and wicked. Also, I will be subbing, you have such a soothing voice, the mic is great, sounds like you’re in the room with me.
Suing someone for using a word is insanity! I'm glad you got out of that mess. Yeesh!
It’s madness!! Thank you so much !
Speaking from experience (although never got sued, thankfully)... Intellectual property law is a *mess* because there's an aspect of "no, it's not the same, but it's close enough to make us nervous" as well as some nasty surprises based in how trademark holders are expected to defend themselves. (Basically, if you don't warn or sue everyone infringing on your trademark, you've pretty much lost the rights to it.) The most (in)famous examples are probably cases where people used "xerox" instead of "photocopy," or "onesie" instead of "one-piece" or "bodysuit."
Welcome to UA-cam 😮 Urghhh GPSR, Brexit the gift that keeps on giving 🙃 I am planning on setting up my small business in the new year, so looking forward to watching your SB vlogs. I can’t believe they tried suing you for a commonly used word 👀
Ahh thank you so much!! Honestly GPSR is doing my head in 😭 But ahh that's so exciting!! Let me know if/when you have any social media for your biz and I'll give it a wee follow! And I know right! it was an insane time haha 💖
Thank you for sharing your experience! You've got a new small business subscriber added to your channel ❤🎉 hope to see more videos in the future!
Congratulations for putting together your own defense. It is good to see the little guy win. 😊
thank you so much !!💖
Video starts at 5:11
Who asked?
No, it starts at 0:00
I am sorry you went through that, but I am glad to hear you are recovering. I hate how easy it is for large corporations to destroy small business owners that are just trying to make it themselves. Especially when the small business owners are honoring the copyright and trade marked laws.
Loved this, I adore your voice I'll literally listen to you all day long, gutted you only have 2 videos 😂
You are brilliant! Also a delight to watch.
I am sorry for your loss
I love that you shared this story!! I feel so bad that people need to go through this though, it's ridiculous that huge companies will take advantage of small businesses like this. Especially in your case where it doesn't even make sense for you to be included.. Etsy needs to get their sh*t together!! It's good you moved to Shopify.
I feel like I’m going to absolutely LOVE your channel! ❤
ahh thank you so much!!😭😭💖
I love your vlog style 😍 i love to chat as well so i appreciate the validation ❤ also love your jumper & earrings🥰 ps this is why i have my own website coz i couldnt cope with someone else controlling my business 🙈
Thank you for sharing your experience with us. Much respect for how you took control, did your research and resolved your situation.
Thank you so much, honestly I was prepared to even fight it in court as the whole thing was so ridiculous!!
Good for you, I'm glad you did your research, persevered, and won. It sets an example for other small business owners. Though I'm very sorry that you had to endure such a pointlessly terrible situation.
There is so much that is trademarked and copyrighted these days people really do have to do their research before they use any words or images. They've been doing this awhile now! That company is ruthless!!!
That kind of lawsuit is indeed a scam. They sue with the intent of blackmailing small businesses into paying $2500 each. They have no intent to take the case to trial. $2500 from 800 businesses is a chunk of money!
absolute madness!! And $2500 was the lowest they were wanting! Crazy
I would have told the Judge if the etsy shop is not up and running again soon you will counter sue for damages including stress compensation and loss in wages. These people need to have some kind of push back, they have lost the plot. I wish you all the best.
It's interesting that some companies are so quick to challenge what they argue is IP theft when other huge brands scoop up and copy the IP of independent designer makers and ignore any requests to take down replica designs, let alone compensate the design originator. Good for you, it's a shame that your understandable request for anonymity was ignored. It's all just content to someone.
when I saw the title I was ohhhhh like it has to be the smiley company :)))) probably one of the most evil company there is out there. that one and the hot pink colour thinghie. absolutely insane!
hahahaha the fact they're meant to be a super happy company but it's just suing small businesses for the tiniest things 😭 need a sad face company lmao
OMG I watched this all unfold from FB! I’m so sorry you went through this.
Not me also about to restart my UA-cam channel 🙈 still can’t believe the craziness, definitely owe you for that heads up 💕
omg yes please do it!! It was so so lovely to see you the other week, definitely need to meet up for a wee coffee in the new year!! i'll message you on instagram xx
@ we’ll see how long it last but got the bug back haha I actually already messaged you on TikTok, those messages are useless though so probably should’ve DM’ed instead 😂
This story was crazy! If you figure out the GSPR stuff, would you be able to make a video about it? I'm Norwegian and I doooon't know how I'll ever be able to ship internationally again 🥲 I'd love to see how you're sorting all of that out! And - welcome to UA-cam! ❤
Of course!! It's absolutely crazy and it just feels like the whole GPSR thing came out of nowhere!! That's my plan for over Xmas to get all the paperwork sorted then I'll make a wee video! And ahh thank you so much!! 💖
I love that you said "Monica's candles"😂😂 her candles stand out to us that much. I also watch her vlogs, they're sooo good, so cosy, informative and inspiring 😍
Monica Razaq and the brand is called Monica's Collective
So ridiculous that a company callled the smiley face is sitting in the wings waiting for a financial op to sue ...mentgal...cant resist this 😃emoji
I think you should just come on and talk about anything. You are hilarious. Happy New Year!
The time stamps are: Story starts roughly round 5:43 and ends at 17:00.
I learned something from this video. Thanks for sharing and your way of giving info in story form keeps the watcher enthralled. 🤗❤️👍🏽💯
You should get your own website and start an email list and drive traffic to your own website. Etsy is always shutting stores down.
I adore your accent!!!! I subscribed so I can come back and listen to you more!
This was comical. Your story telling skills are fantastic!
Blanket lawsuit. They were suing 800 people hoping 80 would give in and pay.
What a stressful thing to go through! Glad you managed to get out of it. Good for you! I also like watching business-related videos. I don't think I will be making any business vlog-style videos though because I'm in publishing and that would be boring I think lol.
Ahh thank you so much! It was honestly the craziest month of my life haha - And omg no there's so many people (me included) who would be interested in the publishing world!! Definitely give it a wee go!
I ADORE YOU please keep posting :)
So sorry you had to go through this nightmare! When you were on the zoom court meeting and they asked you if you got your court date back and you told them "no", you should have threatened to sue them for damages, stress and lost income....I certainly would have.
Hi I also watch Monica's channel. Loved your video. You're super likable and your voice is so soothing and peaceful. Good on you for fighting the American non-sense. As an American (and an accredited law firm), I hear-by grant you an honorary law degree. You educated yourself and provided enough information evidence that they didn't want to stand against you in court. *applause*
Ahh thank you so so much! And Monica is so great!! 💖
Hahaha thank you - it was a mad situation and I really didn't want to go down without a fight !!
Good for you standing your ground!!
Hello, I’m New here listening as I #diamondpaint. Thank you for sharing your story because so many people need to be aware of how careful and you need to be on your channels. I’m sorry that you lost a family member this last year. I’m sharing this video on my community post for others to hear your story because it’s something everybody needs to be aware of. I’m also posting my comment because a lot of times they disappear, especially when I’m new to a channel. 20:00 Omgosh… I am happy that some of my supporters do long videos because those are the ones that I listen to when I’m diamond painting and doing things around the house. Ya’ll keep me company. 20:27 Exciting to do Commercials. Sorry to hear that it was cut and didn’t make it to TV. You are very intelligent at such a young age. 😊😊😊Sharon in SC Full Listening 21:07
Can you counter sue for damages?
I would share this with other people who are in this situation to teach them a lesson about greed and selfishness. Thanks for sharing.
How frustrating! I was looking at trademarks in the US and there is a company pending the trademark for “Cottagecore”. This is public info online. If that goes through is everyone online no longer goin to be able to use the phrase too?
If more people sued these companies for compensation after being proven innocent, there would be better due diligence to confirm copyright infringement claims. You can legally sue for restitution and I highly recommend it.
I’m nosy too, that’s why I clicked on your vid. You have gained a subscriber 😆
I enjoy watching Annika's Leaf, she does ALOT of vlogs!
That's insane! Sorry you had to deal with that unneeded stress!
Freaking love your accent!!! Please continue to post! ❤❤❤
Ahh thank you so much!! I will do!! Next video is filmed and edited ready to post tomorrow!!🎉
Wow, its so odd the things people trademark.
You mentioned another channel, have you got it set up yet? Can't see it linked anywhere
I'm so glad that things worked out for you. I'd have personally at least considered a counter suit for loss of income and stress but I can completely understand not wanting to delve back into it!! I hope that you're doing okay. I am looking forward to watching your journey, it's really inspiring to me. When I started my Etsy store I was suspended before I'd even posted a listing. This year I'm aiming to start one as soon as I finish my graphic design portfolio for applying for jobs in the field (I left a toxic job so I've been out of the industry for a few years). If you have any tips for starting an Etsy (especially figuring out how to charge for international shipping) I'd love to hear! 🥰🍄
What microphone 🎤 and set-up do you use! Sounds great! The quality is stellar! Thank you!
It's the RØDE NT1 5th Generation microphone with the CACENCAN Boom Arm! I use them for acting/voice acting as well so def not needed just for youtube as they're a bit pricey - but cheaper mics I use are the Blue Yeti/Snowball or the Hollyland Mark M2 lav mics!
@@jammyweekend thank you!! 🙏
hii im new here :) i love how you explain things!
Ahh thank you so much for watching !!! happy new year!!
Wow, good on you though for joining the court zoom and getting your shop back.
Crazy story! Thanks for sharing your experience!
It honestly is like my party trick story now it was that crazy haha! Thank you for watching!!
Sorry for your loss. What an Amazing story .
Thank you so much ❤️
Wow, what a crazy story! The Smilie company is really scamming people like that-it's so disgusting. I'm glad you recovered from that scary situation, but I can't imagine how much energy, time, and life it took out of you. O_O
P.S. I just subscribed to your channel! I love long-form videos and appreciate your storytelling style.PS. Just subscribed to your channel! I love long-form videos and love your way of telling things.
Good on you, smart young lady!!!❤🎉
That's unbelievable. I think you are technically right about the company trying to scam people through "copyright" infringements because I bet that multiple people lost their shops/money/products permanently or thought that they had to pay such an expensive fine. This is our reality now and we need to protect ourselves from lame higher ups trying to steal or destroy what we have!
It’s trademark infringement, not copyright, which is an important difference. I do not agree with how the Smiley Company conducts themselves at all, and how they have been getting away with it for so long. It’s SAD, just like the scheme they use.
@ I wasn’t even aware of Smiley or their little scheme. I put copyright infringement in quotations because this whole ordeal is a mess!
@ Not to mention mocking her in the live video meeting. Evil.
@@TabbyTabbytha I understand where you are coming from. I wasn’t aware of the Smiley Company either until a few years ago, when I came across other peoples’ experiences with them in a facebook group. It is very much a mess!
Lovely to see another Northern Ireland small business 💕 new sub here. Best of luck with your 2025 goals, I’d love to have the confidence to do UA-cam 🐰 x
Ahh thank you so much!!!💖 And I felt the same for ages but once you make one video it’s addictive 😅🫣 If you do make some I’d love to watch!! Love supporting other people from NI!!💖
That’s wild!!! What a nightmare! 🙊🙊
Honestly felt like something out of a film I was like why am I sitting on a zoom court hearing hahahahah
You are amazing ❤
Yikes! so what if we create something, lets say a Honda car accessory. are we not allowed to write "Honda" in the listing?
You should look into counter-suing them for damages.
Registered Trademarking gives companies the delusion that they own words. McDonald’s tried to sue all the businesses in Ireland/Scotland with McDonald in the name….Let’s just check the history books on this….who had the name first? Hmmmm
We can't ship to EU without legal council. Its literally cutting off trade
You crack me up! Subscribed - accent reminds me of family
So do you have a website that you can check for trademarked words for your tags now? Do you check everything now, since this happened? Ugh..this is so terrible to happened to an Etsy seller!
I check most things on the website TMView! Honestly madness hahahaha
@ thank you! I’ll put that website in my notes and the microphone! 🎤
Hi from the other end of the country :) I just knew it was going to be them the were suing! so awful of them to try and pull that when it wasn't even what the product was. I saw someone else that was in your position, can't remember now who it was but thankfully they were ok in the end.
The defense to defamation is the truth. If you speak the truth, there is no defamation.
Wow, thank you for sharing. What i can’t understand why in the US it is even possible to trademark any normal word? Like language we speak? That should be banned.
it boggles my mind how someone was even able to copyright the smiley face to begin with. this whole thing is actually so messed up! thank you for sharing. we need more light on how messed up copyright abuse is (and how etsy bends over backwards for bigger companies).
You're a great story teller! I'm glad you won! I'd put a you-know-what emoji, but might be safer not to...
In a fair world, you'd be raising a lawsuit right back against them for the month's loss of business..... it's so unjust and I wish Etsy would show some backbone too !! Well done for getting through the corporate "legal" scammers ...
So glad the OED came to your rescue, Clever Gal! Wishing you every success in 2025.
if you ever want to post a tutorial of how you pieced together the proof and documentation you sent that got you dismissed from the suit, i think that would help a lot of fellow artists. i would definitely bookmark and share! glad you were successful and it's terrible that they prey on small businesses like that!
this story is abosolutely insane!! 😂 did you offer to represent a load of other Etsy sellers?! 🤣
Monica's collective! I love her too ❤