Luna Wolf Patterns Now Available For FREE!

What a week it's been at Luna Wolf HQ!

As you may know from my previous blog posts, I have been having problems with the ongoing theft of my patterns/tutorial set by an Etsy seller going by the name of Happy Moon Pads.  She bought the pattern/tutorial set on 19 April 2014, and shortly afterwards started selling it on Etsy and on her own site, with her business details inserted in place of mine.  She claimed full credit for the 15 page PDF file, even selling a $25 licence for people to sell pads made from the patterns, as long as credit was given to her shop. (You do not need a licence to sell items made from a sewing pattern - this is bogus.)

I reported this brazen theft of intellectual property to Etsy, as did several other people, but Etsy weren't interested.  Happy Moon Pads altered the listing photo to make it slightly less identical, but a year later the original listing is back on Etsy, and people are still unwittingly buying it.

Meanwhile, I had been having terrible problems with my website after attempting to migrate it, and could not get my shopping cart set up correctly to sell the tutorial anymore.  Happy Moon Pads was profiting from my work, and my site was too broken to sell it myself.  Even if I did manage to fix the shopping cart, or broke my Etsy boycott and listed the pattern/tutorial on Etsy myself, I knew that whatever I priced it, she would undercut it and continue to rip me off - and frankly I don't have the time or energy to continue pursuing her.

After much deliberation, I decided the best way forward would be to offer the pattern/tutorial set for free, or for a small optional donation. This is the best way I can think of to stop her from profiting from my work.  You can't undercut free. I have done a complete revamp of my website (the broken shopping cart is gone!), and you can now download both the A4 and US letter versions of the tutorial, plus templates for wider versions of the pantiliner and 8.5 inch pad.  There is a donation button on the website if you like the patterns and want to say thanks. (A massive thank you from me to the people who have already donated!)

Here are the free patterns!

A4 version
US letter version
Wider versions of the pantiliner and 8.5 inch pad

You can help by sharing the pattern/tutorial set with its Luna Wolf branding far and wide, and speaking up if you see it being sold on and/or claimed as somebody else’s. I am happy to provide the original high resolution photographs from the tutorial photoshoot (including the many that didnt make it in!), photographs of the original patterns drafted on cardboard, screenshots of the original tutorial files on my PC date stamped 2009, a screenshot of the Paypal transcation from 19 April 2014 when Samantha Hughes (AKA Happy Moon Pads) purchased the pattern from Luna Wolf, or whatever else it takes to prove this is my work.

If you have previously bought this pattern from Happy Moon Pads without realising it was stolen property, I suggest opening a dispute with Etsy and/or Paypal, although I have little faith in the former.

I have been overwhelmed by the support I have had from the cloth pad community. I wasn't sure how people would react to seeing a pattern they had previously paid for become available for free, but generally people have completely understood and supported my decision, and I am so grateful for that.

Update on Happy Moon Pads Infringement

As mentioned in my previous entry, an Etsy seller going by the name of Happy Moon Pads was attempting to sell the Luna Wolf cloth pad pattern and tutorial set as her own work.  She was also selling a licence for people to sell items made from my pattern/tutorial set, as long as credit was given to her.

I have evidence of my ownership of this pattern/tutorial set dating back to 2009, when it was created.  The patterns themselves were hand drafted in 2008.  Happy Moon Pads did not exist until 2011, according to her own slogan - "Brightening periods since 2011".

I reported the listing to Etsy, as did several of my friends.  I never did hear anything back from Etsy, which was disappointing, but the offending listing was removed.

Good news, right?  Well, I thought so, until I realised that she'd created another listing.  Different picture, a few edits, but still my text word-for-word in the description.  I have reported the new listing to Esty.  I have yet to determine whether the downloadable product is my work, as that would involve BUYING it, and the thought of giving money to Happy Moon Pads to access my own work makes me feel sick.  I think I'm going to have to bite the bullet and do it though, to ensure I have the evidence I need.

The licence is still for sale, relating to the "new" patterns.

She also has the same listing on her own web site, which I have reported to her web host.

I'm obviously upset (and furious) that this has happened, but equally I have been bowled over by the support of my friends and customers who have added their own complaints to Etsy, and helped spread the word.  Thank you to all of you.

Rip-off of Luna Wolf pad patterns and tutorial set

Hi everyone,

It has been brought to my attention that the pattern and tutorial set I created in 2008/9, and still sell through my website today, has been ripped off by an Etsy seller called "Happy Moon Pads".

This is my original pattern and tutorial set:

You can see from the picture that the text on the pattern reads "Copyright Luna Wolf 2008. For personal or non profit use only."

This is the ripped off pattern: [EDIT: this has now been removed and replaced with a different listing - see following update post.]

Screenshots (click to enlarge):

As you can see, it is identical, but the text pertaining to Luna Wolf has been removed. Her price also undercuts mine.  Unbelievably, she is also selling a licence which enables the buyer to sell pads made FROM MY PATTERNS - as long as they give credit to HER SHOP!

PLEASE DO NOT PURCHASE THIS PATTERN/TUTORIAL SET FROM HAPPY MOON PADS! This is MY work, for which I can provide the original hand-drafted patterns if anybody would like to see them.  Please do not give your money to somebody who is making money dishonestly off of somebody else's hard work and creativity.

Etsy has been notified.

Thanks for reading.

Vicky