On the Creativity and Intellectual Property of Small Catholic Makers

Over the past few years, as a consequence of working with the very talented Rebecca Gorzynska on our Marian Consecration, I have had the opportunity to get to know a group of Catholic women makers. These women astound me with their creativity, their brilliance, their business acumen, and most importantly their faith.

In getting to know these women, I have witnessed how they build each other up, offer critiques and encouragement, and share their own hard-earned knowledge with those newer to the world of running a small business. These ladies are incredible, and so are their products- handmade, carefully curated, prayerfully designed items from across the spectrum, created to help support their families.

They work hard for their businesses, and I am angry on their behalf today. Their intellectual work is being stolen from them and copies are being marketed and sold by a large “Catholic” company called Autom. And while Autom’s About Us page tells a rags to riches conversion story that will tug at the heart of any Catholic shopper, their current business practices are most assuredly not in line with their past.

Below I want to share a bit about some of the women that have had their work stolen, who are fighting to protect their intellectual property with the limited resources they have. They are Davids going up against this Goliath of a company that is stealing their creations and undercutting their businesses by selling knock-offs on the cheap.

An Identical Copy

Shannon Wendt is the founder of Chewslife, a company that began selling silicone rosaries and has since branched out into chew necklaces for moms and kids, gemstone rosaries, pacifier clips and teethers, bibs, and so much more.

Here’s what I love about this company: All of the rosaries are handmade by moms in Catholic homes. Every. Single. One. This business is entirely mom owned and operated, and you get exactly what you would expect from a small business: their customer service is spectacular, their products are well-made, and their joy is palpable.

Below are two photos comparing the Chewslife baby rosary and the Autom one. The Chewslife rosary was released first.

Chewslife is on the left and Autom’s is on the right. I think you’ll agree that they are nearly identical.

The second photo is a close up of the miraculous medals. Chewslife had a silicone miraculous medal custom designed, and they own the copyright on the artwork. But if you look at the photo, you’ll notice that again, the two products are identical.

****I do want to note for any parents out there to be extra cautious with a silicone rosary from Autom for safety reasons- the knots come undone fairly easily allowing the beads to come loose and creating a potential choking hazard for children. ****

Slight Differences: Where is the line in creative plagiarism?

The direct copying of Chewlife’s rosaries is one example of the infringement on intellectual property by this large Catholic company. But there are others that fall into grayer areas, that I’d argue still fall into the category of creative plagiarism.

When the vinyl sticker craze began, Autom jumped on board with the trend, but many of their designs bore and still bear remarkably similiarities to those drawn by small Catholic makers.

Here’s just one example. Below you’ll see two photos . The first is from Whitney Hochstein of the small shop Stick With Whit. Whitney designed her sticker because “This quote has been my lifeline. It’s my main reminder that I am me for a reason & there should be no reason to change myself.”

Later, Autom came out with the design in the second photo.

Now, technically, from a legal standpoint, Autom might have made enough small changes to the design (the flowers are a bit different, the font is a different version of script) to claim originality, I find it very hard to believe that they independently came up with a design with the same quote, color scheme, shape, and floral arrangement, especially because it isn’t just a one off. There are countless other examples of stickers with slight changes.

Here are a few more designs that are remarkably similar. . .

Sold on Autom: https://www.autom.com/…/What-Women-Are-Magnet-24pk-G4730 Original by Meyer Market Designs: https://www.etsy.com/…/3-vinyl-waterproof-saint-quote…

Sold on Autom: https://www.autom.com/…/My-Grace-is-Sufficient-Decal… Original by Santa Clara Design: https://www.etsy.com/…/sacred-heart-decal-my-grace-is

Sold on Autom: https://www.autom.com/…/Jesus-I-Trust-in-You-Magnet…  Original by Sweet Little Ones https://www.etsy.com/…/jesus-i-trust-in-you-sticker… 

What do we expect from Catholic companies?

Each of the women behind the original designs above deserve recognition for their intellectual property. To take somoene’s original idea and tweak it slightly so that you can sell a knock-off might be legally allowable (and if you’re a big enough company, you might get away with it even if it’s not because the small business you ripped off doesn’t have the legal department you do), but I think we should expect more from a Catholic company. Coming up with original designs for products is hard work. Copying something that already exists is not.

What can we do?

Do we really want to patronize a business that is hiding behind legal technicalities instead of using honest, ethical business practices in line with Catholic social teaching?

For me personally, the answer is no. Which means I will be doing several things:

• Following small Catholic businesses on social media. You can find several of my favorites by checking out who I follow (@colleenpressprich) or searching the hashtags #zelieandco and #zelieandcocreates
• Planning ahead: I know that one of the reasons I would end up patronizing a large company over a small one is when I have planned ahead and need an item quick. By keeping an eye on the calendar and making a list of upcoming gift needs ahead of time, I’m better able to support a small business because 1. I have budgeted for it and 2. I’m not deterred by the longer processing and shipping time that small businesses need.
• Sharing the information: One of the reasons companies get away with this type of behavior is because not a lot of people know it’s happening. So please, speak out, share with your friends, your parish, the people who run your local Catholic store, and ask them to support small businesses instead.