Flattery will get you... Sued????

Today is National Look-alike day... a day to celebrate the fact that you look like someone else (a twin, a sibling, a parent, Uncle Ted, Aunt Cathy) or to put your best effort forward to look like someone you really admire. That brings me to the topic of this post - Flattery!

There's an old saying that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. I remember growing up and wanting to be just like one of my teachers who was soooo smart, and write just like one of my classmates (who had perfect handwriting), and wear my hair just like one of the teen idols of the time. I'd mention her name, but then I'd probably have to get her approval for this blog! We'll leave it at - she had a lot of brothers and a beautiful smile - and still does!

How many of you have walked into a salon and told the stylist that you wanted a haircut just like (insert celebrity name here) and they mentioned how popular that style had become? Or bought a certain brand of purse, shoes, clothes, etc., because someone whose style you admired was making that same fashion statement?

I am amazed by the number of lawsuits that are mentioned in the media nowadays regarding the alleged copying of ideas or designs or 6 note riffs in a song. I ran across an article in a relatively recent magazine that discussed the possibility of the fall of the Internet for the simple reason that we are quickly becoming a world of people who are so hung up on keeping everything we have ever thought, said, created, did, thought about doing... (you get the picture) private and secure and "ours" that pretty soon, no one will be able to legally post anything without a who's who of authorizations and agreements and other legal-eze.

I guess I still ascribe to some pretty old fashioned ideas when it comes to such notions. Sure, I wouldn't want someone else trying to pass off something I created as theirs, or copying it down to the detail. But I do believe that in this world of nearly 6.8 billion people, there is room for some flattery - perhaps not thru imitation, but thru inspiration. I would love to think that something I've written, or said, or created, or posted on some silly blog page will inspire someone else to use their talents to write or say or create something equally valuable to someone somewhere else.

Imagine what this world would be like if we could never take something from someone who came before us and recreate it, or improve on it, or yes, simply imitate it! It would definitely eliminate competition! But at what cost to the creative spirit...

I envision a tribal chief coming forward accusing artists of stealing petroglyph designs, or a descendant of an ancient Greek architect claiming the rights to the magnificent columns designed by them. Extreme? Sure, but this has become a world of extremes in many ways. I also wonder where mankind will be in another generation at the current rate... I don't expect you to agree with me - in fact I'm sure alot of you will probably be on the opposite side of the fence! I appreciate you listening to my rant and would love to read your thoughts on this post! Now... I think I'll consider a job with the patent and trademark office...lol...there should be a great deal of job security there!

As always, I hope you will check out some of the lovely pieces I've featured in this blog - just click on the pics and you'll be taken to their shops! Oh, in case you haven't figured out my reasoning behind selecting these items - they all have "look-alikes" in them! (and those donuts? They're really soaps - how cool is that?)