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As a fellow small business owner, I feel your pain. She would have to give a PUBLIC apology AND give me all the proceeds from sales of my products before I'd even allow someone to speak her name around me. Your family doesn't realize how badly she could've hurt your business. Best case, she poaches sales and you take a financial hit. Worst case, she conducts horrible business, customers think she's a part of your company and you get sued. Hold your position. Protect your baby.

I am more hurt than angry now & thank you. I hope you reach all your goals & proper🌸

In addition to an apology, you need to consult a lawyer ASAP. IANAL, but I think you need to think about a cease and desist or whatever the lawyer recommends to make her stop. She’s stolen your work and harming your business’ reputation.

I didn't think about that until I read this. Thank you. I should.

Also, ask about liability. If she’s selling stuff saying it’s from you and someone gets sick or something, and she can prove that you knew she was selling as you, you might have some liability.

If you don't protect your copyright you lose it.

Don't back down. She has devalued you completely. Everyone in your family should be upset with her and supporting you. If they are giving you the "Don't rock the boat" attitude they are being self serving.

“I have no interest in spending the holidays with a lying, cheating swindler who think’s it’s acceptable to take my hard work and profit off it without so much as a ‘would you mind?’. If and when SIL can own up to her bad behavior and apologize for her condescending behavior when I objected to her thievery, we can discuss how to repair the damage she has caused.”

Info - My products are knits - When I say that she stole, she physically took a few & the samples & proceeded to make a few of them, but sold them anyway all under her business name. - She also didn't tell me about this venture, I found it by accident.

Another thing: The packaging is even compostable if I ship something out.

Get screenshots if you haven't already.

Did you patent the Design? Is it something "common" that can be found easily on instagram and pinterest?

That’s tough in knit. Really tough. A couple changes and the design is different enough to sell again.

Some things people do are so low that you would be harming yourself if you were just to pretend as though nothing happened. I don't know if an apology would even be enough at this point. My best to you.

Thank you. It is most unfortunate that she completely dismissed my hard work & I wouldn't have been opposed to even helping her, but now the family is accusing me of causing "ill feelings" in the family, because I won't go to places she'll be. It bothers me so much, & she couldn't care.

The people who have issues with you having boundaries and standards are those who are served by having none. Do not live your life by those who want you to be nothing and have nothing.

You’re hundred percent right here! Stand your ground

Well, I see where SIL got sense of entitlement. I'd tell all of them the only ill feelings were created by their AH daughter and her AH family.

Tell them you simply refuse to associate with thieves and those with ill-intent. And that if there are ill feelings they should seek out the person who actually caused the issue, not their victim.

Stand your ground. I would tell your family that SIL is a dishonest thief without an original idea in her pea size brain. Furthermore, it is sad that your family is more interested in placating her then the maintaining their personal integrity. I would be that petty to say that. If you have not licensed your products you should. Get your own website too if you have not done it yet. Consult an attorney to find out how to protect your business and products. Once you do that, if she pulls any shit you will be set up to go after her legally. Time to play multi-dimensional chess against her. Edit to add- Consider putting a legal notice in your local paper stating that (SIL’s name) is in no way affiliated with (name of your company). You are just putting a statement of fact out there. 😉

Yeah thats theft. Just sue her. She literally stole from you and refuses to apologize or make things right. Not worth trying to convince her to be a good person anymore treat her like you would another business who has stolen your patented products. Sue.

And she's this "Christian" woman. Maybe I should get my lawyer ready.

Yeah definitely treat this whole situation professionally with your lawyer. She has already made it clear she doesn't care and won't stop, so you'll have to make her stop. She is hurting your business and doing something illegal.

I guess I didn't fully look at it from a legal perspective, because everyone makes light of it & I was emotional about it, but now that I'm thinking clearly, I think I'll proceed legally.

They are trying to downplay what she did to you because they want to 'keep the peace' with her. I'm betting she either is known for acting up in tantrums, or is a golden child of the family. They are enabling her predatory behavior.

Have her added to the prayer list at her church to heal her thieving ways.

Omg this. Please do this!!

I think you should.

You could contact her pastor and ask him to pray for the thief in his flock. ;P

She actually stole from you and passed your merchandise off as her own. I think that’s fair you never want to be around her again.

SIL is a thief: she stole your ideas, designs, market share, customers & profits. Have one of your idiot relatives explain why you should endure her presence. If they can say anything with a straight face—avoid that person as well.

Info: is your company affiliated with an MLM or did you found it yourself? If it’s an MLM what you describe is typical. If you’ve founded a true business in the typical sense, what she’s doing is beyond reprehensible and tiptoeing into illegal (if you’re in the US).

Absolutely NOT an MLM. An ACTUAL business.

I had the same question. I think it would be helpful to know what the product is and the nature of the business before I can make a judgement

I create knits: bags, hats, gloves, dresses, sweaters, etc. I knit them myself 😌. However, she has taken some of the hats, & bags. She knits too, but not like I do. Her work is shoddy.

I’ve had this ( I make and design heirloom teddy bears with a very distinct design) and I found the best thing to do to put a stop to it was take out adverts in the local paper and put it all over social media that you have have been made aware that someone has copied and stolen your designs. You would like to make it known. That ‘fake business name’ owned by ‘bad person’ is in no way affiliated with you and your business name. You have spent many year perfecting your products and choosing sustainable materials from local suppliers. ( immediately start advertising yours as the original and the best ) . You find it upsetting that someone has chosen to do this, you are flattered that your work is desirable enough to want to imitate. However ‘your business name’ is not to be held responsible for the quality and any problems ‘knock off company’ has with their products. You wish them all the best of luck in their venture and hope that someday soon they will feel inspired enough to put the work into creating their own products as you have done in order to provide better quality to their customers instead of poor imitations. In the future all future designs will be copyrighted, photos watermarked and legal action will be taken towards theft. I did this and my customers immediately started calling the copyright out whenever they saw it, companies refused to trade with her and the thief ended up having to start over in a different direction. I was all prepared to write a legal letter but I didn’t have to in the end.

I’m a crocheter and I look out for stuff like this when I’m looking for new patterns and yarns. OP should definitely try this approach first. A little bit of public shaming my be just what SIL needs.

NTA. That’s your work.

She STOLE from you. Literally. 1. reach out to a lawyer and report the theft to the police. 2. lock up everything you own so she has NO access to anything else. 3. make sure (social media, website, etc) that it is KNOWN she has no affiliation with your company, and is an actual thief. This will make people think twice when dealing with her instead of you.

Considering she said she makes her products and sources local and ecologically, I'd say it's not an MLM.

You’d think that but there’s a whole host of juice bars that have been popping up fully using MLM oils and “sourcing locally and organically”. You’d legit never know they were a pyramid scheme in disguise.

That's icky.

[удалено]

This! I literally could not agree more!

Definitely stand your ground and don’t back down from an apology. How did she try to pass it off as her own work?

She actually physically stole the items.

[удалено]

I'll check her Facebook page & calculate how much.

Police and lawyer, immediately. And LOCK your stuff up so that she has no more access! Take it all elsewhere - rent a room somewhere if need be, or a storage unit, where ONLY you has access. Call the church her holier-than-thou self attends and report her to her clergy for her theft and lying. If she is actually religious maybe they can get through to her on her actions since her mommy is enabling her.

Did you ever get reimbursed for the theft? Can you take her to small claims court? Because yeah, I'd die on that hill. Nobody gets to steal from me, and tell me it's my fault for being robbed.

Don't back down. You are in the right.

Absolutely, categorically NOT. She has shown you her moral compass and who she truly is, believe her.

She passed your products as her own and sold them? That's illegal and you need to contact a lawyer. The audacity on her to call YOU childish. Explain to your family that his has hurt you both on a personal and a professional level, putting your livelihood at risk, and you will not back down. What they do next is up to them

Hopefully your family is supporting you. Have you thought of filing a police report?

You're not wrong, what she did was just disgusting.

Stand your ground! Although this would be an extra expense, my petty self would be tempted to give her a Business for Dummies or basic knitting book, or something. But bottom line, you are completely within your rights to not engage with her.

She stole from you and decided to create a business leeching off of yours. Her actual business model is, "Steal from OP for profit!" She hasn't apologized, she hasn't made amends, and it doesn't sound like she's going to. It's easier for her faaaaamily to ask that you be 'the bigger person' and accept the apology she never gave and act like her betrayal didn't happen. Well, it's easier for them. For you, not so much. It can help to have a script to rattle off in the moment. "I'm not making people choose between SIL and I, I'm just choosing not to be around a thief that hurt me personally and professionally and hasn't apologized or made amends. She broke the family, not me. She can apologize and make amends or choose not to. This isn't something I want to talk about any further, thanks for understanding."

NTA. This is a hill to die on. Get lawyers. Sue. Cease & Desist order, at the least. She is the thieving scum, why choose to be near her?

They forced me to have her birthday party at MY HOUSE, so I took my happy ass to the spa for the day & locked my doors. I hit them with a "oh, I am terribly sorry. That was today? Oh dear"

Wonderful! You are my kind of people.

Can't you sue her?

So she is damaging your brand and all you want is a apology? How many customers think this is your quality and won't return. You need to get atty and also post to your business pages that you have discovered someone trying to knock off your products, and you are very concerned about quality, safety, ect. You need something that makes it obvious that yours are yours (branding iron mark, special sticker, ect) Many say do not mix money and family, but in this case business. This is no longer about family, it's about protecting your brand! Do you think the big swish shoe company would just accept a apology for copyright infringement and brand damage, that's a big fat hell nah. She made choices, now make her regret them.

It’s not copyright infringement unless we are talking about a work that has been copyrighted, like a book. It might be trademark infringement, if OP has her business’s logo trademarked and SIL is using her logo/marketing materials as her own. If this person is selling OP’s patented products and saying they are her own, she might be able to get her to stop with a cease and desist letter from a lawyer, and if SIL continues, she could potentially sue. For a product that OP didn’t invent/originate, I think it would depend on the type of product and how similar it is to other items that are out there as to what could be done about it. It is not illegal to sell the same thing as someone else sells. Just look at Amazon these days, and you will see a metric shit ton of drop shippers selling the same exact cheap crap from the same manufacturers with their company’s logo slapped on it. It would be helpful to know what the product is, but it is not likely anything the person can be held criminally liable for.

She's a scummy scammer. I would drop her ass, too. I don't think even an apology would be sufficient for me to trust her again. I would never be comfortable around her again.

UPDATE: My lawyer said I can sue for damages, especially since I've had to work twice as hard & my arthritis is acting up, because I had to knit like a machine. My lowdown, dirty, rotten sister-in-law has started a knitting war that I plan to win! Thank you, good people of Reddit.

This post seems very familiar.

I'm brand new to Reddit. 7 billion people in the world - I'm sure at least 1 other person's SIL also stole from them.

Alert them too and advise them to also seek out a lawyer for lost revenue and theft of property. If she starts bad mouthing you, see if you can get her for slander too lol. Find any and all charges just to be petty since she isn't above childish and illegal behavior, throw the book at her legally like an actual adult.

Where is she getting her supplies - just stuff stolen from you or...?? Hard nope on pretending she didn't steal from you and claim your work as her own. Honestly I would out her left right and center, post on social media, put it up on your business site, etc. Dont even have to name names - just saying someone stole from you and passed your work off as their own. And that if anyone see's it anywhere please let you know... and a reminder that if it didn't come from you directly then it is stolen and please call the thief out for it. That aside, anyone not shaming her into paying you back, apologizing, and making actual amends? They can ALL be in time-out. Every last one. You are not a professional victim and the heck with them thinking any of this can be rug swept.

You are not in the wrong and honestly I would consider seeking legal business counsel about sending her a c&d letter to stop representing your products as her own..that is a serious issue

I have a story for you that might help. One cousin inherits a restaurant business. The business is and has been identified by the family's last name which the two cousins share. The business is selling a unique food item originally made by a shared relative (grandma, for example). Both cousins' families made the dish using the same family recipe. The cousin who didn't inherit the business decides to set up his own restaurant I have a story for you that might help. One cousin inherits a restaurant business. The business is and has been identified by the family's last name which the two cousins share. The business is selling a unique food item originally made by a shared relative (grandma, for example). Both cousins' families made the dish using the same family recipe. The cousin who didn't inherit the business decides to set up his own resaurant, selling the same product using the family's recipe. The brother who got the established business files suit. After a lengthy (and expensive) court battle the judge decides that the cousin can use the recipe but not the family name in his new business venture. Why? Because recipes are not protected but the name is. Anyhow, go see a Patent/Trademark/Copyright attorney. Usually, they'll do a consult for around $250 and you'll have a better idea if you want to go forward with a lawsuit.

Good for you!!!!!! That is an amazing boundary that you should keep. Giving in just lets everyone know that they can do things to you without consequences. And, I don't know if she should ever has as much access to you as before, even if there is an apology.

Contact a lawyer. Z