Cake Decorating Community - Cakes We Bake

I have a question about cake ideas.... If you or a customer, searches the internet, and you find a cake that they or you like and you try to replicated the cake, sometimes exactly, sometimes with your own spin on it.....Is that stealing? or should you use it for a contest or a show?  Making money off of it?  Was just thinking about that....want ya'll thoughts on this one.

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oh my could you imaging having to put the names of people that have done these cakes just to give them credit? Its not plagiarism here.

Dawn i totally agree with you. get a grip people

I agree that using a previously made cake as inspiration is ok, if not impossible to avoid.  But to copy defeats the whole idea of being a cake designer/decorator.  I think that anyone can "copy" something else.  But to make something your own, or better yet create something completely different is the real accomplishment.

We copy ideas.  call it want you want.  We copy ideas.

 

I've seen very similar bustier cakes.  Pink, the ruffle around the edging - all of it.  I've seen extremely similar red rose cakes wit the images.  VERY similar.  We all copy ideas.

 

Every time we make a draped cake - it's a straight out copy.

But no does create something completely different.  No one.  At least I'm not seeing it.

Ken Kramer said:
I agree that using a previously made cake as inspiration is ok, if not impossible to avoid.  But to copy defeats the whole idea of being a cake designer/decorator.  I think that anyone can "copy" something else.  But to make something your own, or better yet create something completely different is the real accomplishment.
I agree with Holly, give the customer what they want but bring your own ideas to a competition or show.

When I come to CWB I love to see others Ideas and creations....Your ART of putting things together and making them look so BEAUTIFUL is very Impressive : ) and one such as I can only learn from them. The eye loves what it loves some of our egos just will not STAND for that and they are the ones who will MISS out...Though I have only been baking for the last 8 months and I have found myself liking what I do....Designer take from the little things that go unnoticed and make them into the biggest projects on a RED CARPET  It's all about SUCCESS....EVERYONE'S VOICE HAS TO BE HEARD THROUGH A SONG IT'S NOT THEIR SONG BUT IT'S ONE THAT THEY KNOW and they keep singing it until they are discovered and that the REAL art behind it. The last I checked the customer was ALWAYS RIGHT is a successful business. ANYTHING with a spin on it is a COPY no matter which way you look at it. I agree with DAWN on this one.

 

I so have to learn how to work this I thought I replied to this yesterday and couldn't find it until I was told how to check it.....lol 

sorry .... ALWAYS RIGHT in a .....

Tiffany Walker said:

When I come to CWB I love to see others Ideas and creations....Your ART of putting things together and making them look so BEAUTIFUL is very Impressive : ) and one such as I can only learn from them. The eye loves what it loves some of our egos just will not STAND for that and they are the ones who will MISS out...Though I have only been baking for the last 8 months and I have found myself liking what I do....Designer take from the little things that go unnoticed and make them into the biggest projects on a RED CARPET  It's all about SUCCESS....EVERYONE'S VOICE HAS TO BE HEARD THROUGH A SONG IT'S NOT THEIR SONG BUT IT'S ONE THAT THEY KNOW and they keep singing it until they are discovered and that the REAL art behind it. The last I checked the customer was ALWAYS RIGHT is a successful business. ANYTHING with a spin on it is a COPY no matter which way you look at it. I agree with DAWN on this one.

 

I so have to learn how to work this I thought I replied to this yesterday and couldn't find it until I was told how to check it.....lol 

I do some cakes based on imitation, inspiration, reproduction, or however you care to term it.  I don't really think you can avoid it if you are looking at other's work.  There are things that stick in my mind and come back to me later when I need them.  While my skills aren't as good as others I hope that I, in turn, offer some inspiration to others. 

 

Unfortunately, this topic is probably as volatile as scratch baking vs. box baking.  Everyone has their own opinion and is convinced that their way is the better way.  I agree with Denise that this forum presents an opportunity for multiple opinions and we should respect each other's opinions.  Thanks for keeping this discussion friendly.     

Did you make your own contract or is there a site to go to for ideas in what to include?

Denise said:

I tell clients that I am happy to take inspiration from pictures hey find, but I will NOT duplicate the design. That's like a bride finding a Vera Wang wedding gown she likes and asking someone to make a knock-off for her. It THAT is the cake you want then go and pay THEM for it!

FYI, I have had a bride do that to Me. I was too expensive so she took MY design and had someone else make it. GRRRR!  I was new and inexperienced then. NOW I get a signed contract and non-refundable deposit before I show ANY design work or ideas.

 

Denise, I too have had brides do that to me when I first started out, and I wasn't even expensive! So what I started doing was charging a 50.00 consult for for 1 hour, including a tasting. This covered my time and expense with the cake, etc. If they wanted me to do the cake and I got a full deposit, only then could they take the drawing with them. The 50 dollars didn't include the drawing. That seemed to solve everything for me. Hope this helps someone out there.  :)

 

I have a background in writing, where the issue of plagiarism comes up quite often, so I thought I would explain that plagiarism takes place when a person takes copy's someone else's work--or even their idea-- and passes it off as his/her own.  However, if s/he "cites" the person then there should not be a problem morally or legally.  In visual arts, when a painting is copied, the artist would entitle a copy, or a similar representation, "After DaVinci" if s/he copied DaVinci's painting, to ensure that s/he is not trying to pass it off as the original.  Another idea is to put a label beside the cake (for a contest or in advertising your business) simply stating "Inspired by The Cake Boss" if you took the Cake Boss' idea and changed it to reflect your own style. If we do this we can feel confident presenting our incredible work with a clear conscience. When entering a contest, simply state that this you have created a replication or the cake has been inspired by a certain cake artist. Then you will know whether it is acceptable. It is an amazing feat to replicate a master's work!



JJ Becker said:

Copying another artists work is called plagiarism.  You have to do what you feel comfortable with. I will take inspiration from cakes I've seen but i wont usually copy it; Most cases I can't because cake decorating is very subjective stylistically.

 

I also find it a little insulting when a customer asks me to do that, it's like they're saying my own ideas aren't good enough for them.

I appreciate the clarification.  I think there is a lot of grey area in this business when it comes to this subject.  For example, a customer brought me a picture of a cake made by a baker up the road and asked if I could duplicate it.  I had a problem with this.   There is nothing aside from professional courtesy to prevent someone doing this.  Clearly competition is a good thing, but if I found out a bakery in town was replicating my work I would be upset, and I would want to do something about it.

 

I don't feel like the DaVinci analogy is apt because DaVinci is no longer collecting royalties, and his work only collects dust in museums.  Our work is here today and gone tomorrow with nothing but pictures to prove it, and yes, mimicry is the purest form of flattery, but flattery don't pay my lease customers do.

Juliet said:


I have a background in writing, where the issue of plagiarism comes up quite often, so I thought I would explain that plagiarism takes place when a person takes copy's someone else's work--or even their idea-- and passes it off as his/her own.  However, if s/he "cites" the person then there should not be a problem morally or legally.  In visual arts, when a painting is copied, the artist would entitle a copy, or a similar representation, "After DaVinci" if s/he copied DaVinci's painting, to ensure that s/he is not trying to pass it off as the original.  Another idea is to put a label beside the cake (for a contest or in advertising your business) simply stating "Inspired by The Cake Boss" if you took the Cake Boss' idea and changed it to reflect your own style. If we do this we can feel confident presenting our incredible work with a clear conscience. When entering a contest, simply state that this you have created a replication or the cake has been inspired by a certain cake artist. Then you will know whether it is acceptable. It is an amazing feat to replicate a master's work!



JJ Becker said:

Copying another artists work is called plagiarism.  You have to do what you feel comfortable with. I will take inspiration from cakes I've seen but i wont usually copy it; Most cases I can't because cake decorating is very subjective stylistically.

 

I also find it a little insulting when a customer asks me to do that, it's like they're saying my own ideas aren't good enough for them.

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