Help Stop DYANEEO.COM From Ripping Us Off

On July 6, 2022, I received an email from someone asking if I was affiliated with a website called Dyaneeo.com.

Apparently she had ordered some templates for something similar to my origami twist box project from Dyaneeo and received a set of instructions that were taken verbatim from my blog post. The images were also reproduced, albeit without my identifying logo.

I must remind that my efforts were only made possible by a YouTube video and original templates/tutorial provided by origami crafter Judith Magan. As it happens, her images (and video) were also being used by Dyaneeo to sell these plastic templates. (The video even appears with the Dyaneeo logo hovering over top of it.)

image from Dyaneeo

Not only that, images from YouTuber HandyMum Lin's similar take on this project was featured on the listing as well, along with photos taken from various other online sources.

 

For all of the appropriations pertaining in this particular listing, the intellectual property that's being used without permission doesn't have a fixed monetary value.

As far as I can tell, none of us were selling any aspects of our projects. (Although one was a retailer selling actual physical storage units.) But that doesn't mean that our intellectual property is free to take without permission or compensation.

While Dyaneeo does sell sewing tools and gadgets, it appears to have set up a good portion of its business on the back of stolen digital content.

Read on for proof of their audacious copyright infringing behaviour. At the bottom, I will keep track of this on-going issue with updates as they occur.

SOME AFFECTED DESIGNERS

As a small way of supporting some of the designers who have been ripped off by Dyaneeo, I am providing links to their real shops for the affected projects noted below.

Minki Kim has several of her designs "featured" at Dyaneeo.com; here are two of the five that I identified.

This is her Coffee Cup Potholder pattern. (By the way, her projects are also found on her YouTube channel; the videos — or portions thereof — have also been used on Dyaneeo's listings.)

Image on the left is from Dyaneeo's listing. The image at right is from Minki Kim's shop (link is here).

By the way, do you see the name "Doroccie Shop" in the photo? Guess what you'll find if you conduct a search on that name? Right, another scam business that is currently closed, having only had some presence in November of 2021 according to their Facebook page.

This is Minki Kim's Fabric Easter Egg pattern.

Image on the left is from Dyaneeo's listing. The image at right is from Minki Kim's shop (link is here).

At this point, I have to ask... why would anyone need to purchase plastic templates for such a simple project? That is, why choose this project to rip off?

Tomato Candy is a YouTube channel that I check out every now and then. I actually made her magic basket project. Dyaneeo liked it too, apparently.

Image on the left is from Dyaneeo's listing. The image at right is from Tomato Candy's shop (link is here).

This is Tomato Candy's Cookie Basket/Bowl.

Image on the left is from Dyaneeo's listing. The image at right is from Tomato Candy's shop (link is here).

IThinkSew is another designer whose projects I have made in the past (Seth and Ollie.) I recognized this Jena Bag as Sue Kim's as soon as I saw it.

Image on the left is from Dyaneeo's listing. The image at right is from IThinkSew's shop (link is here).

I don't know much about this next designer, but thought the project was quite intriguing. The company name is Aunties Two and this is the Woven Spirals storage basket. (There is a YouTube video for this project if you're interested in seeing how it's put together.)

Image on the left is from Dyaneeo's listing. The image at right is from Aunties Two's shop (link is here).

There are many more projects on Dyaneeo's site that I recognize, but I think the point is made with what I've shown here. Apart from items that are sold exclusively as sewing and quilting tools, it looks as though all of their tutorials and PDFs have been blatantly appropriated. The above evidence certainly shows that images have been freely used, often edited to remove watermarks and otherwise embellished (e.g., the cookies in the basket above).

WHAT TO DO?

If you have had your intellectual property stolen by these people (or any other people), take action. I especially recommend those who have potential PDFs being redistributed to buy a copy of what Dyaneeo is selling to verify for yourself the extent of the abuse. Pay with PayPal ; they should be able to assist on copyright violations.

Submit reviews of these places where you can. For example, I submitted one for MalltoonVIP.com (look below at my update section for what this is) at ScamAdvisor.com:

Unfortunately, there is never an option for "0" stars...

If you're able to tag your images (or edit the descriptions to blog posts as I did) to bring attention to the scam, do so. Here are examples of how other sources are now displaying my twist box project.

This is Pinterest:

This is a site called Artofit.org:

What can the rest of you do to help?

Notify Affected Copyright Holders

Take a look through Dyaneeo.com's offerings. If you recognize a project, try to match it up with the actual copyright owner. (A search on the name of the project while looking at the results as images often yields quick success.) Contact the owner with a link to the content in question and explain what's happening.

Be A Better Consumer

If you have any sort of social media accounts with any sort of following, post about this issue and then caution people against indiscriminate online buying. We need to be better shoppers so that these sites don't keep popping up and taking advantage of us.

What do I mean by that? No matter how neat, nifty and cheap some item might be, don't just click and buy. Take a look through the company's About Us page before you plunk down your hard earned money. How does it read? Does it make sense? Do parts of it "sound" markedly different from other parts — i.e., formal language that suddenly segues into a hip, conversational tone — like it was written by two or three different people with varying language skills? (Or is the About Us page missing altogether? That's a "tell" if there ever was one!)

Unfortunately, this person qualifies as a stupid shopper...

I have read TOO MANY reviews from folks who have been scammed way too easily. It's not politically correct to blame the victim, but good lord, there is an epidemic of stupidity out there when it comes to being lured by the prospect of a "good deal" and not thinking one nanosecond before buying from a totally unknown entity.

Dyaneeo's About Us page is a hot mess. I was therefore surprised to find it reproduced almost word for word — with the same type of errors — at a totally different entity called Wec-Store. This place apparently sells automotive parts, but still seems to be a work in progress (a lot of 404s when you click on menu items).

About Us page from wec-store.com...

Here's a simple stress test: copy out a sentence or two, put quotes around them and do a search for that string of text. For example, I took part of the first sentence in the above About Us page ("we love every passion and interest on Earth because it is a reference to your Imagination") and it came back with 209 results.

I then randomly clicked on one of them — Allens.shop — and up popped the essentially identical About Us page as Dyaneeo's (containing the same mistakes of other/previous company names like Beyond Vault). And here's the really mind-blowing thing: it's another sewing tools site!

(－‸ლ)

Anyway. What I'm trying to point out is that if a company's About Us page is sketchy, you shouldn't trust them with your business. Same goes for their Terms of Service or Terms & Conditions, Privacy Policy and Contact Us pages. I know we're practically wired to ignore those things, but don't. (Oh, and if you can't find a link to a Terms & Conditions page, consider that a big, flapping red flag. I challenge you to find one on Dyaneeo's site; it's there, just not easily accessible.)

Spread the Word

 

Lastly, do a search of their name with the word "scam" or "review" after it. There's a certain sense of vindication in seeing this on the third page of results:

Let me repeat, if you have any way of spreading the word about Dyaneeo and sites like it, please do so. These places usually also have a Facebook or Instagram account. If you have evidence of a scam, let their potential customers know via those platforms.

Dyaneeo's Facebook account is here: https://www.facebook.com/Dyaneeo-Sewing-Shop-600600373733809/?ref=page_internal

THE ONGOING CHALLENGE

I will maintain this page as an on-going concern and will update with anything new as it happens.

There are a couple of responses I am waiting on right now as it is still early days, but if any new tactics arise that can be employed across the board, I will pass them along.

Filed Complaint with eCommerce Provider (July 14 Update)

I stumbled upon a link to Shoplazza.com from the footer text of Dyaneeo's site. The About Us page states that they are an eCommerce platform that started up in 2017, in Canada.

I sent off a brief inquiry as to whether Dyaneeo is using their service and received a prompt affirmative response.

It may be too small to read the above (click on it to see it better), but the link that they direct me to use to submit a formal complaint is this one: https://www.shoplazza.com/pages/landing-page-ip-complaints

Being that this is purportedly a Canadian company, I would suggest that anyone affected by Dyaneeo's intellectual property theft should start there. While their registrar host (DNSPod / Tencent) has a similar complaint process, it's a company from China and I wouldn't put a great deal of hope in being dealt with in a timely fashion. (Not to say that you shouldn't try that as a backup plan; the more effort we all put into this, the better our overall outcome.)

It may or may not surprise you to learn that Shoplazza itself seems to have enabled a lot of bogus companies to pull off their scammy operations. Their Trustpilot reviews are horrendous, due to people mistaking them for the illegitimate operations who use their services. Unfortunately, we can be judged by the company we keep.

And on that note, let's make it a priority to work together where we can. If you're a designer fighting this, let me know what progress you make. Drop a comment below (or email to me directly) if you come across any new "sharp tools" to use against these malicious people!

Project Listing Removed from Dyaneeo.com (July 30 Update)

I checked Dyaneeo today for their "Twist Storage Box" templates listing (the one based on my origami twist box project) and got this:

image courtesy of Dyaneeo.com...

I have not received any actual replies to my emails (the one to support@dyaneeo.com came back undelivered and nothing definitive yet has come out of the complaint to Shoplazza), but it looks like the message was received, at least where my issue is concerned. 

However, it appears as though the "tip of the iceberg" analogy is proving accurate again. I found yet another site today that is essentially a duplicate of Dyaneeo. Will be back soon with an update on that.

Mountains of Other Suspect Sewing Supplies Sites (August 2 Update)

When I searched again for that phrase in Dyaneeo's About Us page, I decided to click on each result as it came up. I ended up with many similar looking sites selling sewing supplies. Here are some of them, along with their dates of domain registration and who/where they are registered:

https://www.kerintailor.live/collections/quilting-patchwork?spm=..page_1829945.header_1.1

(December 31, 2021, GoDaddy, Arizona)

https://www.realus.shop/collections/quilting-patchwork?spm=..page_1338639.header_1.1

(November 6, 2021, GoDaddy, Arizona)

https://www.aromary.live/collections/quilting-patchwork?spm=..page_1696963.header_1.1

(December 31, 2021, GoDaddy, Arizona)

https://www.floralwreath.shop/?spm=..collection_ed407fe2-7890-49be-8641-669aefe0a4e8.header_1.1&spm_prev=..page_2078789.header_1.1

(February 17. 2022, GoDaddy, Arizona)

https://www.luluwindiy.shop/collections/quilting-patchwork?spm=..page_2096021.header_1.1

(February 17. 2022, GoDaddy, Arizona)

https://www.ameliia.shop/collections/%F0%9F%8C%9Fquilting-patchwork?spm=..page_1390539.header_1.1

(November 19, 2021, Alibaba, China)

https://www.bigmusubi.com/collections/sewing-template

(August 10, 2021, NameSilo, Arizona)

https://cacafashion.shop/collections/sale

(April 21, 2022, NameSilo, Arizona)

https://www.newideaa.shop/collections/quilting-patchwork?spm=..page_1604931.header_1.1

(June 1, 2022, China)

If you're a designer and have been affected by Dyaneeo, I suggest you copy the URLs above and plunk them into your browser. You may find your projects propagated through these sites as well. 

You may also want to try these sites. (They are currently designated as "unavailable" as of this update, but one never knows if that's because they're not ready yet.)

https://www.allens.shop/pages/about-us

https://www.southerntailor.shop/pages/about-us

https://www.cicibar.live/pages/about-us

https://www.sewingmart.top/pages/about-us

https://www.sandora.store/pages/about-us-1

Action from Shoplazza (August 4 Update)

While checking for my project on Dyaneeo, I was drawn to a video that I recognized from YouTube. As I peered closely at the associated images, I found a word:

image from Dyaneeo.com...

I eventually deciphered it as "Malltoon" and proceeded to search for it. (By the way, this is an example of what Dyaneeo is selling: a plastic template for you to draw zipper boxes. Isn't that just the thing you never knew you needed?? Oh, and it was "on sale" for $15.75 USD... such a bargain!)

Turns out MalltoonVIP.com is almost an exact duplicate of Dyaneeo.com. My project exists there also, leading me to reach out to Shoplazza to find out if they are also the ecommerce system providers for them. 

I will say that Shoplazza appears to be fairly prompt with their replies. I received some clarification with their next message, finding out that their Safety Team had reached out to me with a couple of messages regarding the Dyaneeo issue... that I never received. (The messages were not in my Spam folder either. What are the odds?) They also confirmed that MalltoonVIP is from the same merchant as Dyaneeo.

Emails from Shoplazza...

Since the interaction with Shoplazza seemed to be successful, I made another submission re: MalltoonVIP.com. (And as of today's date, that same listing has been deleted from that site.) But I am also going to write a letter about the broader issue (as I will expound on in my blog post this coming weekend) of IP theft and how companies like theirs are actually making it easier to accomplish.

Sites Taken Down (Update August 11)

Woke up this morning to an email worth celebrating: Dyaneeo.com, MalltoonVIP.com, and the majority of the "mountains" of other scammy sites that I listed in my August 2 update have all been taken down by Shoplazza.

I was actually "listened to" by individuals at Shoplazza, who took me at my word about other listings (some featuring designers who did not respond to my warnings about being ripped off, so a big "you're welcome" to them) and apparently could not argue with the logic that a single IP violation is an IP violation and therefore services should be terminated on that very basis. The "slap on the wrist" penalty of simply taking down a listing based on a copyright owner reporting an individual issue is a cop-out approach, and I think Shoplazza realizes that now.

I'm feeling oddly vindicated and vindictive at the same time.

The Phoenix Rises (Update August 12)

I knew this would happen, but the speed with which it did should be a huge wakeup call to all of us.

Dyaneeo.com is back up and running again. Using a different ecommerce provider, obviously, which may not be as cooperative. I have other ideas that I may want to implement, but since I am not personally affected, it'll be more of a challenge to deal with this.

Other Sites to Avoid (Update August 22)

Just to add to my list of shops that seem to match Dyaneeo's "product line"...

https://www.synthiia.com

https://www.doroocie.com

https://www.eachioosewing.com

https://www.chellosewingshop.com

If you're a designer who's been affected by the others, you may want to check these ones too. If you're a shopper, just don't buy from them.

Meanwhile, a few YouTube "scam alert" videos have popped up, warning about Dyaneeo. However, judging by the content, it's obvious that these YouTube "artists" are merely using the recent publicity to make money for themselves. While they broadly highlight the usual things to look out for, nowhere do they mention the fact that Dyaneeo uses intellectual property without permission.