Hey there...
A question and your professional opinion please.
A fellow practitioner took a canine conditioning class from me last year, and learned what I teach in my classes. I found out today she is now “teaching” a canine conditioning class. The outline is similar to what I taught.
How would you handle this situation?
CT
Stolen material
Re: Stolen material
Hey C,
Okay… so firstly, ask yourself how much time and energy do you want to invest in this issue?
Is he/she close enough to likely be poaching clients?
Do you have any idea how much of what this person is teaching is yours?
Do you make participants sign any sort of agreement about the course materials?
Technically, just by printing it, it is copyrighted ‘printed’ material… but trying to defend such a thing would likely cost you more than it’s worth.
I know that with a picture, you only need to alter it by 10% to be able to make it yours. I don’t know about something like a course.
Exercises are exercises - rehab practitioners can learn them in many places. Many rehab practitioners are teaching conditioning classes (so the knowledge / thoughts / concepts might not necessarily be unique to just you.)
I run this risk whenever I teach. And I’m sure that my materials have been stolen and repurposed many times over. I’ve wondered the same thing many times - what could I or what should I do? I choose to put trust in the goodness of others and in the bigger purpose (‘things happen for a reason’, ‘let karma decide’, ‘learn the lesson you need to learn’, etc.)
Your options are to do nothing, send this person a letter / note telling him/her how you feel, or have a cease and desist letter sent from your lawyer (whether you follow up or not is up to you… but it severs any future congeniality.)
But I totally get that it feels like a kick in the teeth!
Laurie
Okay… so firstly, ask yourself how much time and energy do you want to invest in this issue?
Is he/she close enough to likely be poaching clients?
Do you have any idea how much of what this person is teaching is yours?
Do you make participants sign any sort of agreement about the course materials?
Technically, just by printing it, it is copyrighted ‘printed’ material… but trying to defend such a thing would likely cost you more than it’s worth.
I know that with a picture, you only need to alter it by 10% to be able to make it yours. I don’t know about something like a course.
Exercises are exercises - rehab practitioners can learn them in many places. Many rehab practitioners are teaching conditioning classes (so the knowledge / thoughts / concepts might not necessarily be unique to just you.)
I run this risk whenever I teach. And I’m sure that my materials have been stolen and repurposed many times over. I’ve wondered the same thing many times - what could I or what should I do? I choose to put trust in the goodness of others and in the bigger purpose (‘things happen for a reason’, ‘let karma decide’, ‘learn the lesson you need to learn’, etc.)
Your options are to do nothing, send this person a letter / note telling him/her how you feel, or have a cease and desist letter sent from your lawyer (whether you follow up or not is up to you… but it severs any future congeniality.)
But I totally get that it feels like a kick in the teeth!
Laurie
LAURIE EDGE-HUGHES