I've not shared this much. I made it last year. I was so proud of the idea, not this specific version, that I've guarded it so a company like Urban Outfitters couldn't steal it. My design copyright was rejected but I realized yesterday that the rejection itself is a proof of original authorship from the government.
There's a similar concept floating around and I hate it because I think it's very lazy design.
Nice one. I like the colors. I remember learning a trick in school about copyright. If you ever want proof of authorship what you can do is mail yourself a copy of the design and then never open the letter. This way, the envelope is time stamped and the image inside is kept safe.
That's not as secure as an actual trademark or copyright. Yes, you own what you create. I was just worried about a legal fight I can't afford. But I have a hard copy that proves an ownership that predates any appearance online of my design and that hard copy is from the government. I was more paranoid about legal fees than being unable to prove ownership. I'm still not on rock solid ground because IANAL (my favorite internet acronym). I don't know either solution is rock solid to be honest. It's not doing me any good just sitting there in my head though
I'm just comfortable enough to start sharing with the combination of the copyright office recognition and that that will help me plead my case to the online creative community should I encounter any monkey business as I decide how to monetize an idea in an age where ideas aren't all that valuable. So, fuck you pay me, to the point where I say fine that's enough, I'm fine with reproduction. It's a weird world to navigate when you think you have anything of value that can be copy pasted in half a second or reproduced easily by anyone with Illustrator.