If you're an independent Mac software developer, having a wicked cool icon for your application is both a blessing and a curse. Users will remember you for the sleek, Leopard-ready goodness of your icon ... and other unscrupulous marketers will rip you off shamelessly to promote their own products, rather than ponying up for an original design.
The all-time champion victim (self-reported) of icons ripped off is Panic's Transmit FTP tool; the little truck shows up just about everywhere you could possibly imagine. New to the underground icon market, however, is the 1Password browser-key logo -- it may make you think "Hey, I could drive Safari to the supermarket!" but apparently the makers of ProductKeyFinder, a Windows serial number app, found it too delicious to pass up. The purloined product identity is visible on PKF's eBay sales page and on Flickr. It looks like the packaging has been updated (and the product renamed to Product Key Explorer), so this tale of icon swiping has a happy ending.
Thanks Roustem!
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-06-2008 @ 3:52PM
Castle said...
The saddest thing is that people bid $15 for software that is freely distributed on the internet. This guy didn't even develop it – he's merely selling CDs with free software on it, much like you can sell Linux CDs.
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5-06-2008 @ 3:54PM
David Teare said...
What really gets my fur up is that if you are going to rip something off, at least have the decency to make it look good.
The window on the box is "tilted" inwards, the 1Password icon is "flat", and the entire box is "tilted" again. Mixing all these orientations makes the entire image look odd.
And what is it about Windows programs and the color green? I guess Windows users are used to things looking ugly and won't mind, but when stealing our icon at least make it match your overall color design!
--Dave Teare
Co-author of 1Password
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5-09-2008 @ 12:25AM
Mark S said...
Dave, can Agile file a lawsuit over this? If so, I wish you good luck! I find this appalling.
5-06-2008 @ 4:02PM
emil said...
ripping off icons… that doesn't seem very "professional" to me
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5-06-2008 @ 5:33PM
Rhywun said...
1. But Dave, the sickly green cast over the box turns your icon a lovely aqua... ah, forget it.
2. "Finder" becomes "Explorer" - hmmmm. Maybe they were trying to throw us off the scent.
3. I cannot view the site at work - my company blocks it and warns of "hacking". Very rare, that.
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5-07-2008 @ 6:22PM
ryanknapper said...
BeOS icons have been pilfered for years.
http://-kol.deviantart.com/art/BeOS-Icons-2006589
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5-09-2008 @ 7:43PM
Brad Miller said...
Here's another. The icon the AP is using for their new iPhone site, http://apnews.com is pretty close to ripping off Cyndicate's icon. Load the URL on an iPhone and then "add to Home Screen" to see the icon they're using.
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