Copyright Infringement Clarification

It is painfully disheartening that people fail to accept that not everything on the Internet is under a Creative Content License, especially when it clearly states on the bottom of every page of this site "Copyright Great Lakes Staple Seeds, LLC @ 2023."

2023 January 1 - Seneca Bird Egg Bean vs Seneca Indian Bean

In the past, the rare copyright infringement issues were resolved without controversy. Unfortunately Heritage Meadows Farm of Clayton Indiana refuses to remove plagiarized content from their site. Mid January 2022, I became aware that the content for several of their bean listings were direct copies of my content. I reached out asking that their listings be changed to remove the copied content. After a round-about Facebook discussion it was stated "ok and I am sorry for that but will adjust mine just the same as I am not here to make enemies. Have a great evening." Changes were made. I believed the issue resolved.

Sadly I recently discovered that the photo and opening text of their Seneca Indian Bean is still plagiarized from my Seneca Bird Egg listing. Upon reaching out again, they have since changed their photo to a bean that does not even resemble Seneca Bird Egg but have kept my text. The reason given for keeping the text is that it was what was provided with the seeds they sourced from a different supplier. Well, in 2019 I contacted another company regarding their copyright infringement of my Seneca Bird Egg listing; as hoped, the company in question acknowledged the unintended misuse of content and made the appropriate changes to their listing.

I strongly suspect that company routinely passed along the plagiarized content prior to our conversation that resulted in the changes to their listing. I pointed this out to Heritage Meadows Farm and offered to forward my original 2019 correspondence. That they unfortunately received content that was in violation is not of question. The disappointing fact is they have been informed the content they are currently using is a misuse of my intellectual property that is protected under Digital Media Copyright Act and they refuse to further alter their listing. Heritage Meadows Farm did not write the opening content of their Seneca Indian Bean listing. They admit they didn't. Back in January of 2022 they stated they would remove copied content. But now, for reasons beyond my comprehension, I mean why not take pride in your site and provide your own content based off your personal experiences, they refuse to remove the plagiarized content. So this is a clarifaction of the copyright infringement Heritage Meadows Farm is continuing in their Seneca Indian Bean listing.

Great Lakes Staple Seeds is the original (2018) author of its Seneca Bird Egg Bean listing:

"Seneca Bird Egg Beans are flavorful snaps and exceptional dry beans so it's not surprising they are often chosen as the "one bean to grow if I could only grow one variety". The curved, constricted pods are considered fiberless and remain edible for a long picking window. When allowed to dry, they hold an average of six unique round beans that are favorites in soup, cornbread or mashed. One of our more later maturing varieties but still very productive for us before our first frost 13 October."

Compare to Heritage Meadows Farm's 2022 Seneca Indian Bean listing:

“Seneca Indian Beans are flavorful snaps and exceptional dry beans so it's not surprising they are often chosen as the "one bean to grow if I could only grow one variety". The curved, constricted pods are considered fiberless and remain edible for a long picking window. When allowed to dry, they hold an average of six unique round beans that are favorites in soup, cornbread or mashed. One of our more later maturing varieties but still very productive."

 

Which coincidentally, except for the "Indian" in place of "Bird Egg" is the same content at the heart of the 2019 correspondence with the other company that was removed in compliance of digital media copyright.

 

It is regretable that Heritage Meadows Farm chooses to use content on their site that is in violation of Great Lakes Staple Seeds' copyright, despite their earlier assurance they'd change their listings and our recent conversation where I again made the request for compliance. And there is no loss of irony that their site's Terms and Conditions make the same claim to their rights of protection of intellectual property as the one they are willfully disregarding on my site.

I love adding other small seed houses to my posted list of regional companies, and honestly that is what had me recently revisit their site, but a company that lacks the integrity to respect the intellectual property rights of a fellow small business is not one I can recommend.

 

A second consideration for my not recommending them is now the photo they've swapped to is not representative of the corresponding text. I composed the text specifically for Seneca Bird Egg, not whatever bean is in the photo. Having grown Seneca Bird Egg, the photo displayed is not Seneca Bird Egg. So, if ordered, are you getting the beans shown in the photo? Or the variety described in the text? And since knowingly misrepresenting this listing, what else is suspect?

 

When the appropriate change is made, I will readily and quite gladly amend this statement.