Lucy Cooper AI image incident — Oct 2026

Hobart-based crochet artist Lucy Cooper has faced repeated intellectual property issues after discovering that other Etsy stores were selling AI-generated versions of her original spiral beanie pattern. Despite Etsy’s recent implementation of new policies aimed at curbing AI misuse, Cooper remains skeptical of the platform's ability to protect creators from unauthorized AI-generated copies.

What happened

Lucy Cooper, known for her 90s-surf-wear-inspired spiral beanie design, first encountered the issue when she found an Etsy store selling a copy of her pattern using AI-generated product imagery. Although Etsy announced a policy update intended to restrict AI-generated functional guides and require real product photos, the problem persisted. Following the policy announcement, Cooper discovered another store selling an AI-generated version of her beanie pattern, featuring eight product images that were entirely generated by AI. This specific listing was published on October 28, six days after the platform's policy update was announced.

Cooper expressed frustration that the new reporting features introduced by Etsy do not result in immediate enforcement actions. Instead, the platform stated that reports are currently being used to help understand how members perceive potential AI misuse. Cooper argued that the platform's reliance on sellers to be honest is insufficient, noting that listings reported for plagiarism or AI misuse should be taken down immediately. While Etsy has acknowledged that it has not addressed AI issues as quickly as users desired and described these changes as a starting point, creators like Cooper remain unconvinced that the current measures are effective in preventing the proliferation of AI-generated copies of their work.