Mirai Live Plagiarized?

[BonsaiDTLA]

Anything good on IG lately?

it depends, what are you into?

 

[leatherback]

Text on instagram? Isn't that for pretty picture sharing?

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Wasn't Boon the first to sell DVD's with instructions? Bonsai Empire is doing a 20 year(!) anniversary.
Mirai was established in 2010.

Who is plagiarizing who? Is it shameful?
I mean, saying those things can be dangerous, you might expose yourself.

 

[Arlithrien]

Competition is not plagiarism. Unless he's talking about actual plagiarism. But I can understand the frustration of a competitive market that is niche to begin with.

I thought the same, haha however I would probably be freaking out if I had that many trees in the south and couldn’t water em for like 6 days lol. Also if we’re lucky this might land us on the “talk sh*t get hit* section of unnamed professional’s podcast. I would be deeply honored lol

Call me cynical but that video was dramatized a bit although it does make for good content. If you're going to lose water, winter is probably the best time for that to happen as the trees are dormant. Then you have TN's humid, zone 7 climate which is going to be more forgiving than many of the hotter/drier areas of the country. If middle TN is anything like eastern TN, it rains there about 1/3 days of the year. The biggest danger is going to be the trees in the extremely shallow, bonsai pots.

If this thread doesn't make it onto TSGH I will be disappointed.

 

[johng]

As someone who has put a fair amount of instructional video content online, I can tell you that there have been multiple instances where folks outside of the US have downloaded my content and re-uploaded it as their own. In my view, this is more of a copyright issue than plagiarism but it is certainly one of several reasons that led me to stop creating instructional content. Unlike RN, I was not trying to make a living from my content...only trying to share knowledge and experiences...but I can certainly appreciate the frustrations involved.

 

[leatherback]

where folks outside of the US have downloaded my content and re-uploaded it as their own

I know a website strips my blogs and republishes them. Not been able to do much besides blocking their IP range from the site. It does take the fun out of things a bit.

 

[chicago1980]

So this question has been floating around in my head for a while. First let me start by saying, Mirai has probably been the single greatest resource for knowledge and inspiration since I started my bonsai journey last year, and with the recent events surrounding the vandalization of their garden, I want to keep this thread extremely respectful.

I noticed on an instagram post at the turn of the year that they stated that one of the things they faced in 2020 was shameful plagiarizing of their Mirai Live platform. I've got my own ideas about who they could possibly be referring to, and again, I think that Ryan has really created something special with the entirety of Mirai as a business, but I really wonder if another bonsai professional deciding to create a live subscription service can really be considered plagiarism, especially in 2020 when almost everyone has been driven to use digital platforms.

My own opinion is that they can't be plagiarized because their content can't actually be copied (Ryan is one of a kind, and so are his trees, and there are few teachers in any profession I know of that are as knowledgeable and down to earth as him). What's everyone think? Is it fair for them to think no one else should start a subscription service online with live Q&A or not? my personal take is no bc these are tools of the modern age to connect with people, and while the idea of merging these tools with bonsai learning might have been a first with Mirai, if we really want enthusiam for the art to grow, we'll need more "copies" of this type of service, however similar or different they are.

Lastly, mods please remove if this is inappropriate or anything like that.

Gossip and shit stirring must be a new technique in Bonsai.

 

[Woocash]

Strange thing when you brand yourself. You have to appear pleasant and approachable on the outside, but underneath you must be cutthroat and view any direct competition as a personal affront. Mirai isn’t in it to help, they’re in it to make money and based on their prices, no small amount either.

 

[Jluke33]

Gossip and shit stirring must be a new technique in Bonsai.

damn dude. it was a genuine question bc of the timing of the post related to someone elses release of a service, which someone else clarified for me that mirai was referring to someone pirating their videos. So honestly the original question is moot, but I thought we were keeping it fairly respectful until you rolled along

 

[Starfox]

Who?
Are they cheaper and accept paypal?

Answered my own questions.

Not really and yes.

 

[leatherback]

but I thought we were keeping it fairly respectful until you rolled along

it still is. There is another thread active currently, also on the topic of

Gossip and shit stirring

where people are really showing their real personality. It is not pretty.

 

[BobbyLane]

Ryan released a video a few hours ago, he just seems to be getting on with his trees.

 

[BobbyLane]

Strange thing when you brand yourself. You have to appear pleasant and approachable on the outside, but underneath you must be cutthroat and view any direct competition as a personal affront. Mirai isn’t in it to help, they’re in it to make money and based on their prices, no small amount either.

you really believe that. have you ever watched any of the videos? im not subscribed anymore but i think the content is extremely valuable.

In any business there is a little cutthroat here n there, some are more ruthless than others i guess. but then some are just 'better'. Ryan strikes me as the type that strives to be better, i dont think he needs to step on much toes to succeed he already has a great brand and model.
what i took from the last video is a guy who is extremely driven, fiercely determined and highly ambitious. thats hard to keep up with.
you can see from all the recent threads on here, that folk were expecting him to go on a rant n moan while they scoff popcorn, but he did the opposite and that probably pisses people off even more.

 

[keri-wms]

I kind of get the feeling the two main guys in the US ( ) have such different styles of presentation that they largely avoid each other’s market in terms of audience, but maybe the overlap % is pretty high? I’ve not seen the paid-for content though to be fair...

 

[BobbyLane]

I kind of get the feeling the two main guys in the US ( ) have such different styles of presentation that they largely avoid each other’s market in terms of audience, but maybe the overlap % is pretty high? I’ve not seen the paid-for content though to be fair...

there is a large enough market in the US and also worldwide for both to make a living from what they do. But again, Ryan has set the bar very high. that simple really.

 

[Colorado]

Anyone who has achieved the level of success that Ryan Neil has achieved with Mirai has some degree of a competitive nature. I can understand how he would feel frustrated. I do feel that there has been some pretty blatant “copying.”

Whether that amounts to “plagiarism” or some sort of legal infringement is a different question. My opinion would be “probably not.”

Fortunately for Ryan and Mirai, the others are just following in his wake. He’s pretty clearly the best bonsai artist in the world right now.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

 

[Woocash]

you really believe that. have you ever watched any of the videos? im not subscribed anymore but i think the content is extremely valuable.

In any business there is a little cutthroat here n there, some are more ruthless than others i guess. but then some are just 'better'. Ryan strikes me as the type that strives to be better, i dont think he needs to step on much toes to succeed he already has a great brand and model.
what i took from the last video is a guy who is extremely driven, fiercely determined and highly ambitious. thats hard to keep up with.
you can see from all the recent threads on here, that folk were expecting him to go on a rant n moan while they scoff popcorn, but he did the opposite and that probably pisses people off even more.

Well, yes and no. I admit I have no idea what was “plagiarised” so I don’t know if it was legitimate grievance or sour grapes that someone else has started a video subscription service, for example. I was also being somewhat tongue in cheek, but on the whole, yes he has monetised information that is all over the internet for free, albeit more polished and concise. Fair play to him. I don’t begrudge him. Though it is in his interest to help as many people as possible to increase his income.

It reminds me of an old boss of mine that started a company in a niche market and in less than three years was turning over a million+ . Someone else started a similar business in another area of the country and his greed and ambition automatically meant the rival company were scum and stealing his business. Nonsense. If you are successful someone will always try and copy a business plan or product. That’s just the nature of things, so unless someone was selling his content or copying his videos then no harm, no foul.

 

[BobbyLane]

Well, yes and no. I admit I have no idea what was “plagiarised” so I don’t know if it was legitimate grievance or sour grapes that someone else has started a video subscription service, for example. I was also being somewhat tongue in cheek, but on the whole, yes he has monetised information that is all over the internet for free, albeit more polished and concise. Fair play to him. I don’t begrudge him. Though it is in his interest to help as many people as possible to increase his income.

It reminds me of an old boss of mine that started a company in a niche market and in less than three years was turning over a million+ . Someone else started a similar business in another area of the country and his greed and ambition automatically meant the rival company were scum and stealing his business. Nonsense. If you are successful someone will always try and copy a business plan or product. That’s just the nature of things, so unless someone was selling his content or copying his videos then no harm, no foul.

Yeh true, the info is out there for sure although not in such fine detail and i think the vast majority just dont have the time or enthusiasm even to go searching for it to the extent that it would greatly benefit them. its much easier to get it all in one package, or hire someone to hover over you while you toil away, so Ryan has found a gap there.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

I know a website strips my blogs and republishes them. Not been able to do much besides blocking their IP range from the site. It does take the fun out of things a bit.

Try putting copyright watermarks on your images, and consider posting your blog not in text format, but in an image format with watermarks.

Move the watermarks around. Make them less noticeable. Put them in the background of your images where they are hard to remove. Basically make it difficult for the pirate to simply cut and paste your content.

 

[leatherback]

He’s pretty clearly the best bonsai artist in the world right now

Or the most publicized? Visibility does not one-on-one equal quality.
I would entertain the idea there are a few people that nobody really knows outside their own circle who are quite good in their own right.