I could be wrong, but I suspect the legitimacy or illegitimacy of copying design is a red herring here.
Perhaps svbtle's invite-only status made people feel like outsiders, perhaps something you've done in the past rubbed someone the wrong way - either way, I suspect the personal dislike comes first and the justification for the action comes second. If the design of a much-beloved figure here was stolen, I suspect the reaction and the arguments in the thread would be very different.
Stanley Fish wrote an interesting opinion piece recently about this impulse, applied to politics:
Perhaps svbtle's invite-only status made people feel like outsiders, perhaps something you've done in the past rubbed someone the wrong way - either way, I suspect the personal dislike comes first and the justification for the action comes second. If the design of a much-beloved figure here was stolen, I suspect the reaction and the arguments in the thread would be very different.
Stanley Fish wrote an interesting opinion piece recently about this impulse, applied to politics:
http://campaignstops.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/12/two-cheers...