Plagiarism is the “wrongful appropriation” and “stealing and publication” of another author’s “language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions” and the representation of them as one’s own original work.
I am saddened that once again my artwork has been plagiarised by people on Twitter and Facebook.
For those that don’t understand the meaning of the word plagiarism, even with the above dictionary definition, I will spell it out…..
It means using someone else’s work and/or posting it online or any other place and claiming that it is your own. It doesn’t matter whether it is artwork, writing, music, thoughts or ideas.
If it belongs to someone else i.e. THEY made it, suggested it, posted it, wrote about it first, or it was their idea; then you have no right in using it! (except with permission).
Just because you found it on Google, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram , your WhatsApp group or the many other platforms that we are used to dealing with, doesn’t give you a right to use it.
The even BIGGER CRIME is when someone uses your work and removes your handle/signature/credit and claims that it is their work.
Such people are despicable and deserve everything that the law can throw at them.
REMEMBER…
IGNORANCE is not an excuse and is not acceptable in a law court!
Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect, and primarily encompasses copyrights, trademarks and patents. It also includes other types of rights, such as trade secrets, publicity rights, moral rights, and rights against unfair competition. Artistic works like music and literature, as well as some discoveries, inventions, words, phrases, symbols, and designs can all be protected as intellectual property.
I’m sure I’m not the only artist to be affected by this issue. I won’t be the first and unfortunately I won’t be the last.
But it is this very issue which made me leave Twitter recently and which has been instrumental in my not having this website up and running properly. I have yet to find a way of posting my work which is foolproof to abusers without scrawling my signature all over it and embellishing it with DO NOT COPY and COPYRIGHT notices and thereby spoiling it for potential customers who want to buy my works.
And even THAT is not FOOLPROOF. With so many Apps out there that can turn an artwork into a ‘sketch’, even the ‘Great Masters’ are not immune to abuse.
They say that Artwork is subjective and that is so true. Very few people actually appreciate a genuine drawing, painting or sketch anymore. With so many drawing and editing Apps available to anyone, ‘free, gratis and for nothing’ (to coin a phrase), anyone can create a ‘masterpiece’ in seconds.
I know, I’ve tried it!
They can also change, edit and remove your signature, with a little patience. Screenshots are so easy, even on reliable websites that claim to protect you from plagiarism.
It always amazes me (and saddens me) to see that an ‘edit’ or a ‘sketchy’ can gain more ‘likes’ ‘retweets’ etc on all platforms, than a genuine piece of artwork. It’s crazy. Have we degenerated so much as humans, that we can’t differentiate between REAL and FAKE?
People also don’t seem to be aware of Copyright Laws. I’m sure they are taught in schools and collages. But just to remind people:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright
Using someone’s trade mark, patent, copyright or design without their permission is known as ‘IP infringement’ and could lead to a fine, prison or both.
Is art no longer ART? Is beauty only in the eye of the beholder and we are so used to automated images that we no longer appreciate ‘real talent’?
Do people not appreciate that an artwork takes not only hours, days, but even weeks to create?
Like books, which you can now read digitally, art will soon be a thing of the past. Like robots taking over the world, we will soon forget how to appreciate anything man-made.
We will all become mindless morons with no taste or ideas of our own, needing an App to do everything for us.
I would normally put a picture here, but I’m afraid it will be stolen!
LindiArt 