I'll update this journal with more information if people make suggestions, or if I find any more on my own.Hello, I've been browsing on this site for over a year now and I've seen my fair share of art thievery, and how different artists react to their work being copied or stolen. While I'm no expert on these matters, I have decided to write a little journal here of the ways I think you should deal with art thieves.
These are my opinions and I'm not here to criticize anyone for how they deal with it. Everyone is different and they take things differently, it's human nature.There is a difference between copied, and stolen art. Copied art is when someone takes an art piece/character/concept you created and does just that, traces it/copies it. Stolen work is when someone takes your art and reposts it as their own art, sometimes the thief even removes the signature of the original artist. Now, there are reasons to suspect someone is copying you, but there are none for someone stealing it, an artist can identify their work anywhere, if you didn't upload an artwork you created, it's been stolen. Copied artwork may be a little trickier to identify, because the thief may change certain aspects of it, for example, a thief can spot a character you created, and they'll copy the character, but not the artwork the character was featured in, or the pose the character had.
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How to deal with
stolen art:
-Note the offender and
politely ask to take the artwork down, some people treat Deviantart like Photobucket and may not know any better, so there is no reason to get too upset, sometimes the person just didn't realize what they did. If they agree, then no harm done, the artwork is removed and you can move on with your life.
-If the offender refuses, or doesn't answer at all; just report the artwork and move on. There is no reason to make a scene out of it, Art Theft is something that requires maturity to deal with. So just report and move on.
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How to deal with
copied art-If you suspect someone is copying you, make sure you have
credible proof, a similar color palette does not an art thief make. If you feel someone has copied your character, it's no use to get angry or paranoid about it, stay calm and think rationally. Compare your character/artwork to the offender's art, and remember, a couple of similarities mean nothing, there is still the possibility of it just being a coincidence. You must approach this objectively, not subjectively, if you expect art theft, you'll find it, even if it isn't art theft.
-If too many red flags are raised from your comparison;
calmly note the artist about the artwork in question, ask whatever questions you feel are appropriate to discern whether the artist copied or not.
-Do not accuse the offender of art theft, no one likes being accused of art theft, and they may be offended and not talk to you anymore. Try to ask them about similarities calmly, but don't accuse them outright.
-If you truly feel the artist copied your work, ask them to credit you (if they haven't already). If you are credited in a traced artwork, there is no problem. Tracing is often used as a way to practice drawing, if a person uploads a traced artwork, than it should be credited to the original artist. This also applies to a copied character, even if the artwork isn't traced.
-These are best-case scenarios, if the offender refuses, or doesn't reply at all; then simply report the artwork and move on. There is no need to expose the thief or harass them in any way, it serves no purpose and worse, it may give the offender the opportunity to report
YOU for harassment.
-One last thing, remember to check the upload date of the artwork! When the artwork was uploaded can tell you a lot, if the artwork was uploaded before you even created the character, than it was just a coincidence.
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These are my opinions on what a person SHOULD do when confronted with art theft, but please keep somethings in mind:
-You can't copyright colors, a similar color palette does not equal theft.
-You can't copyright poses, the human (and animal bodies) can only twist and turn so much. Some poses are GUARANTEED to be similar. Unless you are
SURE the artwork is traced, it's not theft.
-You do not need to credit for using a reference. References are used by everyone in the art world, its a great way to learn. However, there is a difference between referencing and tracing.
-Exposing an art thief through journals or art serves no purpose except to cause drama. Art Theft is something that requires maturity and a calm mind to deal with. Getting angry and staging your own personal war against a thief will cause unnecessary drama.
-You must approach this OBJECTIVELY
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Objective: Not influenced by personal feelings or opinions in considering and representing facts.-Avoid being SUBJECTIVE
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Subjective: Based on or influenced by personal feelings, tastes, or opinions.--
How can I protect myself?There is no full proof way to protect yourself, thieves can be crafty. While there is no way to protect yourself from
copied art, you can protect yourself from
stolen art, and it's really quite simple:
SIGN YOUR ART! It's that easy, an alternative would be to add a watermark to your art, that way you know it's yours, and Deviantart even has a neat feature that adds a watermark for you.
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Too Long? Didn't read?
Stay calm, consider the facts.
If you find art theft, ask nicely, if it doesn't work, report, and move on.
Avoid being driven by emotion, everyone has a right to get angry, but you must deal with these situations rationally.
That's it pretty much, feel free to comment with your own opinions, or if you have any suggestions, I'll be glad to add them (and credit too)
Have a nice day
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