What's the best way to (emotionally) deal with stolen artwork?
Chenova
Posts: 34
I've really wanted to get my artwork out there for some time now - it's just taking up disk space and it would be nice to share some of it. Trouble is, I'm the kind of person to get annoyed if I see my stuff in other places or in commercial projects without permission. I know with commercial projects the legal route is an option but that's a headache and I'd rather be creating art than filing lawsuits.
I just wondered how you guys deal with stuff like this. Do you have the mindset that 'life's too short and stolen art isn't something to get mad over'? I feel like this should be my attitude. What are your experiences with this? And if you see your artwork used in projects without permission, do you simply ignore it? I feel like the best way to deal with a situation like this would be not to care who's using the artwork and for what purpose. That's the opinion I feel I should have. I'm just not there yet.
Thanks in advance guys :)
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Comments
First, I would ask the individual to stop using your work without permission. (The easiest thing would be to ask them to credit you for the work)
If it's blatent theft and they are uncooperative, check the rules for where they posted it and iff applicable report the incident.
If it is being used in a commercial project, ask them to stop using it (or put you their payroll). Depending on how high profile the commercial work is, it may be in your best interest to lawyer up and let the lawyer go after them. (just rmember that all of your digital files have attributes that include date created and date modified, these are the key to victory)
As a PA a lot of my products are on illegal sites. As a former commission artist and comic book artist, I also find my art in a variety of different places and "uses". It's frustrating and upsetting. And if it bothers you definitely try and do something about it. Sometimes just contacting the person, website, or entity involved will yield results. Other times (sadly most times) nothing comes of it and you have to be resigned to the fact there are some crappy people out there who have no moral qualms about stealing from other people. If you don't feel like it's something you can deal with emotionally then don't push yourself. But you have to weigh the good with the bad. Getting your work out there and seen and enjoyed by others can (and usually does) outweigh any of the bad.
Perhaps not immediately financially satisfactory, but if you look at the silver lining, it can be emotionally satisfying to have proof that your work is worth stealing.
The more its stolen the better your vision & talent.
You could get a lawyer when the financial loss makes it practical. But only Disney can afford to whack all the moles.
It's easy to modify file attributes on your own system, so if you want it to hold up in court so to speak, make sure that you upload copies of your files (before anyone else can have access to and copy them) to a server or online backup service or whatever where you have no control over the file attributes. Preferably zipped, that will preserve the file attributes even if something on the server (like a backup restore) should reset the attributes of the zip containers. If you encrypt the zips it will also prevent that anyone on the server can copy the original files.
I guess I'm not clear on if you're talking about actual 3D objects or products, or if you mean single photos, videos, or something like a comic book... I mean, how you deal with it emotionally is all pretty much going the be the same for all of the different kinds of "art" or "projects", but I would have a different actual respsonse if someone were stealing a 3D package I was trying to sell as opposed to a 3D image I posted on DeviantArt. I don't go by this user ID over on DeviantArt, and I've actually put out a few comcis and now quite a bit of exclusive content over on Patreon, and I've already seen my stuff stolen and put up on other sites both as either site advertisement in the form of banners or because somebody is pretending to have created it.
I can't speak for others, but at least for me I don't really care. I feel worse for the people who paid for my Patreon that now some of my most liked stuff is availble for free somewhere (even right now, I'm in the middle of a mini-comic and the first 5 pages have been stolen and I found them on Pixiv), and I'll certainly comment and link back to my site, but in the end I feel that's better advertising than I could have done. I see people find me on DA because they saw my stuff somewhere else, and that actually feels pretty good. As far as the guys on Patreon that paid for it, they'll never get everything for free by relying on pirates, so I'd like to think that they are still happy to support me given that the vast majority isn't stolen or distributed anywhere else.
As for having full on packages stolen or something, like @Divamakeup, I'd probably have a different response and try to have them taken down or reported like she said, but I can't speak much towards that since it isn't something I'm familiar with.
my art is too crappy to steal so I never have had this problem
the biggest use of something by me by another is a ridiculous youtube video I am not proud of that has featured on other channels videos including Pewdiepie crediting the other user.
but
it is the biggest piece of crap
when DAZ teased us about genesis releasing an April fools joke mesh I as a joke rigged it, gave it Carrara hair and made it dance, it looks awful 
someone else copied my video and it went viral for them!
You need to have the mindset that you will lose control of anything you put out on the internet, no matter what your legal rights are. If this is not a circumstance you are prepared to accept, you should not share your work online.
Having engaged in discussions with many performers of the exotic variety, whose work is far more widely duplicated than 3D renders are, including for profit, I can say that no good will come from worrying about this. It can consume all your energy and will probably do you more harm than can be compensated for by any benefit you might derive from protecting those rights. Many pirate sites are hosted in jurisdictions not only not covered by DMCA, but where it is practically impossible to have pirated work to be taken down.
Anyway, here's an overview of your options. In most cases, anything beyond submitting a simple DMCA claim through whatever channel a site provides voluntarily will be a waste of time and money, though.
https://www.format.com/magazine/resources/photography/photography-copyright-law-guide
If you are doing this as a hobby, don't worry and be happy. If you are doing this professionally, sign up with some agency that will handle all the bother about copyright. It will cost a portion of your earnings, but you'll sleep better not having to concern yourself with that crap.
First, you have to prepare yourself. This is the internet. I sell my VN's. They are instantly posted on pirate sites. I can send DMCA's and I get back taunts or just get ignored.
I haven't actually seen my art just flat used for something else but who knows I don't actively look. Maybe I'll see what tineye turns up sometime.
So in short don't let it keep you from doing what you want. If you do quality work people will support you.
That would make me SO MAD. Ugh... so the thief gets all the credit for YOUR WORK. Bleh, that's infuriating.
well they are not really a thief as I made the video creative commons because of the midi file I used to drive my Mellody Assistant virtual singer, the tune itself is public domain and I did the modified lyrics but they rightfully should have credited it
it is not a video I am proud of and I made mine 18+ to annoy people more
mine is not monetised
they have 800K views mine now has 500K so it's catching up
They have a couple thousand subscribers with their one video (mine)
I have over 30K subscribers and thousands of videos
Yep, the internet has really brought out the worst in people. I am active on a game reddit and have to literally flag posts daily from users trying to share DAZ and other assets they have no right to share. Pretty sure the mods are sick of me by now, not to mention all the hate I get from the other users.
Well, I'm grateful! I wish there were more people like you doing the right thing and looking out for the artists.
I have seen a person who redrew Calvin and Hobbs ans the Windows© logo then claim that they were his copywrighted work and uses must get permission to use them. No word on wjether Bill Gates ever asked permission. Problem there is that some people who considerthemselves professional educated artists. Do not understand that copyrights protect oters as well as themselves.
We are not the creators of "our" art. We are merely the channels. Hubris is the only reason we think otherwise. (If it sucks, it probably was us). One ancient said, "When I see my work taken and used by another, I say, 'Good. It has returned whence it came.'"
Whatever income/credit/notoriety that may be lost initially will be gained eventually (if we do not get tricked into harbouring ill will before that). This is a law more immutable than any physical "law." If you trust it, you will see it (recognise it) when it appears.
I learned long ago not to put stuff on the net I didn't want pinched.
Aside from watermarks and other safety measures, there really isn't much you can do except pursue the offenders and that is not always successful. People dont care, or are from different countries etc.
I tend to just be happier NOT looking for stolen stuff.
I am unaware of anyone stealing my 3d work, and would probably be flattered that anyone thinks it good enough to be worth copying. I have once had a low res photo of mine used by the 'Onoto' Pen company magazine without permission, what irritated me about it was that had they asked, I'd have given them the original photo and the crop could have been much better.
I feel flattered when it happens, but then I'm not doing it for money. If you're not doing it for money, maybe put it in the Creative Commons or even public domain, so that reuse doesn't prey on your mind.
I am also protective of my art and it got stolen from DeviantArt and it frustrated me a lot.
The first thing I changed was adding a small signature. Then I disabled downloads and post in the default 1280 pixels width only. My pictures are larger, if users want to see them full size you can charge them for a download. Not many users of DeviantArt want to buy, though.
This doesn't prevent the right click "save as picture", but then you always have legal proof your art is the original. Announcing a lawsuit makes most sites take down stolen pictures, but is an effort.
You can also file a DMCA request through DeviantArt, I did and it works.
Another option is to post with the DeviantArt watermark, but you will receive less likes.
The newest option is to post in a Premium Gallery, users have to pay for access. It's a one time fee, and you can have multiple premium gallery. For example, you could have one for each year, or by theme.
Put visible watermarks with your name and website on anything you post online in places that are difficult to Photoshop out. I actually got work from it once. Someone had posted an image of mine on a dating site of all things but my watermark with my website was on it and someone contacted me thinking I was the girl in the image and I explained that no, it's not a real girl at all and they ended up hiring me for something.
I've found my characters used as people's avatars on various sites, but there's little you can do about that and I consider it a compliment of sorts. The worst thing was when I applied one year for Artist Alley at Comic-Con and the guy at the desk said that someone had come in before with MY artwork claiming it was theirs to get into Artist Alley! He said that hers were bad prints though and I showed him the canvas bag I had made up for promotion, other art on my phone, and he agreed immediately that I was the actual artist.
When I've sold my art in person at cons or in galleries, I'm kind of a bitch because I won't let anyone photograph my work because with good cameras it's so easy to print out copies.
If you find your work on Amazon or a major commercial website, you should be able to contact them and demand it removed. Also, by posting it here, Facebook, Twitter, Insta, etc.. there's is a date attached to the post which is good and it's always a good idea to save scenes and unfinished versions of you work if you ever have to prove anything. If it's something you care about, don't post anything too hi-rez and use visible watermarks.
Hi all,
Thanks so much for all your responses - definitely food for thought. It seems like so many people have been through this. I can definitely imagine chasing the thieves would feel like a full-time job and it kinda feels like pay in money (hire the lawyers) or pay in time...hours reporting various things instead of doing what I love. The watermark and medium res images are a great idea, especially as the watermark, if not removed can be viewed as a form of 'free advertising'. And the DMCA would definitely help if larger companies stole artwork. As for the pirate sites, yes, wouldn't go to the mafia and make complaints about illegal activity... xD
Such great advice guys, I think there's strength in sharing these kind of experiences, so thanks for that. And sorry to hear about your stolen art / videos – the world is bent out of shape and some people simply don’t care how their actions affect others.
It’s true that everything posted online, we lose control of and sure we can go down the route of asking for payment / accreditation, for the work to be removed but there’s still no guarantee it won’t pop up somewhere else right away. One thing we can be in control of is our response to this kind of thing. I guess how we choose to feel?
Feeling ‘happy that the art is good enough to be stolen’ is a great mindset.
Also being happy about the ‘extra advertising’ is awesome too, especially as paid work might come of it.
Again, thanks for the useful info and encouragement! <3
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Wow. Can you imagine trying to catfish someone by posting a render in your dating profile?
I once was contacted by someone with a profile pic that had a shutterstock watermark right in the middle of it... *facepalm*
I'd also suggest keeping an oversized, uncropped image on your system as proof of creation. It's not that hard for someone to remove watermarks and claim that their pirated version is the original. However, if you can show the original image with additional stuff in it (e.g. a full figure portrait vs. one cropped at the knees or one that goes to the waist instead of a head/shoulders shot), it's really difficult for the other person to dispute who actually created it. Just shrinking an image down before posting it somewhere doesn't help - there are some really good image re-sizing programs out there so a thief could resize your image back up and it could be difficult to tell which is which.
I find more of my content than my "art" per se stolen; I submit a DMCA form, or the server's Copyright Infringement form. Usually, it works. About a quarter of the time, I'm given no response and there the product sits. Then I will just get petty and join the site if need be and comment on the product page, the "owner's" page that this is stolen from (insert link here). After a while, I just stopped looking.
Although, it still torques me a bit to see my crap on other's sites for sale, using my renders for the Daz store. Meh.
There are unscrupulous maggots out there. There are countries that do not recognize any copyrights.The fact that many of the sharesite are inthose countries comes as no surprise. To them the DMCA is a placebo without teeth. If you want to protect yourself, Only post big visible watermarks and low resolution grainy compressed jpegs of your art. Save the high quality art for paying customers.
Having a WIP work in progress version is really helpful too for proving Creator.
All the episodes of the animation series I directed are on YouTube.
One episode even appeared on YouTube before it was ever broadcast or even completely finished, showing the new reboot designs months before they were supposed to - that's the one we had removed immediately. It was based on an early cut I made myself, with unfinished and unapproved scenes still there, and we assume it was illegaly copied at the sound studio.
Hard to stop that sort of stuff...
While I don't care too much, (nor publish very much) I do tend to hide a watermark on them somewhere. Just a personal logo I once made. I size it down, make it either black or white, maybe stretch it or skew it somewhat, but in a way that keeps it very recognizable. Then I make it nearly transparent, and place it somewhere where it lines up with a surface on the image, making it look like a shadow or highlight or some scratchmark that's supposed to be there. The idea is, that it looks so natural, that noone will recognize it, and anyone "borrowing" the image won't know there's something he or she might want to brush off. Unless they're told where it is, then they can't unsee it for that particular image. It's different for each image, not a standard "right bottom corner" (though I might add a very visible watermark there). Obviously, I don't tell many people where it is, just occasionally some collegues or friends, when they don't believe I made my own phone background. I don't even mind people using it (hey, maybe they can make it better!), but will be very pissed if some site like shutterstock starts selling it.