Greetings everyone! ♥
"ART THIEVES"
I'm sure many artists can relate to having their artwork stolen in one capacity or another. Whether another takes an artist's work and claims it as their own or uses another's work to make money off of it or reproduces/redistributes it leaving off/omitting the creator's name, all these constitute infringing on/violating the creator's copyright rights. But also and maybe especially, those who have or show no regard for an artist's work, tell the artist point blank that the artist's work, time, and effort are worthless, yet, take from the artist what the artist's time and effort produced. How would most people like it if they were in essence told their work of time and effort is worthless?
Then for other people to classify artists as overly dramatic, vain, insecure, praise seeking, etc. when we complain about our work being stolen, makes such people just about as bad as the thieves! I wonder how many people would like it if they went to work at their job and then someone else got their paychecks instead? How is it any different for an artist to claim and defend what they earn through their time and effort than anyone else's time and effort? Everyone else's work, time, and effort who is not an artist is valuable but an artist's work, time, and effort is not!?
I just read an article on the Urban Dictionary: Art Theft by Angry Cosecant October 23, 2008, particularly the second and third paragraphs, which read:
"Since artists are incredibly vain, terribly insecure and need praise to survive in the same way animals need oxygen, Art Theft is considered the eighth deadly sin on online art websites such as DeviantArt, SheezyArt and StormArtists. Being an art thief gets you banned and sent straight to hell to burn for all eternity in the flames of the site's members.
Warnings pointing to this fact can be easily found in the thousands upon thousands of poorly made "Anti Art-Theft" stamps and clubs available on said websites. An ironic fact is that 95% of the people who bitch about art theft do not actually have the artistic talent to make their art worth stealing."
We artists are "incredibly vain"!? "Terribly insecure"!? "Need praise to survive..."!? We aren't supposed to defend and protect "our work, time, and effort" but those who aren't artists only have such a right!? Then if we defend our art and complain against the thieves, we're bitching and it's because our art isn't worth stealing? If our art isn't worth stealing, then why is it being stolen? People don't covet and steal junk or crappy stuff from other people, just like people aren't jealous and envious over another's lesser, undesirable traits. People covet, are jealous and envious of that which they "wish they had" and lacking qualities of character needed to work and earn for themselves what they're envious of in others, they choose to steal rather than work for and earn. The person who wrote this article must have the brain of an amoeba! ..And so likely won't get the meaning of this statement, either.
When any of us do something, exert time and energy into something, whatever it may be, then the time and effort is ours to "rightfully" claim. We've "earned" the right to claim the time and effort of ourselves we have invested. If someone else steps in and assumes rights to and ownership of our time and effort, naturally and rightfully so, we're going to be upset and feel slighted, offended, definitely wronged, and so, likely angry, all reasonable and rational responses for 'anyone' to feel, including artists.
If we work towards earning something and then after all we've done and have reached the point where what we've earned is ours, then someone else steps in and takes that which we've worked for and earned, we aren't going to be happy campers about it. We are going to feel robbed to say the least. Artists are no different and have the same right as anyone else does to feel violated.
What is not helping digital artists particularly, are these websites that download artists' works from other sites and then upload them to their own site where they then offer the stolen images from and never mention the creator's name or the creator's website, making it appear to the visitors of their site, 'they' are offering some great service to the public, but in fact are offering others' works they've stolen and are not theirs at all. It's copyright infringement because these 'thief galleries' do not have the right to reproduce or redistribute copyrighted material and when they leave off the name of the creator/copyright holder besides, these online thief galleries are committing fraud!
Regardless of what these thief galleries say on their websites about the usage of the stolen images they're hosting, they themselves are in violation of copyright as I just pointed out. Here's an example of one of these thief galleries' page entitled "Copyright Policy":
"Please do not ask for permissions to use these images in your projects, as we do not own the copyrights for them. All images displayed on the site are provided only for personal use. In case of an error where you are the owner of an image and feel it is used unknowingly, please email us at admin[@]pngmart.com so we can immediately remove it from our website. We do not intend to display any copyright protected images."
Now let's break these words in their 'copyright policy' down:
They admit they don't own the copyright to the images they're hosting and so, cannot grant permission to use them. (But they don't say they themselves are in violation of copyright by redistributing copyrighted material AND without the copyright holder's name and permission.) ..And remember they "cannot grant permission".
Next sentence... after admitting in the first sentence they don't own the copyrights to the images they're hosting, they then tell the site visitor, these copyrighted images can only be used for 'personal use'. What exactly constitutes 'personal use'? This in itself is wide open for a wide range of interpretation. So, they're "assuming the right to tell people how they can be used", making the second sentence in direct conflict with their first sentence! They don't own the copyright but yet they're telling people how they can be used, when they are NOT authorized to say, period!
Third sentence... Here's where they are trying to cover their butt and play the "we're innocent" card. "In case of an error"? Umm.. presenting copyrighted material without the owner's consent AND name, multiplied by how many times they're in violation due to the number of copyrighted images they're hosting, I'd say there's no "in case of" and there's a multitude of errors!! Criminal errors!! ..Since there's a multitude of images that are owned by their creators. ..And should the copyright owners feel their work is being used "unknowingly"!? They admit they're hosting copyrighted material! ..and they're doing so "knowingly"!! ..and they're assuming the role of being authorized to tell people how the copyrighted material can be used!! Oh, and email them so they can 'immediately remove' copyrighted material from their website. So, only those copyright holders who become aware of their work being distributed and offered for use illegally will have their copyrighted works removed? ..And all the rest of the copyrighted images shall remain? Copyright infringement IS copyright infringement whether the copyright holder is aware of it or not!
Now to the fourth and last sentence and it is a dusie! "WE do not intend to 'display' ANY copyright protected images." REALLY!? HUH!? O.O In their very first sentence they, in their own words, "confirmed" that they most certainly DO "intend to display copyright protected images" because they admit that they are hosting copyright protected images! First sentence, again: "Please do not ask for permissions to use these images in your projects, as we do not own the copyrights for them."
So, here we have it. THIS is nothing but pure and deliberate BS!!! The first sentence and the last sentence are in contradiction of each other without a doubt. It can't be "both ways". ..And all that stuff in between? It's just nothing more than gibberish, solely intended to make the visitor to the site "believe" the site staff is innocent of any wrong doing and/or ill intentions. (But it can't be farther from the truth!) Unfortunately, many people would/will just glance over their copyright policy (which is a farce *cough cough*) and think it sounds good and then go through the images and take what they want without even being aware that they, themselves, are being party to violation of copyright should they use any of the images they download for ANY reason, personal use included.
There are many good people in this world still who wouldn't dream of taking something belonging to someone else and using it without the owner's permission. But it's websites like this one that make it seem okay to do by misleading people to think they aren't doing anything wrong. These thief gallery websites are committing fraud along with violation of copyright.
..And it's not just one site doing this, but several (which are being added to my "Art Thief BLACKLIST" to be published for the sole purpose of exposing the thieves.) AND they're doing this same practice to each other, downloading stolen images from another site that's hosting stolen images and then uploading the stolen images to their own site they've downloaded from another thief site. So, the artists' names who created the images and own the copyrights to them get completely eliminated in the process and all those who visit these sites, download and use these stolen images having NO clue whatsoever as to who created the images they're downloading and using. ..And WHO loses? The artists, the creators, the copyright owners, that's who.
Even if it's stated on these sites 'for personal use' only, these online thief galleries of stolen works have NO right to even offer them in the first place because the copyright rights still belong to the creators of the stolen images they're offering. Not only does copyright mean an image can't be used without the permission of its creator, but no one has the right to reproduce or redistribute copyrighted work either. THIS is important to know because it's within this "thief shuffling" that the creator's credit gets eliminated and their copyright violated!
One such site is www.pngmart.com (example above given of their 'copyright policy') because two of my graphics with transparent backgrounds have been uploaded to this site, with NO mention of my name, of course, the creator and copyright owner/holder. The images of mine are my Silver Pegasus with gold wings and a Christmas Frame, both of which I originally uploaded to Elftown, where they were then stolen from either by this thief site or another and then passed along as previously described.
In NO way whatsoever is Elftown or its owner responsible or liable in this thievery because "I" uploaded "my work" to Elftown but "I" have not uploaded "my work" to ANY of the "thief sites"! Nor have "I" given my permission to do so. ..And there's another wrongful twist to this thievery and it has to do with "website traffic". The RIGHTFUL host of my work gets denied the benefit of the traffic to SEE my work! Therefore, not only do these thief sites violate my copyright, but they rob the "deserving host of my work" the rightful traffic as well. Not only was it "my choice" to upload "my work" to Elftown to be the site to host it, but I also did so to help increase traffic to Elftown, which the thieves are also stealing! I don't know much about SEO stuff, but just common sense alone tells me this.
The Pegasus was part of Elftown's Creature Marathon project with Pegasus as the first featured creature. I created MANY graphics and several art pieces and uploaded them to Elftown towards this Pegasus Project for which I was awarded Best Contributor of the Pegasus Project. On the Elftown wiki-pages where I posted my Pegasus related graphics, I wrote all were made by and copyrighted to me AND were for Elftown members only to use "on the site" ONLY. I also made available ways to contact me.
So, there's no valid excuse to justify taking my work, using it, and/or adding it to other collections on other websites without my permission or even a mention of my name. The image I'm adding to this post shows my various Pegasuses that I've seen stolen, used, and/or added to other collections on websites other than Elftown.com.
I'm providing two image links here. One is where my work is supposed to be hosted, Elftown. The second is the image link to the same image that has been uploaded to a 'thief site' and when compared, anyone can see they are both the exact same image, my Silver Pegasus with gold wings, and is in the very same artwork I entered in the Pegasus Art (Contest page of) and the image I entered I am displaying here as well, so anyone can see Elftown hosts it right within the image address.
Elftown (rightful host): http://elftown.eu/stuff/ECM_PegasusGoldenWings1300W-oglow_rev!.png
(Please note in the image link's title I have added "ECM" because it stands for "Elftown Creature Marathon".)
Pngmart (thief site): http://www.pngmart.com/files/5/Pegasus-PNG-File.png
Elftown wiki-page it's on: http://elftown.eu/wiki.html?name=%2aartsie%27s%2a%20pegasus%20-%20gold%20%26%20silver
Thief site's page link: http://www.pngmart.com/image/58762
Pngmart also are hosting my Christmas Frame under two categories that Elftown 'rightfully' hosts:
http://www.pngmart.com/image/31199
http://www.pngmart.com/image/25248
My entry in the ECM Pegasus Art Competition (uploaded to Elftown, of course!):
♥
Image url:
"ART THIEVES"
Full Size PNG:
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd8vNolewTZJoEivr1Xro1u6ROzeBUFkdexwhMWirsVbtqrtE6P7yXhwwYnsCV_5jCpZvdgHNgJr1wUEw_iF57MjqukyX-hzUbvXDIb132UXtsBXslwti1XhxIkm3feINJI4FSt8-RZqc/s1920/StopStealing-PegasusArt-ByArtsieladie2017-12-02_1920x1080.png
If any of these Pegasus images in this Pegasus collage of mine are floating around in "thief gallery collections" OR are being used as part of a website's make up, decor, or design OR used to promote a business OR are being placed on products that are being sold on Ebay, for example, then ALL are guilty of copyright violation and fraud, with these exceptions and ONLY these I'm listing here and now.
I have given permission to exactly three parties to use one of my Pegasus graphic images (with transparent backgrounds) and they include:
- A couple from Germany to benefit and help children.
- A book cover for the book, "The Horse Secret", written by Stevan Hoffman and Leslie Martin.
- For use on a website that is no longer in existence to my knowledge.
...And for hosting my Pegasus, Elftown. Anyone else using them or hosting them is in direct violation of my copyright rights!!!
One more thing... just very recently I took screengrabs of some Elftown wiki-pages, showing all visitors to Elftown the images are mine, are for "Elftown use ONLY", and ways to find me and contact me about them. The first grab is from an official Elftown wiki-page and the second is from one of my own Elftown wiki-pages related to my Pegasus works. So ANYONE who steals my work from Elftown is showing blatant and deliberate disregard for my work and my copyright rights! Hedda taught me WELL and what he didn't teach me, he inspired fiercely in me to learn how important it is to observe, collect, secure data and information that supports impeccably and unequivocally when someone violates our rights!!
..And no one can suggest either, that I recently updated any information on my wiki-pages because Hedda banned me from Elftown, August 25th, 2011, in one of his weaker moments because he didn't like what was entered in my artsieladie.com's guestbook from a close male friend of mine, thus denying me access to my wiki-pages. But this can also be double checked for accuracy by looking at the "last author" and date when edited, provided on every wiki-page.
Screengrab #1:
PNG url:
Screengrab #2:
PNG url:
To all artists, be wary because it's not "if" your copyright will be violated, but "when". Although I've mentioned here about a couple pieces of my work, it's really about all artists and our copyright rights and thieves who think they are entitled to do as they please and completely disregard "our creative rights". I would like very much to expand on this and help unite artists everywhere to make these art thieves accountable. If we artists made a BLACKLIST collectively, adding names and websites guilty of violating our copyrights and then put it out there, making it viral, I think we artists could collectively make it known across the Web that we aren't going to take it lying down, the theft of our works. Any artist interested and/or with some added thoughts and ideas, please feel free to contact me through my "Contact Me" page.
"Bad people win, steal our peace and our joy,
Because good people do nothing to, the bad, destroy."
~ Artsieladie Quote
💗 Have a Blessed Day! 💗
Art by Artsieladie /Artsieladie Sharon Donnelly
©2017-12-10 All rights reserved.
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"Bad people win, steal our peace and our joy,
Because good people do nothing to, the bad, destroy."
~ Quotes by Artsieladie
