Art Theft

There are a multitude of things that can make this world a better place and art is one of them. It speaks to us in unique and personal ways. No two people view a piece of art with exactly the same perspective.

When a work of art is presented to the public, the one belief that is shared by each beholder is that the piece was indeed created by the artist who proclaims as much.

Fifty years ago art theft meant a completely different thing than it does today. Theft usually involved the actual pilfering of a physical piece with the intent to sell it. The lesser known crime of forging an artist’s style and rendering a copy purported to have been painted by the usually famous artist was also mostly an opportunistic money grab.

With the advent of the internet things have changed. Traditional art theft is no less prevalent, but because there is a much larger forum for placing art work before an audience, a new type of theft has arisen.

This type of art theft is as easy as copying a posted piece of art and pasting it elsewhere under another name. Unless the art is watermarked, it is but a few clicks of the mouse for someone to proclaim the art as theirs.

As many artists don’t care to place ugly and disfiguring watermarks on their art, it is difficult to stop this type of theft. For the most part, these thieves are not after a monetary recompense for their crime; they are simply seeking acclaim.

While it is a sad commentary on this type of individual’s self-worth that they need to steal recognition, let us not forget that they are indeed committing a heinous act of theft.

An artist puts many hours of blood, sweat, and tears into creating a piece of art. Just because an artist can make what they do look easy, it is in fact, not easy. Those who possess this singular talent deserve all of the accolades for their work and should not be robbed of a single one of them.

This is true for all of the people who are involved in the creative process; artists, writers, sculptors, photographers, artisans, etc. Whatever the creation, it is probably an act of love by its creator in bringing it to life.

The TMNT fandom is relatively small in comparison to some others and the vast majority of those in the fandom are familiar with individual artist’s styles. As such, when someone discovers that a piece of art has been stolen, they will report the theft.

deviantART and most internet sites take the intellectual property rights of others very seriously. Each of these sites has a posted Terms of Service agreement and a Copyright Policy. Different sites have individual policies on how they handle the infringement of copyright, and most include terminating a user account and preventing their future access to the site.

Art theft is not limited to simply posting a piece and claiming to be its creator. Improper use of a piece of art can include but is not limited to using it as a preview image, an icon, or a user ID. The same applies to literature; writing a story with someone else’s original character or as a continuation of someone else’s storyline is also art theft.

If you wish to use a piece of art that was created by someone else, you must get their express permission first, even if you just want it to be the preview art for a story that artwork inspired. In all situations, proper and visible credit must be posted to show that the artist retains title to the work and a disclaimer added stating that you have gained the artists permission to use it.

Fandom groups adhere strictly to the policies of the internet sites that host them. If a theft of art is discovered to have been included in a group’s gallery, the administrators of the group will immediately remove it. Additional steps may also be taken, up to and including an individual being banned from the group.

Art theft is not a victimless crime. It is extremely painful to those artists who have had their works stolen. It is embarrassing to those viewers who have praised someone on their abilities only to find out that person is a thief. It damages the credibility of the internet site and the groups who host the artwork. It can also cost the real artist money, as many of them do commission work.

Please review the copyright policies for whichever internet site you browse and follow the guidelines for reporting theft if you happen upon it. Art infringement is a very serious thing and those of us who love and appreciate the beauty that artists provide should not stand idly by and allow theft to continue.

Thank you.

**Permission has been granted for the use of this journal entry by various dA groups.