inspirational arts and crafts people

Creative Artists and Copyright

Every artist has, or will, at some time during their creative career fall prey to having their work copied or even stolen.

I recall an artist finding her design being printed on tee-shirts in, I think it was New York if I remember correctly, and it was just by chance that her friend saw them being touted on the streets.

The perpetrator had taken the artists photographic design off her online gallery listing/profile and simply digitally created a transfer for print onto their blank tee-shirts.

The artists work was stolen and the thief benefited financially!

I don't think the artist in question actually followed the matter up!

If you're not sure about copyright laws - if something hasn't been created by you, don't pinch it - you can read the articles on this copyright infringement lens:-

Really Useful Copyright Infringement Articles

The author shares his own experience of having work used without permission and the steps taken to rectify the infringement.

He outlines "The Intent of U.S. Copyright Law" and some other excellent resources that you will find worth reading.

I particularly love this:

You can test TinEye here:

Submit your image to TinEye to find out how it is being used, by YOU or ANYONE ELSE, check if there are any modified versions of the image exist etc...

If you have got artwork images out there on the web, this is a handy service that will become ever more useful to artists and hobby craft creatives as it grows.

It might not show everything up just yet, but worth keeping an eye on to make sure your artwork isn't being used without your permission!

happy photo hunting...