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The Life and Mind of DamnBlackHeart
This is to help me stay actively writing. So expect to see rants, tips on writing, thoughts on subjects, me complaining of boredom, reviews, anime, movies, video games, conventions, tv shows and whatever life throws at me.
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The Most Common Excuses Art Thieves Use |
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Art theft has always been an issue and it continues to run rampant with no signs of stopping. It's sad that nearly every artists has unfortunately dealt with it and the art thieves...well to put it simply their bullshit excuses. There's probably many more excuses that I've missed but these are the most common ones that art thieves use.
1. You're a troll! -- Thieves are quick to discredit those that try to explain to them what they've done wrong. They don't want to appear as the "bad" guy so they try to make themselves look innocent and paint others in a bad light by claiming that they're trolls, that they're harassing them, are spammers and so on.
2. I'm reporting you! -- They say this when they find out that you're reporting them. You can't report someone for reporting you. Reporting is not harassment. Reporting is not trolling. False reporting is spamming and is a bannable offense, well depending on a site's TOS.
3. I didn't know! -- Ignorance is no excuse. In most sites that you sign up for they have a "I have read and agree to the Term of Service..." and those terms always included information about plagiarism/theft. By clicking on the button you are saying that you agree and will follow the rules. So there really is no excuse.
4. I'm just borrowing it! -- When it comes to borrowing things people say so in the first place. They don't copy and paste art (or any work for that matter) without mentioning that they've borrow it and that they have the owner's permission. It's a pretty big hint that something is stolen when there's nothing mention about it being "borrow". So don't be surprise if someone ask you to provide proof (such as contacting the owner of the work to prove that they did allow you to borrow their work). If you can't prove you have permission then you don't have permission.
5. You don't have proof! -- When you steal from an artist (and writers) they can easily prove that the work belongs to them and that you're the thief. They do so with by providing evidences such as the original source (like the beginning sketches of the work, the process they took to draw or develop the artwork and with writers it's by how long their story has been out) and they always take screenshots before reporting. So don't think that they don't have proof. Also, quickly deleting what you took is NOT going to save you from being caught.
6. So what, it's fanart. It's doesn't belong to you anyway! -- Fanart is a drawing, painting or any other medium you've created completely on your own with no tracing or using non-stock images. Just because it's illegal to sell fanart it does NOT mean that it's illegal to draw a trademarked character. Artists draw fanart because of their love for it and even though the characters don't belong to them, the creativity and concept put into the drawing is still theirs. That means you can't get away with stealing the fanart just because it's fanart.
7. I'm only (insert age)! -- Age doesn't matter. If you can read than you can follow the rules. Besides, if you're under 13 there's a high chance that you shouldn't be on the website in the first place (such as Tumblr and DeviantART which both prohibit child under the age of 13 from having an account). So you can be reported for that as well.
8. I know the artist and they gave me permission! -- You expect me to believe that when you didn't even give them credit? People will still contact the artist to make sure it's truth since anyone can say that.
9. Everyone does it! -- Just because other people do it doesn't make it okay. After all, if people were jumping off buildings would you be doing the same? Obviously, no. You should keep in mind that when "everyone does it", they will eventually get caught and reported.
10. You're just jealous! -- What. Are you kidding me? What kind of excuse is that? What does that have to do with you stealing the artwork? It doesn't change the fact that you stole it.
11. You're stealing too! -- Please refer to number six. This excuse is always given when it comes to fanart.
12. You don't have permission to even be on my profile, blog, gallery, etc. so you can't report me! -- All profiles, blogs and whatnot are completely public unless the owner of said pages hides them. But when it's open for the public to see then you can't tell people what they can and can't do. They are allow to be on your page and see what it contains and if they find something reportable than they will report you.
13. It's on the internet, so whatever is on it is public property! -- Really now. So it's fine for me to take the photo of yourself posing with your best friend and claiming it as mine? What about that poem you recently wrote and posted on your blog? It's okay for me to take it? Oh wait, yes it is because you said that whatever is on the internet is free to take.
14. It's the artist's fault for posting it on the internet! -- Just because it's on the internet doesn't mean you can steal it. The internet does NOT excuse your actions because it did NOT force you to steal it in the first place. It is a choice that you made and the only one at fault is yourself. A crime is still a crime even on the internet. So don't try to blame the artist for it.
15. It's the artist's fault for not putting a watermark on it! -- An artist SHOULD NOT have to put a watermark on their art. But sadly this world is becoming overwhelm with thieves and now artists can't put up their stuff without fear of it being taken or messed with. All artists know that a watermark isn't going to stop an art thief from taking it if they want it. They always crop it out or alter the watermark so that it's gone. Artists are not at fault, you are because you couldn't control your urge or whatever compels you to steal.
16. It's a form of flattery! -- NO IT'S NOT. An artist never asked for their art to be stolen by you. Nor did they ask you to take credit for the hard work they did. Would you feel flattered if someone stole your computer just because it look pretty? How about if they took your homework -- your research paper that you worked so hard on? Would you be flattered by it? Would you just brush it off like it was nothing? Stop trying to justify your actions.
17. I edited it, so it's mine! Besides it looks so much better than the original! -- Taking someone's art, such as fanart or a photo and editing it does NOT make it yours. If I was to take your laptop and cover it in stickers would that make it mine? No, it wouldn't. I didn't buy the laptop in the first place so I have no claim over it. So your point is invalid. Editing is fine, so long as you have the artist's PERMISSION to edit their artwork and that you include the legit credit/source. But just stealing the art, editing and claiming it as yours is wrong.
18. Why do you care so much?! It's not your business or your problem! -- It's not about caring. It's about what is right. Taking something that isn't yours is wrong and you are disrespecting the artist. Imagine if you took a veteran's medal just because it looked pretty. Do you expect them or other people to not care that it was stolen? Do you expect for people to not say anything or do anything if they know that you did something wrong?
19. I'm not the thief, you are! -- This is something the thieves say when the original artist confronts them. It's ridiculous because they gain nothing by doing so. Who has more proof, the thief or the artist? The only thing the thieves can prove is using their fans/followers to back them up. Artists are the ones that have the original sketches and raw photos of the artwork. Also the artwork's publish date would show that their work has been out longer.
20. I have no way to contact the original artist! I don't even know who they are! -- Not being able to locate or contact the original artist does not absolve you from blame, no matter how honest you are about it. After all, there are many ways that people can find the original source such as using Google Images, TinEye, SauceNao, and so on. So please respect the artist by taking the time to ask permission or to give them credit. They deserve it after taking the time to create the wonderful art in the first place.
21. I don't understand English that well! -- Lets say you're on DeviantART...the policies, FAQ, help desk issues, etc. are written in this language. Not understanding the rules doesn't mean you don’t have to adhere to them. But most sites such as Tumblr have an option to switch to any language you want. Besides, if you don't understand something that's why you have to ask questions. Find out from people, especially from the artists themselves what's allow and what isn't. Don't expect to be handed the information if you don't ask or try to educate yourself on it.
22. I can't ask the artist's permission because they're from so-and-so and speak another language! -- Hmm, you "can't" or you "won't"? Nowadays people are bilingual and you won't know if they can speak English or whatnot if you don't try. There's no harm in trying! Ask them if they understand English? Or try using a translator to translate what you're saying? Or even ask someone who knows the language to translate what you want to say to the artists and what they say back.
23. I'm not stealing from so-and-so because I am so-and-so! -- Okay. Can you prove that? Because chances are you're not the artist that created the artwork. How would people know? Well, the actually artist would say where their artwork can be found and under what names. Also, artists tend to link their DeviantART accounts with their other accounts such as Tumblr, Facebook, etc. That way people can easily communicate with them and if people see their artwork found anywhere else than it has been stolen.
 DamnBlackHeart · Tue Jun 18, 2013 @ 06:27pm · 0 Comments |
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