Artists united...©

{ © }

Artist/Illustrators lead solitary lives due to the nature of our work. We spend a whole lot of time alone. We tend to not see a whole lot of people in a given week when we are at our drafting tables working.

But when a fellow illustrator is wronged...look out! We may not know each other personally, but we are all kindred souls...and we take care of each other.

A self serving moron named Dana Blankenhorn from CBS's SmartPlanet blog stole artwork and used it on his blog without permission and with out payment...and he got caught! The artist wrote to him a comment to remove the art as he did not have permission to use, nor did he pay for the art. Mr. Blankenhorn had the absolute nerve to actually BLAME the artist for not protecting his artwork with a watermark...and that he (Mr. Blankenhorn) didn't have 'time' to get permission to use the image...furthermore...he went on to say...that the artist should be grateful that he used the image...free advertisement dontcha know...

Well...you can imagine the ensuing outrage...here is his response below...which was like throwing oil onto the fire...

"The picture has been removed. However, I want you and every artist to know the following:1. It's easy to watermark any Web illustration if you don't want it copied. You leave it in the clear, you're giving permission.2. I made a thumbnail. I didn't "steal" the picture. I linked to the original, gave you credit, and tried to bring you business.3. I will also remove all references to you from the story, quid pro quo. This idea that one must gain permission before doing what comes naturally on the Web has to end. You have the tools to stop it. Use them."

Can you believe that??? So by his own thinking, I should be able to use his writing any 'ol time I feel like it without his permission. Something tells me that he might not like that one little bit. He stole it...what a pompous ass.

grrrrr....as a writer he knows better...art, song, written word, photography are all protected and are immediately under copyright the moment it is created.

Usually I link parts of my postings for you. But I will not link to this writer, as I will not drive any traffic to his blog. You can find it if you google it. But you didn't get the link from me. I even wrote an email to CBS telling them that this writer just shot himself in the foot, because I no longer will believe anything he writes- how can I believe that his work is factual? If he is 'too busy' to get permission to use an image, he may be too busy to check his facts. I encourage more to do the same. CBS should also pay the artist whose work was stolen in the first place.

Click here to read another great article about this.