Art Theft Still A Chronic Problem

Online theft and unauthorized commercial use of images posted by indie artists continues to be a chronic problem. Here on the blog, I have been sharing links and updates about this issue since 2014. It's been going on longer than that, and while there are some victories for artists and better education for fans/consumers.... the fight is still ongoing, and exhausting, for the indie artist community.

This January 23, 2019 article by Nicole Nguyen from Buzzfeed News is the latest on this situation.
(image below by Susie Ghahremani... who is featured in the Buzzfeed article).

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/nicolenguyen/amazon-counterfeit-art-sellers-fakes-copyright-infringement?

From the article:

"The issue of stolen artwork on Amazon is widespread and well-known, but the company hasn’t addressed the infringement in a meaningful way. Fighting unauthorized use of artists’ original work on the site remains a constant battle. Though Amazon has a Brand Registry that allows Apple and other businesses to upload their trademarks and combat counterfeiting, independent creators who spoke to BuzzFeed News say the program doesn’t work for them — but they believe it should. Works of art are considered copyrighted goods and are not trademarks, like a brand name or logo, so artists don’t qualify for the “proactive brand protection” Amazon’s Brand Registry provides....

Independent artists say they spend hours filing takedown requests each month and lose thousands of dollars in the process each year."

There are many more posts and links here on the blog about this ongoing crisis for indie art life:
http://stuartngbooks.blogspot.com/2016/09/combat-art-theft-case-studies-and.html

http://stuartngbooks.blogspot.com/2014/07/copyright-info-for-artists_15.html

http://stuartngbooks.blogspot.com/2016/06/copyright-101-infographic-by-lili-chin.html

William Stout signing Jan 12th, 2-4PM at SNB store

William Stout is a long-time friend of  Stuart Ng Books.

Stuart is pleased to be hosting a signing with this iconic artist on Saturday, January 12th. Stout is known for his amazing science illustrations as well as his film and comics work. Don't miss this opportunity to meet this world famous artist.

Want to be the first to know about updates like this??? Sign up for Stuart's email newsletter. Sign up via this link from the SNB website: https://stuartngbooks.com/join-our-mailing-list.html

These details on the event are from Stuart's most recent newsletter:
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We are hosting a book signing with our friend William Stout Saturday, January 12th. Bill will be at our store to talk to fans and sign his books from 2pm to 4pm. 

We are featuring his brand new coffee table art book, Fantastic Worlds: The Art of William Stout. It’s an incredible look back at Bill’s five decade career. This is his first retrospective, with over 500 color and black & white illustrations covering the highlights of his work in comics, record album covers, movie posters, film design, themed entertainment, book illustration, animal and paleo art, and fantasy.

Bill will sign and draw in every copy of Fantastic Worlds!

We have a limited number of copies for the signing, so we recommend you place an order on our website, or reserve your copy by phone (310) 909-1929 or email info@stuartngbooks.comWe can ship the book practically anywhere in the world. 

You are welcome to bring your William Stout books from home to be signed. 

Fantastic Worlds: The Art of William Stout - Pre-Order a First Printing Signed with an Original Drawing

William Stout Book Signing @ Stuart Ng Books
Saturday, January 12th
2:00pm - 4:00pm 

Stuart Ng Books
20655 S Western Ave, Ste 104
Torrance CA 90501
Click here for a map and directions!
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Previous post on the blog featuring William Stout, with a photo of him from a previous signing at the store:https://stuartngbooks.blogspot.com/2011/12/gift-of-inspiration-william-stout.html