Ripping off the fans!!

[Jumpsuit Junkie]

I made this wallpaper back in 2006, yeah I know it's a long time ago and it's not a particularly great wallpaper either..

http://www.tcb-world.com/gallery/data/12/ElvisBeCool.jpg (http://www.tcb-world.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=18285&title=elvis-cool&cat=12)

I based it on the this...

http://www.wallpapers.gen.tr/wallpaperOnizlemeDosyalar/John_Travolta_in_Be_Cool_Wallpaper_1_800.jpg

I know what I did was a bit of fun and I used the same body and chair for other wallpapers because people on this site will know that it isn't real. Today I was looking on ebay, on this particular page and what should I find..

ebay link (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Music-Elvis-Presley-King-Rock-Art-Canvas-Art-Picture-/200483237895?pt=UK_Art_CanvasGiclee_RL&hash=item2eadbb7007)

What I find frustrating other than the fact someone is using my work without asking is this, potentially the person buying the canvas does not know that this is fake and will hand over £15.99.

This is not the first time either...

[Jumpsuit Junkie]

I made this in 2005 and I think it's awful, that's why I took it out of the gallery, guess what.....

http://img688.imageshack.us/img688/1043/3decades.jpg


Check out the ebay link (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ELVIS-PRESLEY-CANVAS-ART-PICTURE-MANY-SIZES-/260714778502?pt=UK_Home_Garden_Decorative_Accents_ LE&var=&hash=item8263c771e6) & this one ebay link (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ELVIS-PRESLEY-CANVAS-ART-PICTURE-24-X-36-/260694387500?pt=UK_Art_CanvasGiclee_RL&hash=item3cb298ab2c)

[dennyelvis]

Well well, ur royalties must be rolling in Matt, shame on them .........

[piretos]

Unfortunately J.J this has happened before and it will continue to happen...
No matter if you contact the seller nothing will change..They'll refuse to believe that it's your own work and they'll be very and i mean very rude!!!
It has happened to me also...

[Jumpsuit Junkie]

I realise that once you upload anything to the Internet you have basically given away any ownership to your work, when you are on TCB-World you kind of hope the people that visit are friendly and have the decency to speak to you before they steal your work.

The thing for me is that the stuff they have stolen and decided to use of mine isn't even that good :blush:

[Albert]

the copyright owners of these pictures that you've used to re-create something new out of it, can claim to have these items removed from ebay. They can also ask money for it.

Since these copyrightowners are unknown to most of us, it's hard to find them when you want to use these images for a commercial purpose. So these Ebay-guys are safe, as long as the photographers aren't complaining. You, as re-creater, are no party for them. It's a werid-grey area.

See it this way: you use an Elvis song (for example Hound Dog) and remix the hell out of it. You've produced a great 'new' track. You publish it here (or on youtube). Somebody takes it from there and put it on a CD, trying to sell it on Ebay. The only one able to have it removed is BMG/Sony as the copyright owner of the original.

But besides the legal part, there's still an ethic part.

I don't know what's the 'rules' are with paintings. Is a painting based on a picture? Is it protected by portraitright (by for example the Presley family)? And what's the situation when you paint a 'new image' of Elvis, not based on an image?

An interesting case, worth looking into

[Jumpsuit Junkie]

Its funny because the Image I made (with John Travolta's body) has been used on another Elvis site and the guy from ebay has then ripped that from their site so we are already 3 generations down the line. The Internet is a curious place, where people copy Images and then upload them onto other sites. Some of these photo's have slight alterations from of the original and are now viewed on the web as 'original' even by Elvis fans.

The point I make is this, once an Image is uploaded it then goes on a journey all over the world, people download them, alter them and sell them. How long before Images like the one above become 'Original' (in the fact they believe all the Image is Elvis)?

[Jungleroom76]

I am so sorry to hear you're going through this again Matt... :doh:

But maybe Albert is on to something...perhaps it would be worth looking into, especially if you can prevent your artwork from being used like this again in the future... :hmm:

In either case my friend, I am sorry. It does suck that there are people out there who do things like this, that's for sure. (n)

TCB!
Mike

[Jorge]

By the way the Be Cool wallpaper looks fantastic, a very well done job. Sorry to hear about someone using your work for monetary gain.

[rickb]

Nice work - i guess it is a compliment that you hacve been ripped off

[Tommy]

I am sorry Matt, I have had the same thing with my work, on e-Bay, on CD covers, in video clips, etc., you name it even coffee mugs.

[mn-designs]

I think we all had this problem, that's the price we have to pay and can expect when we upload our designs here on your own site.
But don't we alternate cover designers do the same thing? We use all kind of pictures on our designs that we found on the internet, that's also why SONY uses so much of the same pictures on their releases, cause of the copyrights...and we don't have worry about the copyrights....

[KPM]

Its a shame they could not at least acknowledge its not their work-not their creative talent which produced the finished product....shame on them!

[U.S. Male]

Welcome to the club Matt (unfortunately).

I know exactly how you feel about this, because I too have had people take images that I've modified and even a couple of cd cover designs I created and in turn, print them to use for sale items on Ebay :angry:.

I have no problem with anyone using anything I contribute to a web site or gallery, but there is a thing called "common courtesy" to where at least the source of where item came really from could be noted.

I've seen people take song remixes, photo colorizations, cd covers, posters, and various other items and then try to pass them off as being "theirs" and "I made this". These frauds need to be called out and made known to the "good fans" who don't follow such practices. :cop:

Am very sorry this happened to you. It's people that committ fraudulent and unethical acts like this that ruin things for the good people.

[SleepyJack]

Just out of curiosity.... If a person was to go and get permission from the owners(the official owners,who own the rights) would that mean that you would then have some rights over the new creation that you have made with it? Not important..just got me curious.

[Tommy]

http://usera.imagecave.com/TommyTCB/Wallpaper%201972%20Pinwheel%20White%20Heat%20Tommy .jpg

http://usera.imagecave.com/TommyTCB/Wallpaper%20Elvis%20With%20Guitars%20Tommy%20TCB.j pg
Note: these two wallpapers are larger than what is depicted here, original size is 1440x900 pixels.

I ran across these two wallpapers of mine on the web, the awful thing about this is the person "rising70" didn't even leave my name on them, took it off, and I worked very hard on these two, especially the one with the guitars. They went as far to say that they took these pictures, and they were copyrighted by them. :lol: It would be different if folks would give credit to the designer, but because of this, it's a shame, no respect for designers artwork.

[Jumpsuit Junkie]

Just goes to show you Tommy that the world is small in cyberspace and that Elvis sites like this are very frequently visited and that means your work is up for grabs by unscrupulous individuals. Sorry someone has stolen your work.

[Vegas69]

I dunno how true it is but I told that if you create art it is your thought and idea and you can go after 'em. Joe Petruccio and I cannot remember the lady name but they do Elvis pictures and some digital art to and with EPE when they do those art contest you have to sign waiver to your work so even they recognize that art, digital and others is yours. I explain ok I hope. :(

[Jungleroom76]

http://usera.imagecave.com/TommyTCB/Wallpaper%201972%20Pinwheel%20White%20Heat%20Tommy .jpg

http://usera.imagecave.com/TommyTCB/Wallpaper%20Elvis%20With%20Guitars%20Tommy%20TCB.j pg
Note: these two wallpapers are larger than what is depicted here, original size is 1440x900 pixels.

I ran across these two wallpapers of mine on the web, the awful thing about this is the person "rising70" didn't even leave my name on them, took it off, and I worked very hard on these two, especially the one with the guitars. They went as far to say that they took these pictures, and they were copyrighted by them. :lol: It would be different if folks would give credit to the designer, but because of this, it's a shame, no respect for designers artwork.

Oh man, not you too Tommy!! :doh:

That is just SO uncool, especially to remove your name from the artwork and replace it with their own name.... :angry: :nono:

TCB!
Mike