What to do About Online Art Theft & Plagiarism - Response

   We all have been on social media and seen something we really like. When we see something on social media that we like, we typically save it or repost it. Some people like to copy and paste that something that they like on a different website, but have you ever thought "Hey, Shouldn't I be giving the artist some credit for this?"

   Art theft and plagiarism is a huge problem in society in the world we live in today. The internet is it's benefits and it's flaws, some being different to others. For artists, some benefits of the internet are that it's a fast way to research to get new ideas, it's an excellent place to post your works so others can see it and it's very easy to look at other works for inspiration. The benefits for the internet are amazing but the benefits can also lead to flaws. Since the internet is so easily accessible in todays world, it's very easy to open up a web page and look at art works for inspiration or ideas. As easy as that sounds, It's is just as easy to copy and paste that same work and say that you did it. There are handfuls of people who have been caught for this but there are many still out there continuously doing this and it isn't right.

   Now, this issue of art theft and plagiarism isn't just happening between artists,  it is also happening in big name brands such as ZARA and Urban Outfitters. They were caught stealing designs from artists and not giving credits for it. The artists did find out and tried to do something about it but because of the popularity and amount of money the store has, the artists were left with nothing and no credit for there designs. So if a big name steals art and doesn't get any consequences, who says a smaller artist can't get any too? This also happens on social media websites like snapchat. On snapchat, the company stole a design from an artist to use a filter and did not get any consent to use it.  The artist also couldn't do anything because she didn't have the money to do anything about it.

  Artists who get there art stolen are obviously all very upset. Now some can handle the issue up front and some can't because of various reasons such as money, the companies being too big to sue, and many others. This shouldn't mean they can't do anything about the issue. The artists that had there art stolen by ZARA and Urban Outfitters created a website to compare there original designs and the recreations from the stores to shame the store in hopes the website will go viral to uncover what the businesses really do. The same thing happen with the snapchat filter and the artist it was stolen from.

  Art theft and plagiarism are both unacceptable and just plain rude. It isn't right to steal a persons' original idea and make it your own without there consent or giving them credit. There are ways to stop this such as finding out your country's copyright laws so you know what to do if your art ever gets stolen without hesitation, you can also gather evidence to prove that your art was stolen if your questioned about what happened and many more. Some people may be okay with doing it because they know they most likely will never get caught, but the next time you think about doing this, think to yourself, "Would I want my art stolen too?'

Thanks for reading! :)