What To Do When Someone Steals And Reposts Your Anime Drawings?
As artists, we love making artwork of our favorite fictional characters and couples! It's the simple truth that most people have started their art careers just doodling what they saw in the comics or on the screen. Superhero comics and movies were among the most influential media in the West! But then there was the phenomenon that was Harry Potter, and that sparked so many communities that were simply frothing at the mouth to indulge in the world. And then the internet became widespread, and suddenly, our doodles and drawings could be shared with the world and the rest of the community. And with access to art, it became obvious that many people would abuse this unlimited buffet. The same thing has always been an issue in the world of academics, where lazy academics will steal work from others and not give any credit. It might not seem like it at first glance, but even your smallest doodle is precious!
Today, anime artwork has taken over the fan artists community as the most popular style of art. Don't let anyone diminish the value of it just because you draw girls with big eyes and small heads! These artworks are yours, so unless you've given permission to take them without credit, you've been wronged. Worse yet, someone might be taking credit for your hard work and stealing away your popularity and potential fans. But what do you do when your art has been stolen and uncredited? Your emotions might be high, but it's important to keep your cool and think of your next few steps. The more emotional you become, the less coherent your thoughts, and that can be used against you, especially when the thief is cruel enough. Setting the plan into motion is a process, so you might need to bring a pen and paper for this. Find your original files, find related blog posts, time-lapse videos, and everything else that can serve as evidence.
The Easy And The Ugly
You can always ask nicely to have your artwork removed, but since that likely won't work, your next best bet is to go with the DMCA claim, the best friend of all artists. What's more, contacting the violator can make them delete all evidence in advance, and then you don't have a case anymore. So you need to take a screenshot of the site or profile where your artwork was found. You should include any and all dates to later compare with your own work, but you should also snag the URL, the name, and/or user handle of the person who nicked your stuff. Now that you have all the juicy evidence, you can start writing up the DMCA takedown form, which will list out any and all things that you need to include. If the person is using a public platform, you can also request the hosting site to take down the account. That should be the short of it!
But sometimes, even this might not work the best. Occasionally, you meet a bold thief who will gladly take your case to court to scare you. It's already very infuriating, but this is sadly a valid tactic reposters and pretenders use to make you back off. After all, how much do you value your art to go to the court for it? The truth is, they are bluffing. They have no legal grounds, and you can stomp them out of existence if you aggregated all of the prior evidence in one neat file. But there also might be cases when the DMCA reports are simply not coming through. Maybe something has gone wrong on their end, but the wrongdoer is still at large and grabbing your stuff. In cases like these, you can resort to starting a legal case of your own, so consider consulting a lawyer. You can also go the less aggressive route by communicating with your fans.
At The End Of The Day
The art you create is yours, and you deserve to be the proud owner of it. You no doubt feel attached to it! But the truth is that your art is going to be shared around, and fans typically don't enjoy being hounded over every piece of anime drawing. It's always best to target the posers and blatant reposters who don't care to respect you. In cases of anime drawings, you can always put your signature in the art itself! Get creative and make it pretty, and always include a way to find your official page. It's the best way to avoid serious trouble, but always remember that you have the right to protect your creations. You can find many resources and support groups that will help you find the answer, but we hope we gave you the leg you needed!
