I often get customers asking me to design an invitation or party pack for them using their child's favourite character (usually a Disney character or one from the latest animation movies) and sometimes it's hard to explain why I can't do it, when so many other shops do.
At a personal level I do understand you wanting to make your child happy and I know I would want the same thing if I had children of my own, but as a professional I have the obligation to comply with Copyright and Trademark laws.
You see, all these characters that we easily recognise, like Mickey Mouse or the Disney Princesses, are protected by Copyright. Even though we can find millions of images on the Internet, it doesn't mean they are free for anyone to use. They may be allowed for personal use, but once you use any of those images commercially and try to make a profit from them without a proper license, you are breaking the law and risking a heavy lawsuit by the Copyright Holders.
As an artist, I take pride in respecting other people's work and I find it really disappointing to see that not all sellers have the same standards. I'm proud to say that everything in my shop is my original artwork and that I am successful in what I do, without using any shortcuts.
Never in my wildest dreams have I thought I would too be affected by piracy, but this week I came across a Chinese website using some of my images (and other friends' images) as their own.
I can't tell you how much it upset me to know that someone has been taking advantage of my hard work. I'm already working on taking down those images, which shouldn't be too hard, but I still feel like I have been robbed and there's not much I can do to prevent it from happening again.
It makes me sad, but I can only be confident in my skills and continue to develop new ideas that I know my customers will appreciate. Thank you all for your support!
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