PitchMark

7 February 2023 08:05

Artist Julian Charrière claims fashion brand Zadig and Voltaire plagiarized his work for their latest campaign

French-Swiss artist Julian Charrière has accused fashion brand Zadig and Voltaire of using his work for a new campaign without permission.
To promote its recent Women's Fall-Winter '23 show during Paris Fashion Week, the company posted a nighttime video of a fountain on fire.
The video is eerily similar to Charrière's 2019 film And Beneath It All Flows Liquid Fire, which was filmed at t

6 February 2023 10:20

Korea start-up Algocare accuses Lotte Healthcare of stealing its AI-powered tech

A Korean startup has accused the Lotte conglomerate of stealing its AI-powered nutrient dispenser technology and using it in their own product. In order to prevent further violations of small businesses, one of the Korean government's ministries will find a resolution, either through mediation or litigation.
Algocare is a Korean healthcare startup recognized for winning the CES Innovation Award

2 February 2023 11:03

Lensa app accused of stealing artworks to create online pictures

Australia-based artist Kim Leutwyler has accused the Lensa app of stealing artists' work in order to create artificial intelligence (AI)-based self-portraits and has demanded stringent copyright laws to combat AI-generated art.
The photo and video editor app Lensa recently launched an AI-based feature called "magic avatar" that uses AI to produce stylized portraits of users who upload pictures

1 February 2023 11:14

US-based celebrity photo agency sues Twitter for copyright infringement

A photo agency has filed a lawsuit against Twitter accusing the company of allowing users to upload its copyright-protected photos.
Backgrid, a celebrity photo agency, alleges that Twitter infringed “at least 1,526” of its celebrity images, with infringement “continuous and ongoing.”
The agency also claims that it sent more than 6,700 Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) notices to Twitte

21 January 2023 10:00

Venezuelan influencer claims Shakira plagiarized her song

Venezuelan influencer and singer Briella has accused Columbian singer Shakira and Bizarrap of plagiarizing her song.
The singer claims that Shakira’s new song ‘BZRP Music Sessions #53' shares similarities with her single ‘Solo tú’, which was released in July 2022.
Briella shared a video on her social handles, calling out the similarities between the two videos.
For instance, she refers to

18 January 2023 10:00

Zazzle accused of using Filipino artist’s painting without permission

New York-based Filipino painter Bienvenido Bones Banez, Jr., has filed a lawsuit against global online marketing company Zazzle for copyright infringement.
Zazzle is accused of using a photo of Banez's large canvas in its marketing materials from 2017 to 2022 for a variety of products without permission.
The painting in question is titled “Satan Inspiring the World,” a hermeneutic visual rea

17 January 2023 10:00

Donald Trump accused of using copyright-protected images in his NFT collection

Former US president Donald Trump has been accused of using copyright-protected photos in his NFT collection, with social media users calling his money-making endeavor a "scam".
Last month, Trump launched 45,000 photos as an NFT collection called ‘Collect Trump Cards’, or ‘Trump Digital Trading Cards’ as it’s officially known on OpenSea.
The collection, which depicts him as various characters

9 January 2023 12:36

Manchester United accused of copying NFT from artist

The NFT collection that Manchester United introduced on Tezos sold out far more quickly than anticipated, but it is accused of copying from another well-known Tezos NFT artist.
On December 28, NFT artist Lucréce tweeted that he was in discussions with Arthur Breitman, co-founder of Tezos, to ask Manchester United why its new NFT line incorporates his designs and aesthetics.
Lucréce’s collect

4 January 2023 13:34

Japan court orders JPY 500 million in damages over "fast movie" uploads that earned just JPY 7 million for the infringer

With an aim to deter unauthorized use of copyright-protected work for personal benefits, the Tokyo District Court ordered a man and woman in their 20s to pay JPY 500 million (USD3.6 million) in damages for uploading minutes-long, edited versions of their films - known as "fast movies" on YouTube - without permission.
The duo edited and published ‘fast movies’ for 54 works, including "Shin Godz

2 January 2023 10:00

Photographer sues media outlet Gannett for copyright infringement over the use of photo she shot

US-based photographer Stephanie Campbell has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Gannett Media Corp. and more than 220 Gannett news outlets for allegedly using a photo she shot without permission.
Campbell claims she owns the right to a photo she took of former National Football League coach Katie Sowers, which Gannett obtained through a screenshot to publish to their readers and sub

30 December 2022 10:00

Greek clothing brand accuses Decjuba of copying dress designs

Greek clothing brand Devotion Twins has accused retailer Decjuba of copying their dress designs in its latest summer collection.
Devotion Twins claims Decjuba, which operates 140 stores in Australia and New Zealand, ripped off its popular trademark-registered Ella dress design that had become internationally recognized and worn by actors such as Catherine Zeta-Jones and socialite Kris Jenner.

29 December 2022 13:22

The Year in Review - top 10 stories of 2022

The year 2022 was filled with many IP rip-off stories where young creators accused popular brands of stealing their ideas.
PitchMark covered many of the much-discussed stories about IP theft during the year, ranging from a joke at the Oscars to design rip-offs. Here’s a compilation of the best stories of 2022 from PitchMark.
These are the stories where you, our readers, have engaged with th

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