Image Theft Survey

[InsideOut]

Hi everyone, I'm almost finished developing a Windows app I've been working on for a few years now that's designed to help artists with copyright protection and I'd like to get some feedback on your experiences with image theft and how it's affected you and your income that I hope will help with marketing and future development. You can just answer here and I'll check back now and then to see the responses. Thanks. 

1. How often do you discover that one of your designs has been stolen? 

2. What methods or service do you typically use to find stolen designs? 

3. What actions do you take when you find a stolen design? 

4. Do you feel that image theft has noticeably affected your sales? 

5. Do you feel that it's getting better or worse?

I'll also be needing some beta testers when the time is right so feel free to volunteer now, though the app probably won't be ready for a few more months. 

Thanks in advance. 😃

JD

[InsideOut]

Okay, 80 views and no response? So I guess I either posted in the wrong place or image theft is no longer an issue for anyone? Which is doubtful I think since I deal with it constantly.

Could I get some guidance then on where to post this? I'm not a social media person so not really sure where to go, and I will need some beta testers soon but maybe this isn't the place for that either? Should I post this in the Pro forum instead?? Thx.

[Van]

I quit actively searching for infringements. I spot check now and then and if the thief is in the US or a country that bothers to honor a DMCA request I may send one, especially if it's Amazon or Etsy. Why? 1. Stressful doesn't begin to describe it 2. Issuing DMCA's is a full time job leaving little time to design (not that it matters with all the recent royalty cuts, ) 3. Many are in other countries - my pet peeve is Vietnam. I've found interconnected networks of infringers - (one in particular was around 100 different website). Some don't even use valid contact info. I dug deep enough to realize some of this is a much deeper rabbit hole than many people realize. Some infringers aren't touchable and they know it.

[waterart]

I don't actively go looking for stolen images but when I do come across one that's being used for commercial purposes I contact the person who took it and tell them to taken it down. If they refuse I don't give up until it is removed.

If the pic is used for something like a personal profile I just let it be, I read that in such situations some artists ask for a link back in exchange for allowing to use the pic.

That being said, I don't find often stolen images of my art, maybe it's because I don't go looking for it or maybe it's because I'm hard to find.

[Barbara]

Just an undocumented thought: Is it possible theft of real art is diminishing with the rise of AI art in which everyone's art is at risk because of the fact that AI steals from everyone? Is it easier for people to provide a prompt that results in images they can easily use for multiple purposes or is it still a no-brainer to steal from real people?

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[doggenhaus]

People steal pretty much everything these days, more than I remember from years before – not just art. Soon many won’t even realize anymore that some images were actually created by real humans and not by AI.

In my own case, I’ve had people directly help themselves to my artwork more than once. For example, someone took one of my dog drawings, turned it into embroidery and proudly showed it to me two days later – and then calmly told me I should calm down, that's not real work, or was it really a  "big deal” to draw a dog like that in five minutes? 

[Pip]

JD - seems you're in a similar can of worms I've found myself within!  

I see myself as a visual artist - other times because I work so much with technology in my daily art practice I'm more of an optical analyst I spose.  

Every time I choose to stop thinking about theft and the subject of piracy/forgery etc. something I read online inevitably leads me back to the subject. 

I could go on and on but here's the bottom line as I see it - Visual sense is subjective - always will be. Anything which has a base in our senses should always remain subjective.  When it comes to theft of imagery it can only quantifiably be traced digitally and it's not the actual images that can be traced without any reasonable doubt - it's actually usually the data attached.    In my lifetime I've been the victim of identity theft as well as having one of my original digital art creations taken and used without my permission by quite a large reputable company in my country.    Honestly I question whether identity and individuals personal art may end up being one and the same in the future. 

Both instances definitely had a detrimental effect in both my personal and work life.  I do all I can to not let it get to me but the fact I just spent over an hour writing this reply tells me I've a ways to go before I've worked through it emotionally to the point I can truly let it go.  Doubt, fear, untrusting and paranoia are probably the takeaway outcomes I received after the theft experiences and neither I liked experiencing enough to ever want to put that burden on another if I could possibly help it.

[doggenhaus]

I’m based in Germany, so I always have to keep in mind that our copyright and trademark laws are quite different from those in the US and other countries. Because your questions don’t really touch on those differences, I didn’t feel the survey itself was that relevant to my situation.

By now I’ve more or less accepted that people will steal whatever they can see. I don’t actively go out hunting for stolen images, but if I take my brand seriously I have to keep an eye on what’s out there and follow up when it clearly touches on registered trademarks or protected branding. For “normal” illustrations the legal situation has become so absurd that I honestly don’t go looking on purpose anymore – the infringements find me anyway, and customers often point them out too.

One “fun” example: people send me blurry photos of stickers they bought on Temu and ask me to “replace” them because it’s obviously my drawing. That tells you a lot about how normalised theft has become.

Yes, all these platforms where you can very quickly monetize a stolen image have significantly changed my motivation and massively reduced my income. In my experience it’s more the commercial providers and print‑on‑demand factories than the single customer. And it’s getting worse, not better. Many people believe that with AI they can do everything themselves – which would be fine if they at least created their own sketches. Instead they take one image from here, one slogan from there and think their prompt equals original art.

I’ve decided not to orient my creative work around that. There are other reasons why I draw, and for me this part is now more of a hobby. But image theft, AI remixing and “get rich quick” clickbait videos targeting new “designers” absolutely devalue everyday graphics. Art has rarely been truly appreciated while the artist is alive, and most people don’t want to pay real money for visual work they use in daily life. Sadly, I don’t see that changing – if anything, I expect it to get worse.

[Pip]

I have access to what is mostly being called AI and I 've decided not to use it.  I couldn't put my name to something that I didn't feel I had an actual hand in creating. To know that AI is a computer that scans through all the tags and uses and merges images together based on the keyword prompts provided is fascinating to think about - I mean how the computer knows to present an image a certain way truly intrigues me.  These databases must be out of this world big and the amount of time and practice work by humans that's been input would have to be crazy extensive for there to be outcomes that are even worth viewing.   

I will always do what I can to hold onto traditional practices - not forgetting how to create things with my own two hands.  That's what I fear will be lost - people will no longer hold onto all the masterful ways that art is created.

Unfortunately there will always be a lot of illusion and swindling in the creative game - the only thing we can do I spose is stay true to ourselves and hope that our actions display our truth and our integrity.