Here's what's been happening lately: I have filed many reports over the past few weeks regarding theft from some of my more popular works (mostly Pokemon fanart) as well as some other reports about official works stolen from big gaming companies like Game Freak and Nintendo that I happened to come across in the same galleries. Not a single one has been addressed, until I got this email today...
"Thank you for contacting deviantART customer service, I will be assisting you with your support ticket today.
We appreciate that you have tried to bring this to our attention however deviantART customer service can only accept claims of infringement which meet the requirements under the law and that means that they must be filed with us by the actual copyright owner of the infringed work or by their legally authorized representative.
Because of this legal requirement it would be best if you could contact and inform the actual copyright owner(s) so that they can file a valid infringement claim with us if they so choose."
What kind of canned bullshit response is that? It was MY work that was stolen; even if it is fanart, I still put the effort into drawing it and it's a fucking insult, honestly. And even if I contacted Game Freak about how their official artwork was being used in an illegal way they wouldn't care; the person is not making any profit, they don't go after small fry. In short, not worth my time.
dA does not care about its users. I'm pretty sure if it was my original work that was stolen and I filed a DCMA report, they wouldn't give a flying fuck about it either.
So, what is one to do? Simple: goodbye, dA. I was actually considering leaving the site earlier and for the past month or so I got closer and closer to making that decision until... bam. This happens. I still have one year or so of premium on my account but who cares when the site is crap anyway?
I cannot to continue to support a site that does not follow its copyright or art theft procedures, which it actually outlines very clearly in its Help Desk articles. Apparently dA takes art theft seriously, but clearly this is not the case.
That's not to say my time on dA was all bad; it's just sad to see how much of a shithole it's become in my several year tenure here. I met some great people on dA who I've become fantastic friends with and followed some amazing artists! I guess I'll still lurk around since I want to continue collecting resources and watching artists I look up to, but I won't be posting anything here any longer. I'm heavily considering storing all of my artwork away except for a few things (like tutorials, memes, resources, etc.) as to prevent further art theft; storage would also allow me to keep my work intact if I ever feel the need to share it again and have a publication date, just so I can deal with any bullshit that life might throw my way and I can prove that it's my work.
Apologies for the long post, but I figured it would be good for people to understand why I'm leaving a site that I have invested a lot of my time in. Once upon a time I cared about the number of pageviews and watchers I would eventually procure in hopes of being a "famous" user, but the fact that I'm willing to throw it all away based on a single act of morality just proves I'm more ready to leave dA. Being an artist is not about being "famous" or "popular", it's about creativity, growth, and self-discovery. It's ok to cheer about and celebrate milestones, like finally earning that 1000th follower! But too many people let it get to their heads and forget why they started to create and share it with others in the first place. I have learned a lot about myself since joining dA, and I realize that I'm a better person now than I was before. Yes, I still get pissed when people steal my work (and rightly so) but isn't it the nature of all artists to defend the fruits of their labour when it's taken from them?
Since I will no longer be linking to my dA account, you might be wondering where I'm going to be posting my artwork now. I can be found mainly at the following places:
- Tumblr! Art Blog (this is where I will be posting pretty much everything from now on)
- Pixiv
- Weasyl
I am also in the process of making a Flickr account and will eventually be filling it up with my artwork (new and old) and beginning a budding career in photography. I've been wanting to get into photography since taking my first video/film course and purchasing an entry level DSLR this past semester; I feel it would be a great asset to my current skill set! There's nothing there yet, but you can follow me if you wish! I'll eventually be uploading things there once I get settled in and having figured out how the site works! Flickr looks pretty promising, if you ask me, and it seems they care more about their users than dA ever will.
Thanks for taking the time to read this; I know I have many supporters who will be upset about my decision, but I have thought long and hard about it for several months now. Receiving that email was the final nail in the coffin, so to speak.
Thank you for being such great watchers; I appreciate everything you have done for me and I hope you will continue to do so in the future for other members, as well!
