#and i can so CLEARLY name every artist that that 'fanart' has stolen from | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

welcometolotr · 1 year

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hey all: don’t use lensa.

I just did a quick search of the Laion database (which it ultimately uses) for ‘maedhros’ and ‘feanor’, and what do you know - loads of stolen silm fanart. Some of it is clearly the work of people who currently use this site (hi @atarinke and @arlenianchronicles ) and others are from both long-established fanartists (Jenny Dolfen, ilxwing, Elena Kukanova, etc.) as well as people just starting out and drawing on lined paper in class. It is indiscriminate. I’m lucky I haven’t found any of mine yet, but I don’t want to give this any more of my time.

using lensa and any other ai trained on stolen art takes away credit and the livelihoods of the artists whose work has been stolen - many of whom come from our own little corner of the internet.

i’ll be really honest here: I also don’t think people should be assembling ‘graphics’ sets without specifically linking each and every image with credit - possibly in the image itself. It’s the same deal, and you know what? lensa’s also been trained on those. I tried to reverse search this one and only came up with dead pinterest links, so good luck to anyone trying to hunt down the individual pieces.

If you haven’t seen the arguments against AI art making the rounds recently, then please go ahead and read up on them. If you’ve already used Lensa for selfies, know that in their TOS they say they can use your photos. I’m not out here to shame anyone who’s done it without realizing; I just want to show you that it’s not just big-name artists etc etc who are being stolen from here. It’s us. You know - the little fanartists in this tiny corner of the internet that you’ve made your home. We are not immune.

Don’t support Lensa.

#lensa #silmarillion #silm fandom

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ghostoftheyear · 2 months

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This has been on my mind as my other big fandom post has been going around.

A long time ago in a fandom I am no longer part of (for a variety of reasons we won't talk about here), I was told that I was a snob. I remember very clearly that I was sitting in my car with a person I knew from said fandom, outside an arena where we were about to attend a concert; the doors hadn't opened yet and we were both from out of town, so we had time to kill.

At the time, Livejournal was the main spot where fandom communities gathered. I used my LJ to post both personal stuff and fandom things, with custom filters so that my private stuff stayed private. Many people followed each other and did similar things, so that one would have a robust reading page (similar to a dash or timeline, but there was no reblog/retweet kinda feature) while also posting to community pages with community-specific posts: i.e. if it was a knitting community, you'd post your latest knitting projects. I liked it because I am a shy and private person who doesn't do a lot of outward engagement, so it was easy to connect with other fans.

Right around that particular moment, an anonymous hate LJ had also risen in popularity. Someone would start a post, leaving the comments open for anyone to respond, whether or not they had an account, and you could reply without logging in. It was hugely popular. And incredibly cruel. I cannot overemphasize the astonishing meanness of the posts. You'd get sort of a prompt post with the name of someone active in a certain fandom, and people would fucking tear them apart.

You may guess, from the way I'm describing it, that I really didn't like the practice. I went through the trenches of people attacking others online on web forums, and I didn't want any part of it.

(As an aside, I want to clearly state that people in a fandom never have to be the bestest of friends at all times. That's an impossible ask, and as well it's frankly unrealistic. You're never going to get along with every single other person who occupies a social space with you. But you don't have to be nasty, either. When I realized that people can just exist without having to particularly like each other, it changed my worldview.)

So there's this anon meme. And the person who was sitting in the passenger seat of my car told me how she'd seen my name on there and how I was perceived in fandom as being an arrogant snob who thought she was too good to interact with everyone else.

I had turned anon replies off in my journal after getting a few comments that creeped me out. I knew there were people who enjoyed interacting with anons, but I was never one of them. I didn't always comment on others' fandom posts, or on their fic. I kept to myself a lot, but I had a few really good friends within the fandom, people I did feel comfortable interacting with. I didn't make public posts about my private life. I guess not talking is the equivalent of being snobby and rude just as much online as it is in real life. (It didn't help that I wrote a lot of fic and was pretty well-known in the fandom.)

Why am I saying all this? I guess because even then, it felt like people wanted to make some kind of weird separation between those who make fanworks and those who don't.

This came up in tags and such on the other post, and it still baffles me. It was never quite as bad back then, but in recent years, when fandom got hacked and stolen by corporations, it's way worse. It almost feels now like there are three tiers in fan content:

The actual creators of the media. The writers, the artists who draw the comics and do the animation. The directors. The songwriters and performers. The actors. The video game creators. Those who legitimately get paid money to make the things we read and watch and listen to.

The fan creatives. Those who write the fanfic, who draw the fanart, who make the fanvids and meta-analyses. Those who create the challenges and big bangs even the zines. Yes, and those who make the gifsets and edits.

Everyone else in the fandom who doesn't contribute to fanworks, but takes in the media as well as the fanworks.

And I'm here to tell you that, no matter what corporations or fandom.com or Those On High try to tell you, that is not the case. There are two tiers.

Those who make the media. (#1 above)

Everyone who loves the media. This includes both those who make fanworks and those who do not.

That's right! We're all swimming in the same pool! All of us. And yes, in some cases those who make the media are not separate from the fans who enjoy it, but there is a distinction. And yes of course there are media creators who are also fans of other things (certain writers I follow on here who love other TV shows and so forth) but when they're loving the same stuff we are, we're still all in the same pool.

My point is that, as a fanwork creator, I am no better than, say, my BFF in the whole world, who generally is an enjoyer without feeling the need to add on in some way. I am definitely not better than you for making stuff, nor are you better than me for not. We're all fans, enjoying the same stuff in our own ways. I might feel inspired to write a few words; you might enjoy making headcanons while daydreaming. (And as someone who both draws and writes, one type of creator is not better than another).

So please, remember that fanwork creators are not """"above"""" any other fan. Which is just one of the many reasons why no one should feel weird about commenting on fics or reblogging art. We are truly all in it together.

(You may notice I did not use the terms "content creator" or "consumer" in this. You can be assured there is a very strong reason for that.)

K I'm going back to FFVII Rebirth now. I need to go find a missing chocobo.

#fandom #fandom essay #support your creatives #be kind to fellow fans

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acrispyapple · 4 years

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do no reblog art from this person.

they disregard artists. the artists’ rights. the artists’ wishes.

mlqc fandom, PLEASE be extremely mindful of what you reblog.

if there is only a link or an artist name, that art is -stolen- / reposted without permission. do not reblog.

there should always be a disclaimer somewhere that permission was given to post fanart. usually with proof as some people can just claim they have permission even when they don’t. unless that blog is well-trusted when it comes to posting art, there should always be proof of permission.

i always talk about art theft because it’s important to protect the artists who give us content. i’m sorry if you hate seeing my posts about this, but you guys can easily unfollow me because i will never stop trying to stop blatant art theft whenever i see it. tho i always do things privately, at this point i have no choice because they have chosen to just keep posting art while ignoring the artists and their wishes. i don’t think i need to explain much from our messages above. i also don’t think i should keep quiet about this.

whenever i message people about reposts, more often than not, it’s just an honest mistake. i’m always grateful to the people i’ve sent messages to in the past (re: taking down stolen art) who were really understanding. it creates a lot of anxiety for me to keep messaging people-- not knowing how they’re going to react, but i still do it because it’s the right thing to do.

now this person has blatantly shown she doesn’t care what the artists think of her posting their work. after my last message, i waited for her to reply, but instead she posted more stolen art and this:

i guess this is supposed to justify her just wanting to post whatever she wants without asking the artist or respecting their wishes when they say ‘do not repost / please ask for permission first’.

now, going back to their message to me, they also sent me a link about hypocrisy. and here it is:

i actually have an idea about who this might be. i remember sending some people copy/paste messages asking them to take down a helios fanart because the artist said so + it was posted without permission. because of so many reposts, that artist has already deleted the aforementioned fanart from their twitter. it was a photo to be used for her friend’s story.

please read everything under the cut because this is important.

besides calling an artist a hypocrite for wanting their art not posted anywhere else, this reposter blog also posted the twitter below, showing support. it has multiple stolen fanart. it’s mind-boggling how this can get 200+ retweets when it clearly says “stolen” ... GUYS. PLEASE.

do not support art theft. please just don’t. every time i see stolen art, it just makes me sad. it makes me not want to be on this site. please. i know you guys love pretty fanart, but please only reblog and support those who do it properly and those who protect the artists. do not reblog art posted without permission. this affects all artists. this affects all content makers when we allow people to feel entitled to anything they find on the internet. it also makes our fandom look bad.

if there is only a link or an artist name, that art is -stolen- / reposted without permission. do not reblog.

pinterest, zerochan, weheartit, etc are not supposed to be considered a source for fanart. do not use those sites as a justification for posting art without permission. DMCA LAWS EXIST. it’s just harder for foreign artists to lodge complaints because of accessibility, language barrier, etc. i know some artists who have lodged dmca take downs on tumblr, so please know, you really can’t just take someone’s work. besides, would it really kill to be respectful and mindful of others?

anyway, i’m just asking you guys not to reblog fanart from this person or anyone else who posts fanart without permission. do not send them hate or abuse. they’re free to think that way, and we’re also free to warn others not to support art theft. this is the first time i’ve had to name names because there really was no other way for me to protect the artists’ interests without outing the blog name. i’m sorry.

btw, if this is even important, apparently i’m not the first person to message them about art theft. they just really don’t want to listen.

please also read:

@saizoswifey ‘s post.

other posts explaining art theft: here and here. and the pinned post on my blog.

#art theft #psa #mr love: queen's choice #mlqc #love and producer #恋与制作人 #sourced mrlove fanart #my friend said i wrote this without stars or hearts or smiles #friend: huh. must be serious.#me: lol sorry. i felt the mood was different?#kirohertreasure #blackswanqueen_

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sundancingdragon · 4 years

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ATTENTION: REPOSTER ON TWITTER/INSTAGRAM - glojo3798 / GlojoCuscuhing

Hey guys, I will take some of your time here by writing about this particular Star Trek gifs reposter that’s been brought to my attention, but first let me provide some links explaining what reposting is and why it is bad. See posts here and here. A lot of gif makers and other content creators have faced reposters since tumblr exists and I myself wrote a lot of posts about it, but those sum it up well.

Recently I was notified by @ansonmountdaily that there is a massive reposter who’s been going through tumblr stealing thousands of Star Trek gif sets over the course of at least three years, and reposting them on their Instagram and Twitter accounts glojo3798 and GlojoCuscuhing, 99.99% of the time without giving credit to the original gif makers on tumblr, which come from every Star Trek fandom (TOS, TNG, VOY, DS9, Discovery and Picard) See list by AnsonMountDaily at the bottom of the post for a sampling of gif makers that have been targeted. The purpose of this post is to let people know their work has been reposted offsite without credit. It is not meant to attack the reposter in any way.

This individual has reposted 7000+ gif sets for which they’ve received thousands of views and likes from their 4100+ Instagram and 1700+ Twitter followers. Reposts include gifs clearly watermarked with the gif makers’ names but conveniently re-cut by them to make the watermark on gifs harder to see. Glojo also has the habit of combining stolen gifs, creating a collage, changing the size and order of the gifs, putting additional text over the graphic, and sometimes even their own watermark on stolen edits (original), giving the impression they’re the creator of those works. To top it off, Glojo has turned other people’s gifs into “birthday gift” collages, tagging Star Trek actors’ Twitter/Instagram handles on the reposts, again making it seem as if the gifs were their creations.

Glojo knows where the gifs originate from because the captions on the reposts are often the same as on the tumblr posts, and on the rare occasion they do admit the gifs are not theirs, it’s done in a vague manner, in the style “credit to the owner” (“gif from tumblr”) which is not credit at all, it’s merely acknowledging the platform the gifs come from, when credit should be given to specific users.

Before AnsonMountDaily told me about the reposting I did not know about any of this and am pretty sure the gif makers on the list didn’t either. They have since been notified. Glojo was contacted via Instagram about giving credit more than once, only to block those users. I myself wrote to them (also commented) about it, but they were not even bothered to answer me, but still continued to repost my works after i wrote them.

I want to ask those who see Glojo’s reposts or already follow them on social media, to NOT like/follow reposters or give them views. Please encourage the content creator and not the thief. We know it can be difficult sometimes to recognize an account as a reposter, and that net etiquette about reposting and ”resharing” isn’t immediately clear to everyone browsing social media, which is why we’re alerting people about this particular case, and spreading the word to other graphics makers who have been affected.

If you respect content creators who provide you with fanart and gifs for your favorite fandom, if you appreciate the love and dedication and energy they put into their work, and don’t want them to lose interest in giffing (a skill that takes time to practice and learn, and a process that is longer and far more involved than non-gif makers tend to believe), do not encourage people like Glojo into stealing more because it is very upsetting. As a member of @startrekladies I had a hard time going back on posting there because a lot of Glojo’s stolen works originate from said blog or got reblogged by it. More than that, Glojo went through my old blog @spockemon and reposted 50+ edits and gifs, and even my Doctor Who gifs (original), and that’s just what I found from browsing their instagram a little, pretty sure if i scroll down to the end i could find more :/ which is very upsetting.

They reposted not only Star Trek gifs/edits, but also Doctor Who, Farscape, Stargate and Star Wars gifs.

We do hope that if they repost more they will give a credit to original creator, but as someone whose gifs and edits were reposted a lot and even re-edited and watermarked by glojo, i prefer them to not repost my works at all. Even if it is just a small screencap edit, I still put my time and effort into it and using it as a base for their work and even claiming as theirs is disrespectful. The worst is - Glojo is not the only one who does this, there are more accounts stealing works from creators and getting praise for it, never mentioning that it is not their work. That is why my recent gifs are all watermarked. I put in my about page that if someone reposts my works outside tumblr at least give me credit, linking back to my tumblr, that is not much to ask and all the time I ask for the credit I get rude answers and get blocked. or no answer at all :/ I hope you will have better luck with it.

Feel free to reblog this post to help us spread the word, thank you! If your gifs have been reposted and you wish for them to be deleted, we suggest you either contact Glojo on their social media and politely request a removal (please, DO NOT harass or attack them!), or report the reposts to Twitter/Instagram.

Thank you very much for reading!

The following are gif makers’ names and examples of their gif sets that have been reposted on Glojo’s Instagram and/or Twitter that we can recognize. Please note this is just a small sampling of gifs Glojo has taken from each gif maker, there are many more, just like there are numerous other gif makers not covered on the list! (if you want to be removed from the list, contact me)

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