Beware: MangaX/AniPopGam 2

[vinndemiatrix.livejournal.com]

Hello all. It's been brought to my attention (and many others on the DeviantART community) about a store called "MangaX," also known as "AniPopGam 2" at anime conventions. The mentioned distributers have stolen artwork from more than a couple artists on DA, printed the work, and sold them as posters at this year's Japan Expo (and we're still getting word from people about seeing the same company at other conventions, again selling stolen work). Some photos below:

Their booth. Pretty much 99% of the stuff they sold was stolen: http://s1216.photobucket.com/albums/dd368/QinniArt/?action=view&current=dsc09548z-1.jpg 

Another photo of their booth, with the name displayed: http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/761/dsc09600h.jpg


There's already been a few cases through social-art websites from artists making posts about their art being stolen by these people and sold as posters. If you are going to any upcoming anime conventions, please keep an eye out for a booth called AniPopGam 2, or their store name "MangaX." If you do, please report them for the convention organizers or staff and see if something can be done about it. And I know that even if you report them, there's pretty much nothing that can be done since there's really no way for you to prove on the spot that the artwork as stolen, but if that happens, then at least avoid buying anything from them. Though, I have heard that if you look close enough, you can still see watermarks on some of the pieces of artwork from the original artists.

I can continue to update on this with more info as I find it out. But, if you would like more detailed information, please visit these artists' journals from DA whose artwork was stolen and printed illegally by this shop --> http://kaoru-chan.deviantart.com/journal/42101086/ http://qinni.deviantart.com/journal/42085262/


(And sorry if that is hard to read/if anything is confusing, English is not my native tongue.)

Comments

[skittlewolf.livejournal.com]

I just want say that your post is very clear!

[fyphfoko.livejournal.com]

i want to ditto this

[slyminera.livejournal.com]

This situation's pretty awful! D:
Though not an uncommon occurrence at anime conventions, which is even more awful.

I really hope that company gets what's coming to them. I'm rather appalled that the Japan Expo staff wouldn't do anything at first. I sincerely hope that changes now that kaoru-chan sent them an official email with proof that she was stolen from (and I hope that Qinni follows kaoru's example).

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

I am a little unclear here. Are these people producing the posters and selling them or are they buying from another party and selling them?

I only ask because a friend of mine just went through a nightmare of dealing with a Chinese company copying and selling her work.

[keaalu.livejournal.com]

Looking at one of the linked journals, I think the company have either lifted the art and are making the posters themselves, or have bought them from someone who has - either way, the art is stolen.

"The seller didn't have a company name and insisted he bought the posters wholesale. ... [but] I didn't give permission to anyone to sell my artwork as posters anywhere."

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

I agree that the seller SHOULD NOT be selling those posters. It is stolen property through and through.

I am trying to figure out how big the problem is. Are these posters being sold in Japan? China? New Zealand? Or just in the US?

Did these people pay to have the posters created or do they just need to destroy them and tell the artist where they bought them so that the artist can send a letter telling them that this is stolen property and knock it off.

Hot Topic in infamous for this sort of thing and their excuse is that they bought the product from someone else therefor all they can do is stop selling it.

[vinndemiatrix.livejournal.com]

Based on my own understanding, the shop is taking artworking in any which way they can and making the posters themselves. From what kaoru-chan says, she thinks that the shop somehow got a hold of a physical copy print of her artwork from when she went to Japan Expo last year (because of the lack of her watermark; the only way it would be that way is if they either had the raw file or a hard printed copy), scanned it so it was high-res, and then sold it that way. However, Qunni's situation suggests that they just openly steal artwork from social-art networks like deviantART and then print them (as the poster made from Qunni's work still has the watermark on it, if you look close enough).

[slyminera.livejournal.com]

It could be they're doing both. Honestly I wouldn't be surprised.

[kikai-saigono.livejournal.com]

It seems from both Qinni and Kaoru-chan's journals that this matter is on the road to being resolved.

[leoprincess.livejournal.com]

I certainly hope so! I'm trying to get established as an illustrator, and these stories are not helping me sleep at night.