Drew a galaxy wolf when I was 20 that became one of the most stolen artworks on the Internet to the point that galaxy wolf hoodies became a fashion meme of the 2010‘s.
9 yrs later sued 4000+ of the shops that sold my art without permission and bought myself an apartment. 😂
In 2020 Aaron Carter used my art to promote his clothing without my permission.
I took him to court and am happy to announce we came to an agreement after 1 1/2 years. Aaron paid 12,500$ as part of a settlement.
Artists, please fight for your rights! If you won‘t, no one will.
Hey
@aaroncarter
.. You are using my artwork to promote your merchandise. I have not given you permission to do so. My art is being commercially exploited by people on a daily basis. We artists have rights, too!
Iˋd really appreciate if you could retweet this so he‘ll see it.
6 yrs ago my art was stolen by 1000s of online shops.
I tried to fight them but gave up.
2 yrs ago I started working with a law firm. 16 lawyers took down 2000+ shops & recovered funds.
I just bought my own apartment with the money.
Artists: never 👏 give 👏 up 👏 fighting!👏
Negative use cases:
- spreading fake news
- meddling in elections
- non-consensual corn
- faking evidence for court cases
- scamming gullible people
- creating low effort, soulless „content“ for social media
- replacing jobs of artists
Positive use cases:
- umm… none?
Introducing Sora, our text-to-video model.
Sora can create videos of up to 60 seconds featuring highly detailed scenes, complex camera motion, and multiple characters with vibrant emotions.
Prompt: “Beautiful, snowy…
Simply having values just gave Procreate massive free marketing.
This is how you stand out in an exploitative capitalist system.
Companies, take note ✍️
Since this story goes viral whenever I post about it: if anyone’s interested in making this into a documentary, hit me up haha. There’s much more to the story and I‘d love to raise awareness about how artists are being ripped off every day (especially now with Ai).
Not just saying this because it’s Ai but this video was the most painful, uninspired & boring watch I‘ve had in a long time. Literally wasted 3 minutes of my life.
The fact this slop won over the masterfully hand-created animations is a disgrace to the entirety of human art.
Aaron deleted his tweet using my artwork while livestreaming on Youtube and threatened to counter sue me. No apology whatsoever. I am glad the tweet is down though.
Now off to bed. It’s been a long day.
Thanks to all of you! 🙏🏻
Aaaand here we go again:
- Famous rapper (couple Million followers) uses my artwork for their new album cover
- I reach out to their management on Instagram, asking for financial compensation
- This is their reply
Don’t be like them. Exposure won’t pay bills 🙅🏼♂️
Well, who could have ever guessed that introducing a tool that automates the very thing your customers have created their work around might jeopardise your own business structure?
My artwork „Brotherhood“ that this whole Aaron Carter fuss is about, is actually part of a series called „Symbols of Life“. Thought I would share the rest of these with you. Each one represents a common symbol (heart, yin&yang, etc.) and the relationship of light and dark.
I‘ve had Madonna use my art in the past, photoshopping her face into one of my paintings. I am so fed up with people taking my hard work for their own purposes without even asking. I also found my art being sold at a market in Thailand, when I was there on vacation. It‘s crazy..
And to make this clear: I would have been happy to handle this issue differently, had he reached out privately after my tweet. But the way he responded is making a mockery of the artist community and I can’t sit with that. I‘ve had enough of people treating artists that way.
So in a nutshell, Wacom saved a couple bucks by using Ai instead of hiring an artist for their ad campaign but likely lost tens of thousands of loyal customers for it.
Genius move! I hope other companies take note ✍️
My friend who works for a company selling audiobooks just told me that their boss is replacing almost all their voice actors with Ai software that costs them 20$ a month.
If lawmakers don’t regulate this tech immediately the damage to entire industries will be immeasurable.
Another update:
@aaroncarter
was actually streaming on YT and talked about my tweet at 3:59:30
Making fun of me, he said: „His tweet got 17 likes“... well, I guess it’s a bit of a different story now.
#artistsunite
Thank you for all the comments and retweets everyone! It helps tremendously. I‘ll keep you updated once I have more info. If you know a good lawyer or have contact to media outlets, please private message or email me: jojoesart
@gmail
.com
You don’t mess with twitter artists.
Celebs like
@aaroncarter
should set an example, especially since he’s also from a creative background and knows copyright laws. If they can take art and do whatever with it, anyone can and will do it. If they’re not held responsible, people won’t stop treating artists like crap.
Guys! Important update! There is a Forbes article now about all of this. Finally we artists are getting justice and recognition. This is to all of you wonderful souls!
Here‘s to all the artists working their butts of everyday to improve and make their dreams become reality.
@aaroncarter
and others may think we shake these off our sleeves in no time, but noone gets to see the tears and sweat we put into our passion.
#ArtTheftIsAbuse
QUARANTINE DIARY:
Day 1: As an artist I have practiced social isolation for my whole life. Staying in for a few weeks will be no change from my usual hermit-lifestyle.
Day 2: WHY DO I SUDDENLY FEEL THE URGE TO GO OUT AND ACTUALLY EXPERIENCE LIFE?!
Hey
@aaroncarter
, I wasn‘t going to address this publicly anymore, but you leave me no choice:
I did NOT reach out to work with you. I reached out on IG to find a peaceful way to resolve our dispute. But you blocked me and now you spread lies and keep insulting me.
(cont. ⬇️)
PUMA is apparently using Ai for their ads now.
Since they can’t afford to hire actual artists for their campaigns, I hope all artists will stop buying their products ☺️
A team this great needs a kit to match. Get ready to a new era of greatness with
@letiiciaoro
in the latest
@atletismo
.brasil kit 🇧🇷
Um time tão incrível precisa de um kit à altura. Se prepare para uma nova era de grandeza com
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no novo uniforme do…
I spared you some of the more bizarre details of this case, like this email I received in May.
Whether it is actually from Aaron, one of his hardcore fans or just a troll is difficult to prove and not an assumption I will make… but let me just say I‘m glad this case is over.
„Ai democratizes art.“
I literally can‘t think of a more accessible skill than creating art. A pencil and paper cost a few bucks and there are thousands of FREE tutorials by very skilled professionals online.
Stop the lazy excuses and pick up a pencil like the rest of us did.
I made a Tik Tok about my art theft story and it completely blew up. Reading the comments this morning literally made me cry. 😭
Finally getting recognition of what happened and people finding out I‘m the artist is so healing. It’s literal therapy 🥲
I‘m so disappointed that the art platform I and so many other creators called our first home is now openly advertising Ai „artists“.
It feels like such a spit in the face.
My sister has been selling her art on Etsy for ten years now. It’s her main income source and she’s working nonstop.
Actual artists like her made Etsy the platform it is today! Yet they‘re pushed off the platform by Ai grifters like this ⬇️
It’s a disgrace & Etsy is complicit.
People are selling AI Art on Etsy and making $100k+ a month
I wrote a full guide on how to create the art, list it on Etsy properly and build it to a $100k/m store
Like this tweet, RT + Comment 'Etsy' and I'll DM it to you for FREE
(must be following me or I can't DM you)
Heard some people say the way we treat companies using Ai is too harsh.
Do you realize that boycotting, calling out and educating are the only tools we have to fight back?
Ai poses an existential threat to many artistic careers. We won’t sit and watch in silence.
Holy.. didn’t expect this to blow up like that. I‘m currently bombarded with messages and will try to get back as soon as possible. Incredible to see Twitter‘s artist community unite like that.
Hey
@aaroncarter
.. You are using my artwork to promote your merchandise. I have not given you permission to do so. My art is being commercially exploited by people on a daily basis. We artists have rights, too!
Iˋd really appreciate if you could retweet this so he‘ll see it.
My sister once sold exclusive rights to 3 of her artworks for $500 because the company said they had „just started out“.
They actually made $1,000,000 within 3 months off of her work.
Lesson: do your research & push for royalties per sale if possible. Businesses ain’t stupid.
- Guy steals my art for his book cover
- I ask him to take it down or pay a license fee
- He lies that he‘s not making any money from it
- He insists on keeping the image in exchange for an IG post that‘ll „give me business“
- calls me egotistical for not wanting to cooperate
🤦🏼
In my 15 years of being an online artist I‘ve never seen the artist community in so much collective pain.
Mass layoffs, Ai, shitty social media algorithms and rising living costs have many at a breaking point.
Please be extra gentle and supportive in these times.
Received this email by a shop that was selling my art illegally on Amazon & had their products frozen by my lawyers.
Then I saw this kid wearing a hoodie with my art at the train station. All within 24 hours.
Being an artist in the Internet age is wild 😂
I'm seeing so many artists quit because of Ai. It's devastating and an actual extinction level event, especially for artists who aren't yet established in the industry.
If you're an art lover, now is the best time to support your favourite smaller artists. They really need you.
I have recordings of all the tweets and livestream bits where he talks about me. I got contacted by dozens of lawyers. I‘ll consider my options and keep you guys updated.
Artists: if we don’t fight for our rights, nobody will. Many celebrities and big corporations think we have no voice. We need to defend creative rights in our age of social media, or there will be no future for us.
Please know your worth and kick butts if necessary! 💪🏻
An outsider’s view on furries:
- they have one of the kindest and most supportive communities
- are super accepting of LGBTQ+ folks
- actually PAY for art
- know how to party
Takeaway: Be more like furries <3
Just tried to look for reference images and literally 90% of google search results were Ai-generated.
The Internet is becoming unusable in front of our eyes. Wtf have we done.
The author who used my art without permission for his book cover now claims in a Youtube video that I tried to extort him for money.
Spoiler: Asking for compensation is not extortion!
As the image owner you can even send an invoice to infringers. That’s how copyright law works!
petition to put tech billionaires, greedy companies and Ai bros on an island where they let Ai generate everything that makes life worth living while the rest of us rebuild society, create art and live happily in unison with nature
6 years ago I got rejected from art school. Since then I:
- released 25+ products with Ravensburger sold worldwide
- sued 4000+ online shops that stole my art & bought an apartment
- launched my own clothing
- teach art online
You don’t need a diploma to make it as an artist.
Here’s our conversation. I never asked for 10000$ as you claim in your stream. That is a lie.
I had compassion with you, as I know you’ve been through a lot, but my patience has come to an end. Legal action will be taken and your lies won’t help your case.
Got this text from the artist who put the cover design together. Pretty much sums up the whole problem we have with the Internet today: people find a random picture they like, think it is free because it is on Google and use it for whatever.
Google is not a free stock site!
ART GIVEAWAY to celebrate your support! 🎉
Rules:
- retweet & like this tweet
- you have to be a follower of mine
Two randomly chosen winners will win a signed A3 size print (12x17 in) of their choice. Free international shipping. Ends Monday. Let‘s go! 🙌🏻
@JoJoesArt
A doctor is not talented at medicine.
An IT-specialist is not talented at coding.
An attorney is not talented at law.
Yet for some reason we've totally normalised saying this to artists.
Creating great art is just as much a skill acquired through study and consistent practice.
@LorelaiMillet
Thank you! It’s not a win as in the judge decided in my favor (since we agreed to settle instead) but for me it is a win nonetheless because it proves that it’s worth fighting for my rights ❤️
The value of your art is not determined by the number of likes it generates.
If one person connects to your art in some way that's enough - even if that person is yourself.
I don’t want to be „10x more productive“.
I don’t want to have to crank out 10 artworks a day.
I don’t want to grind ever harder like a machine, just for the sake of infinite economic growth.
I just want to be human and be ok with that.
@_Dofresh_
speaking as someone who will also see a lot of generative content enter my workflow, don't hide from this, embrace it and flourish. You can now produce art 10x or even 100x faster using these tools. I'm going to assume that you use software tools in your current workflow. This is…
I decided not to disclose their name right now, because I‘m not in the mood to cause a huge drama again like with Aaron Carter. Also, they took my artwork down right when I contacted them, but had already amassed hundreds of thousands of likes.
Two companies I've licensed my art to have already gone out of business this year because of Ai. Platforms like Etsy and Displate are overrun with Ai slop, drowning out human artists.
To say I hate this development would be an understatement.
Also, you say I am doing it for the attention. If you look at my IG, you’ll see that I‘ve had a really loyal following for years. Tbh, I wish I didn’t have to deal with this, as I don’t aspire to be „the artist Aaron Carter stole from“. I always wanted my art to speak for itself.
Grandma knits an amazing car cover for her grandson.
Except… these „photos“ are actually generated by Ai.
1.4 Million people liked this post and I didn’t see a single comment pointing out that it is Ai.
Am I the only one who finds this deeply deeply concerning?
Can't wait to find out how many times my art was used in Midjourney training data and sue the living hell out of them.
Just waiting for legal precedent.
But I promise I won’t give up. The incredible support I received during the Aaron Carter mess really motivated me to fight for my rights, whenever possible. I hope it will get easier for artists to protect their work INTERNATIONALLY and also receive compensation. We need change!
My 8-year-old brother drew an homage (right) to my artwork (left). I randomly found it in his room & was so touched by it.
The first steps towards discovering one‘s artistic voice are a vital part of the process. The journey is the destination.
Ai prompters will never get this.
Child of Light
Listen now my precious child,
we have to part, the time is here,
I'll send you out into the night
into a world of hate and fear.
You have to walk this path alone,
faith and hope will help you see,
my light will lead you safely home,
where we will shine eternally.
With all the fear spreading about
#coronavirus
lately, I hope we won’t let this crisis divide us even further as a human family. I‘ve read some pretty racist comments and it makes me so upset.
The West and East have to stand together now. We‘re all in this together. 🇨🇳 🌎
Artstation‘s trending page right now.
Yes, this is a culture war and rightly so. We don’t want cheap „fast-art“ that relies on stealing from human artists to take over.
Now let’s do the same with DeviantArt 🔥
People saying this artwork of mine might be among the most stolen on the Internet.
I have seen at least 20 people wearing hoodies of it in real life. The odds of that are low unless the art thieves actually sold millions.
I hate it but for some reason it also makes me proud 😂
I‘ve heard this argument quite a bit lately. Maybe in an utopian, non-capitalist society this approach would work. But as long as artists have bills to pay like everyone else, we have to raise awareness for the importance of giving credit where it is due.
Just a quick reminder that doing nothing for a day can be just as productive as checking off your endless to-do list.
Society is so obsessed with „being productive“ that it’s easy to forget we have to recharge as well.
Make yourself a tea and just BE today <3
Apparently the country said rapper is from doesn‘t have proper copyright laws, so there is little I can do from a legal perspective (I asked my attorney). Sometimes I just wanna give up fighting. It can be overpowering to experience stuff like that on a daily basis.
Artist support thread ✨
How it works:
- share an artwork of yours in a comment
- comment on at least one other person‘s art piece
- find new artists to follow & gain new followers
- RT this thread, so more people can join in
Let’s go 💪🏻
#art
#artsupport
#artist
„The young generations are too lazy to work.“
No. We‘re just tired of working full-time and still barely being able to pay rent.
We’re tired of not knowing whether we‘ll retire.
We‘re tired of being a cog in a system that only benefits the rich.
That’s the issue. Not work.
Also, I have received a ton of comments asking me how to support me, suggesting to open a gofundme for possible lawyer fees. Not sure I‘m comfortable with that. But if you wanna support my art, I have an etsy shop. Link is in my Twitter bio.