Metalsmith John T. Unger currently finds himself in the middle of a legal battle he did not create. His "original art has been copied by a manufacturer who is now suing him in federal court to overturn his existing copyrights and continue making knockoffs."
From Unger's website, "FirePitArt.com, LLC and owner Rick Wittrig have filed suit against me in federal court seeking to overturn my formally registered copyrights in order to continue selling unlicensed knockoffs of my work.
He argues that my original Artisanal Firebowls are not properly classified as sculptural artwork, despite the fact that Wittrig sells his copies at art fairs, describes himself publicly as an artist, and even uses the word art in the name of his business.
When Wittrig first launched his website he offered only six designs of firepits all of which bear an uncanny resemblance to my Artisanal Firebowl sculptures. One of these even initially bore the exact same name as my Waves O' Fire. He appears to be mass-producing these designs, and is selling them at discounted prices on several of the largest internet retail sites devoted to outdoor living. Prior to the launch of his website, I have been unable to find any documentation of Wittrig making any original art.
...I am concerned about people confusing my art with the work of another because I have no way of insuring that they experience the same quality, attention to detail, and integrity. When Wittrig began selling his firepits which so closely resemble my work, I began seeing instances of confusion over authorship almost immediately. An artist messaged me on Twitter, believing she had met me at a Tennessee art fair. Photos of Wittrig's firepits were posted to a blog and mistakenly attributed as my own. I got an email from a landscape architect I had discussed commissions with in the past. She wrote:
I met this guy at a local festival this weekend and his work was so similar to yours I went over and introduced myself. Something was not right, but I was not sure that it was not you until I came back and checked your site... I was excited to meet (you) in person and he was aloof...? I am aggravated now knowing that he allowed me to go on and never said that I must be mistaking him for someone else.
This email was a kick in the gut on so many levels. Not only had my most popular and well known artwork been copied, but the imitator had also offended a client who might easily have continued to believe he was me."
To read the entire story on John's site please click here
Please support John in his battle which is something that many independent artists face. Sadly, most of us can't fight these battles because the monetary loss is so great. Protect the rights of all artists!
To support John financially in his battle against Mr. Wittrig please click here to be taken to John's Kickstarter.com page.
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