Back To Action, Minions
The fact that Hot Topic was so quick to remove the ripping-off-Vera-Brosgol shirt is apparently less because they want to be a good corporate citizen, and more because they’re getting so damn much practice. This is 15 hours old because I wasn’t checkin’ email or Twitter last night:
Crap. Hot Topic is selling buttons with my art without my permission. http://bit.ly/bQw8Hl http://bit.ly/aHM7PB
You can punch in those links for proof if you want; I’m not linking to Hot Topic any more, except for pages that allow you to contact people in their corporate structure. People like Jim McGinty, primary contact for Investor Relations at Hot Topic. We need to stop asking Hot Topic what they’re going to do about the theft of single pieces of art, and ask what the hell they’re going to do to ensure that they stop stealing art in the first damn place. Seriously, this requires a change in their business practices, and I think we need to keep pestering until they get that message.
We need some kind of call-to-action for artists. Boycotts, watchdog groups, etc. These companies aren’t making spare change off the stolen artwork – they’re making serious money. This needs to go public and go wide so that news stories make it to CNN and NBC, so that these companies finally start earning a public reputation as thieves.
By jg on 02.27.10 12:22 pm
Second thought – we also need someone to go inside and find out which design houses are regularly doing this. Names of companies and people need to be outed so that they will never work in that industry again.
By jg on 02.27.10 12:24 pm
[…] new word on the latest Hot Topic situation, but it’s getting some pretty wide press — The Consumerist is now reporting on the […]
By Fleen: Home Of The Webcomics Action News Team! » Minus The Self-Loathing, Of Course on 03.01.10 2:31 pm
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