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After Ice Cream Company Stole This Artist’s Work, He Came Up With An Idea They Didn’t Expect
In a time when original ideas are hard to come by, it’s no wonder that things get copied and stolen, especially on the internet. However, an ice cream company ColdStone crossed the line when they plagiarised art for their Indian branch.
Last week, Adam Ellis, former BuzzFeed employee and artist, shared his story on Twitter, where it quickly gained attention. He pointed out that Coldstone traced and stole some of his work for their Instagram page and urged the company to donate to Inner City Arts, a creative space in Los Angeles, where children can explore their creativity. People quickly expressed their feelings on such plagiarism and unsurprisingly, they weren’t too happy.
The company has responded and just a week later, Adam Ellis posted an update on the entire situation that offered a glimmer of hope for all artists. Read the story below to see how it unfolded and tell us if you think Ellis did the right thing.
More info: Twitter
RELATED:
Remember Adam Ellis who quit Buzzfeed to pursue his artist career?
Well, last week Ellis posted about ColdStone stealing his work and offered an interesting way to solve this
Take a look at one of his comics, which shows Adam’s distinctive drawing style
Now take a look at some of the art that was traced and stolen
Understandably, people were not too happy about such plagiarism
And just a couple days ago, Ellis tweeted Coldstone’s response
However, not everyone was happy
Others were happy about the exchange and were quick to support the artist
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What do you think ?
Sree S 7 years ago
Jonathan there aren't many cartoonists who would handle a similar situation like this. We must appreciate him for that. The way he handled it without taking revenge. Its amazing!!
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Teddy O'Malley 7 years ago
So annoying when big companies do that, but I'm glad it had a happy outcome. I enjoy and will continue to enjoy the work off Adam Ellis.
Gerry Higgins 7 years ago
It's possible ColdStone didn't know about this. A staff artist stole the stuff and submitted as his own..... I bet he's unemployed now.
Sally Appleton 7 years ago
This whole website is basically an homage to Adam Ellis and I am 100% here for it.
stellermatt 7 years ago
there's like a million different ways to draw a face, they could've at least TRIED to be different. his style is so spottable, it's just lazy copying. good on him for taking a stand.
Arietis 7 years ago
I bet this is what happened: They just didn't want to put any money in the actual art of their campaign. They probably paid a decent amount for the people who conjured up an 'advertising strategy' and then the rest of the budget didn't allow for an experienced artist. So they hired someone who's somewhat into drawing, someone semi-professional, who traced a few pics because of deadline pressure or because their own style isn't developed enough. And now, due to public pressure, the company has to donate money they couldn't find for a professional artist in the first place.
H4unt3dF0r3sts 7 years ago
Although it is frustrating that they weren't sued for plagiarism, I am glad that they had donated money. Adam Ellis did the right thing
SweetMamaP 7 years ago
Lawsuits are time-consuming and expensive with no guarantee that you'll win even if the case looks like a slam dunk. Cold Stone has deep pockets and they could drag it out for years, bankrupting any "little guy" with just the legal costs. Ellis is smart enough understand this. And instead of looking for revenge, he gave them a way to save face and avoided being dragged into a lengthy legal battle with the likelihood of that they'll receive, at most, a small fine. His move was elegant and breathtaking in it's simplicity and impact. Win-Win for everyone (especially Inner City Arts). Now, Adam Ellis can move on, without any legal debt, and create more art.
Load More Replies... Sree S 7 years ago
Jonathan there aren't many cartoonists who would handle a similar situation like this. We must appreciate him for that. The way he handled it without taking revenge. Its amazing!!
Load More Replies... Teddy O'Malley 7 years ago
So annoying when big companies do that, but I'm glad it had a happy outcome. I enjoy and will continue to enjoy the work off Adam Ellis.
Gerry Higgins 7 years ago
It's possible ColdStone didn't know about this. A staff artist stole the stuff and submitted as his own..... I bet he's unemployed now.
Sally Appleton 7 years ago
This whole website is basically an homage to Adam Ellis and I am 100% here for it.
stellermatt 7 years ago
there's like a million different ways to draw a face, they could've at least TRIED to be different. his style is so spottable, it's just lazy copying. good on him for taking a stand.
Arietis 7 years ago
I bet this is what happened: They just didn't want to put any money in the actual art of their campaign. They probably paid a decent amount for the people who conjured up an 'advertising strategy' and then the rest of the budget didn't allow for an experienced artist. So they hired someone who's somewhat into drawing, someone semi-professional, who traced a few pics because of deadline pressure or because their own style isn't developed enough. And now, due to public pressure, the company has to donate money they couldn't find for a professional artist in the first place.
H4unt3dF0r3sts 7 years ago
Although it is frustrating that they weren't sued for plagiarism, I am glad that they had donated money. Adam Ellis did the right thing
SweetMamaP 7 years ago
Lawsuits are time-consuming and expensive with no guarantee that you'll win even if the case looks like a slam dunk. Cold Stone has deep pockets and they could drag it out for years, bankrupting any "little guy" with just the legal costs. Ellis is smart enough understand this. And instead of looking for revenge, he gave them a way to save face and avoided being dragged into a lengthy legal battle with the likelihood of that they'll receive, at most, a small fine. His move was elegant and breathtaking in it's simplicity and impact. Win-Win for everyone (especially Inner City Arts). Now, Adam Ellis can move on, without any legal debt, and create more art.
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