Some people have noted me now, saying someone ripped their work.
It's always so frustrating and upsetting, especially because we want to see the matter solved immediatly and more than anything we wanna kick the ripper's butt!

This article is based on how I usually act, with some tips and suggestions based on my experience. If anyone has anything to add, please do in your comments. Your help is precious and the more people know about what to do, the better it is.


Case 01 :: Here on deviantART
Someone took my images and is posting them on their gallery!

- The first thing to do is count to 10 backwards and breath in and out slowly.
It's very easy and tempting to start cussing on their main page, and call out our minions to slap them silly, however you must know something very important: It is against dA policy to post journal entries with links to other deviants' pages accusing them of ripping artwork. If anyone finds out and knows about this, the most probable thing to happen is you get banned and won't able to do anything from there.

- Go to the deviant's page who is using your artwork without permission, and note them asking that they remove your work from their gallery. Give them a 24 hour deadline. If they don't cooperate and if they don't take it the easy way then it's time to move on to reporting the case.

- Go to the deviation submitted on their gallery and below you will find a little link that says something like "Report Policy Violation".
Click on it and it will open a page with some options, and in this case you should choose "COpyright Infrigement"

- State your name and explain the situation as politely as possible, mentioning they do not have your permission to post, edit, manipulate, use,... your artwork, and so they are going against copyright laws. ALWAYS provide a link to your work, because this way it's easier for dA staff to see the dates and so you will be proven to be the original author of the image.

- Give dA some time to act as they get hundreds if not thousands of this kind of messages a day. Don't freak out on them if it takes a little longer. deviantART policy on copyrights is very strict and you should trust them to remove the works sooner or later. It might take a little longer but they will so be patient.


Case 02 :: Outside deviantART
Someone took my images and is posting them on a blog, or using them on a website without permission


- This case can be tricky, because we don't know what kind of policy other websites have, and we don't know what kind of people we are dealing with. But remaining calm is the best thing to do to begin with.

- Next look around to see if they have any kind of contact link, an email, or even help form you can fill.
This can take some time, and it's more frustrating when the website is not in english or our language. In this case, I believe you can make the situation public and ask for help to your friends, by note or on your journal. At least I have done and even though I'm not sure I don't think there is nothing wrong with it.

- You can always ask help to groups on dA who are dedicating themselves to this kind of situation such as*RippedArtTaskForce
They can help you contact the webmasters.

- If you find someway to contact them you should explain the situation to them providing a link to the ripped work, and another one to the original on your gallery. Once again this is the way to prove the work is yours.

- Some websites, like photobucket, require that you fill in a form called "Notice of Alleged Infringement". You can use the following template, fill it and send it whenever your work is ripped.


"DMCA Notice of Alleged Infringement ("Notice")

1. Identify the copyrighted work that you claim has been infringed, or-if multiple copyrighted works are covered by this Notice-you may provide a representative list of the copyrighted works that you claim have been infringed.

2. Identify the material or link you claim is infringing (or the subject of infringing activity) and that access to which is to be disabled, including at a minimum, if applicable, the URL of the link shown on the Photobucket website where such material may be found.

3. Provide your mailing address, telephone number, and, if available, email address.

4. Include both of the following statements in the body of the Notice:

* "I hereby state that I have a good faith belief that the disputed use of the copyrighted material is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law (e.g., as a fair use)."

* "I hereby state that the information in this Notice is accurate and, under penalty of perjury, that I am the owner, or authorized to act on behalf of the owner, of the copyright or of an exclusive right under the copyright that is allegedly infringed."

5. Provide your full legal name and your electronic or physical signature."