The Original Sin: The Unseen Cost Of Copied Art

Another day, another story of plagiarism making headlines. A few weeks ago, ChatGPT was under fire—yeah some of us were really disappointed—for blatantly using Studio Ghibli’s signature style and turning it into an algorithm churning unoriginal ghiblified images.

So much for artistes’ creativity, their IP, their hard work yeah? But we expect machines to fail us. They are designed with a limitation certainly when it comes to consciousness. But when the same happens to be done by a fellow human being, an artist himself…it is a serious cause of concern.

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Watching copied content these days on our social media feed is a never-ending snapchat streak. Actually, wait at this point who can decipher what’s real, what’s AI-generated unless it’s obvious and clearly mentioned. And to give credit where its due, huh. Who believes in it anyway?

We have all been to the local markets littered with replicas of Michael Kors, Gucci and the likes of Chanel. And “referring” to your friend’s thesis at Universities feels like no big crime… (obviously, your friends studying abroad know the repercussions of it all)

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So, when poet Aamir Aziz recently accused internationally acclaimed artist Anita Dube of using his poetry -for years- including in a 2023 exhibition titled Of Mimicry, Mimesis and Masquerade, without his knowledge, consent, credit, or compensation, it has brought a stark reality to forefront again. 

When artistic expression born out of someone's experience is co-opted, it’s not just plagiarism, its erasure of that person, their voice, and their creativity. Might be an unheard-of thing in times when replicas, references, and AI-generated content leaves a thin line between homage and harm.

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Beyond the controversy, it broadly also sheds light on the dichotomy of structure to us. One is influential position, the other trying to get there.

So, in the process when someone with clout takes a work born of someone's hard work and creative spirit and repackages it for gallery walls or glossy catalogues, it creates a hierarchy of voices.

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One is amplified and rewarded; the other is reduced to a footnote. In the case of Aamir Aziz and Anita Dube, it’s not simply about not just seeking permission but also about looking at others’ work in the same dignified light as their own.

A little bit of courtesy can take you a long way, certainly not tarnish your reputation and in the world of elitism that matters—on pristine canvases.

"Borrowed" Without Consent Still "Borrowing" or Outright Plagiarism?

On paper, creative rights—copyrights, intellectual property clauses may look complicated. Even moral rights for that matter. But in the real world they live in shadows of enforcement. In fast-scrolling, caught up in reposting reels and images online, we forget the vortex of internet legalities may be all about protecting us against the copyright infringer. Ctrl+C is easy, but when caught it can be quiet a scandal!

But a close look at the often neglected "terms and conditions" of an apps we use, for instance, can tell us a different tale altogether. Protecting your creative output today requires more than a byline. With awareness of our legal rights to protect our works, we largely also need cultural literacy, so there is little to no room for “ethical lapse”.

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Remember the real battle isn’t just about the law but it’s about the value of your work. It’s that feeling of saying “I made it” or “Its my work”.

We all know how fans of cricketers and celebrities sell autographs online without the said person’s consent. Or that photography you shared on your social media from a vacation that is artistic but has no sign of you to associate with and call it yours. Unless you are smart enough and digitally literate to put a watermark.

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Instead of normalising exploitation by taking away someone’s creative credit, its not innovation, its erosion. Neither is recognition without permission a tribute. Its time we focus on building a culture where art is not consumed but also respected-whether its created by a big and established persona or a nobody.