Is this even LEGAL?!?!

I know we have discussed Shag rip off look alike artists, but this guy not only rips off the style but the subject and composition as well!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=885512840

Geesh, are people really buying this stuff?

-Mike

im stunned.
wordless.

And I don't think he mentions shag at all.

Oh, but he DID mention Shag after some prodding:

My email to the "artist':
Is this an intentional rip off of Shag, or what exactly are you doing here with this more or less note for note copy of his work?

The response came back:
"Why on earth would you e-mail me? It is not a point by point, look at
Shag's. Do me a favor, go away."

Charming. And obvioiusly, it opens up a whole new way of approaching artistic endeavors.

ok, who has Josh's email address? its time to use the Mail This Auction To A Friend feature.

that is classic

im buyin it

re:"Is this even LEGAL?!?!"

Well, either we didn't cover it, or (likelier) I was asleep during that lecture in Copyright Law, but it certainly looks like a "cease" letter is in order from Josh's counsel. Some of the stuff I see on Ebay is simply derivative of Josh's "style". This one is way past that level, straight into "no-no" area.

No comments on Josh's talents or how easy it seems for someone to copy his work. I left art school for law school a LONG time ago...and now do neither!

Gotta put this "copycat" guy below the Ebay scam sellers that tried to pass of Shag greeting cards as something more. I sent some emails out about those scamsters.

midnite

Josh's email. [email protected] Josh takes the time to respond to your emails. I think that's just great. Livin' in Balto, MD that is the closest I will probably ever get to meeting him, as no one ever comes here.

[ Edited by: Turbogod on 2002-06-24 21:54 ]

Shag is planning to coordinate a showing in Atlanta with us for next year's HUKILAU, so you'll have to come down for that... only 11 hours by car!

[ Edited by: kahukini on 2002-06-24 22:21 ]

I adore Shag and we have even hired him to work on our band logo, but even he admits to borrowing style from other artists. Check out the work of Gene Deitch and Jim Flora sometime and you will see the fountainhead of his inspiration.
The work in this eBay auction actually has more in common with Disney's Academy Award winning Ward Kimball's Toot Whistle Plunk and Boom than a rip-off of Shag. And the poor fellow certainly isn't getting the $1000+ price tag for his work that Shag deservedly gets.

short clips from that cartoon are on this page, I see what you are talking about http://www.reelclassics.com/Gallery/video3.htm

cool + thanks! I have been looking for clips of this cartoon online. i mean that ebay painting was derivitive of Shag's Three Musicians... but this helps put it all in perspective. Plus, you know Shag was just updating his own version of Picasso's Three Musicians, too! That's why we love him because of his cultural nods to all the things we love from Planet of the Apes to Nancy and Lee playing the Roxy!

Actually, send the Ebay guy's image to Switched On. they represent Shag's art and rights. I'd say he would just forward it to them anyway.

Recently, in Portland, Frenchy took me to a store called Home Ec. Lots of cute things there-- but they were indeed also selling numerous (probably about a dozen) direct ripoffs of Shag paintings. Direct as in, direct copies, painted by someone on canvas.

Har haw! More of the same:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=890031805

There's some poor child chained up in a basement somewhere cranking these things out...

Kongtiki--

THAT'S the one I was talking about! Artist in Portland painting direct and blatant Shag ripoffs...

The fact that the ripoff is being resold cracks me up. At least the guy is honest about what it is....

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=891148485 That is one busy kid

:sheckymug:

[ Edited by: Turbogod on 2002-07-01 14:29 ]

i ratted the rip-off artist out to josh. (he replied) now he can unleash the goons (well, ok, get the legal dudes to send a letter)..

This one's such an outright copy it's disturbing. Somebody want to send the link to Josh?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=920819995

How can you say this is a copy? It's so obvious the ebay "artist" took great pain to make sure his/her/its painting was a complete original. Here is what I noticed, the first column is from SHAG's painting the 2 column ebay "artist":

purple hair - black hair
shoes on - shoes off
book on floor "how to look at art" - cat
gloves - no gloves
talking on phone - not
smoking - drinking
brilliant work of art - piece of crap

[ Edited by: SullTiki on 2002-11-10 19:32 ]

Besides a shag fan they obviously like Tommy Tutone.

Oh man...I told Josh he should start collecting these! ....but I don't think he is

SOMEBODY start collecting them, please, they are so funny, they are the thrift store paintings of the future!

Although the following paintings aren't trying to rip Shag off, check out the two wahines:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1785112260

Those arent Shag ripoffs, those are TIKIFISH ripoffs! The lack of a substantial nose? The leis? The helmet hair? It all screams TIKIFISH!!!

(Now where's MaD-TikI to kick this thread up a notch?)

Sorry tikifish they just don't capture the sausage fingers and cankles that are your trademarks of your artwork! :wink:

Its definitely not an original style but I dont think the artist is trying to hide anything or rip people off...they give reference and credit to Shag in the headline "Shag like" painting.

Check out the auction and now look at SHAG's original "The Stairs"...

Now tell me you feel the same way.

[ Edited by: SullTiki on 2002-11-11 11:35 ]

On 2002-11-11 11:19, Tiki Rider Five-O wrote:
Its definitely not an original style but I dont think the artist is trying to hide anything or rip people off...they give reference and credit to Shag in the headline "Shag like" painting.

And the artist is named Nakhov You know like in Knock-off

Great observation! "Nakov".
Book 'em Dano...nah, There's no serious rip off intent here. Their not passing it off as a Shag original. The "artist" is having some fun and if somebody is willing to bid on it no big deal. Some say that impersonation or copying is the highest form of compliment that can be made of something. Maybe thats the case here. I know.. maybe Shag could come out with a paint by number kit for his followers...this way at least the "ripoffs" would look better.

I still don't get it. If they like Shag so much, why not just buy a print? I would imagine the pople that buy these are the same ones who buy designer impostors(tm) perfume....

Which, by the way, has some awesome fragrance names. I just checked out their website:

Ninja
If you like Opium®, you'll love our Ninja.

My apologies for this very off-topic interjection, but I can't let a Ninja reference pass by without thinking of this:

http://www.realultimatepower.net

Why hasn't anybody noted that this is in all likelihood illegal?!? This guy is breaking a copyright...Shag could sue him...and at the very least, have Ebay cancel the auction...

I'm with TikiManiac - I know we go round and round (and round) on this subject, but I really think this goes waaaaay beyond the sincerest form of flattery, and I don't care if the guy is owning up to this being a copy. I think it should get yanked by ebay.

The best tiki bar is the one that's within stumbling distance of your bed
The Humuhumu Room

[ Edited by: Humuhumu on 2002-11-11 17:24 ]

I'm with Sulltiki. This painting sucks. The woman in the original looks classy, the girl in the rip-off painting looks like a drunken slut. I can't believe someone bid on this thing. Oh wait, yes I can, b/c people here have bid on much worse crap! Just kidding.

If someone wants a Shag painting badly but it is beyond their, then yeah, they should buy a print. Or make a photocopy out of one of his books. Or a Monsieur Z painting! :D

I wonder when knock-off Shag mugs will start appearing on eBay? Even if they said "replica Shag mug," I'm sure Shag and Holden would have enough of a case to shut down the auction.

Hmm, what about a "Shag-like" mug?

[ Edited by: Trader_Rick on 2002-11-12 03:42 ]

On 2002-11-12 03:41, Trader_Rick wrote:
I'm with Sulltiki. This painting sucks. The woman in the original looks classy, the girl in the rip-off painting looks like a drunken slut.

-What have you got against drunken sluts?

Hey where is the Mad Tiki? Isnt he supposed to be defending this "Knockoff" dude?

On 2002-11-12 06:43, tikifish wrote:

-What have you got against drunken sluts?

There is nothing better in this world than drunken sluts... if it wasn't for them I'd never had gotten lai... NEVERMIND!

And now ON topic, I personally don't get it, why paint a cheap imatation? Are you paying homage to the original or just trying to cash in on the hype? Or better yet, why would you want to own a cheap imatation? There shouldn't be a market out there for this crap.

They're definitely just trying to cash in on the hype. Anyone who thinks otherwise needs to wake up and smell the pupus.

I contacted Ebay about this travesty and they said that unless Shag himself reports the item, they are not authorized to make any assumptions as to whether or not the painting is a copy and end the auction. We are living in a capitalist world where you can lie, cheat, and STEAL to get rich. How tragic...

On 2002-11-15 09:42, TikiManiac wrote:
I contacted Ebay about this travesty and they said that unless Shag himself reports the item, they are not authorized to make any assumptions as to whether or not the painting is a copy and end the auction. We are living in a capitalist world where you can lie, cheat, and STEAL to get rich. How tragic...

While I don't like this painting, or the fact that eBay won't do anything about protecting Shag's rights, you can't fault capitalism. In fact capitalism, free markets and supply & demand will set the proper price for this cheap copy -- and it won't be very high.
As far as getting "rich", I doubt that the artist who created this copy ever will, considering the cost of time and materials it took to create it. The bidder's aren't exactly knocking each other out of the running to get the thing. (One bid with 6 hours left to go)
Speaking from my experience as a painter with a few sales under my belt, I would bet that whoever created this thing could do MUCH better economically by creating something original and putting it in their local artist's association co-op gallery. Maybe this failure to reap the kinds of prices that Shag's work does will send this painter back to working on his own ideas and developing his own style.

No, this artist (make that CON artist) has broken no laws here. He has every right to sell this crap to anyone crazy enough to buy it. However, he's broken several karmic laws:

-Thou shall not rip off original and creative ideas of others to make a profit

-Thou shall not take the likeness of drunken sluts in vain

-Thou shalt not call thine art a 'homage', unless it is truthfully labelled as 'homage to greed.'

On 2002-11-15 10:07, tikifish wrote:
....However, he's broken several karmic laws...

And what goes around karmas around. May a plague of hairline cracks descend upon his mug collection!

On 2002-11-15 10:07, tikifish wrote:
No, this artist (make that CON artist) has broken no laws here. He has every right to sell this crap to anyone crazy enough to buy it. However, he's broken several karmic laws:

-Thou shall not rip off original and creative ideas of others to make a profit

Well here is someone listing auctions that is doing the same thing. Ripping off the Original artist for his own profit. Yes he does say he cast them but puts the year the Original Artist made them. What a rip off. That much money for them I want the Original. Heres the link to them.

http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewSellersOtherItems&userid=nedyahr&include=0&since=-1&sort=3&rows=25

There I'm Back, Have fun with it.
MaD-TiKi :evil:

Now I go Back to Tiki Sleep!!!!

Uh-oh...I reckon we're about to witness a battle here...in one corner we have, KokomoTikiBar&Grill and in the other corner, we have Mad-Tiki...
As I have seen other Tiki Centralites post: Can't we all just get along?!?

If I wanted any lip from you Mad Tiki, I would have scraped it off of some queers zipper! So there! Penis Ear Puppy Moai BOY!

[ Edited by: KokomoTikiBar&Grill on 2002-11-15 14:43 ]

Kokomo if you make a mad-tiki mug....I am buying! You can call it the Penis Ear Puppy Boy Moai Mug. I think others here would be interested?

[ Edited by: fartsatune on 2002-11-15 14:50 ]

If you like Opium®, you'll love our Ninja.

I just fell out of my chair. I want to create a company just so that I can have that as a tagline.

Reever
[email protected]

[ Edited by: Reever on 2002-11-15 15:22 ]

We are living in a capitalist world where you can lie, cheat, and STEAL to get rich.

Thank god we're not living in a socialist world where lying, cheating and stealing are the ONLY ways to get rich!

Sorry for the pseudo-political commentary.

-Randy