#whybother #whatwoulddisneydo #notflattered #myartmychoice
Why would any artist spend their hard earned money to register a trademark for their business with the USPTO if that trademark can be used, without their permission, and attached to shoddy product(s) that the trademark owner would never want their brand associated with? They wouldn’t. For anyone who now believes that you are entitled to use my copyrights & trademark without my permission to sell 'Michel Keck art kits', from your websites, farmer’s markets/festivals, etc. You are wrong. I encourage anyone that feels they need to profit in this way to simply sit down, make your own art, and teach your own art.. or hey .. throw the artist a bone, reach out.. ask permission and offer to pay the artist's the royalties they deserve.
I am going to publicly make it crystal clear that I have not, and I will not ever, give anyone permission to use my registered copyrights for their own profit without my permission. I have not, and I will not ever, give any person or company permission to use my trademark to attach to a product(s) that I do not approve of. I have not, and I will not ever, give anyone permission to create substantially similar works to my art for the purpose of selling 'Michel Keck' art kits/classes or courses for their own profit.
Didn’t you know that as artists, if someone is teaching other’s, for their own profit, how to make derivatives of our artwork we are supposed to be flattered? Well, I am flattered when it is done by real teachers in a face-to-face classroom and when they are not profiting from it. I’ve given numerous art teachers around the world permission to do that very thing (not for profit). I am super easy to get ahold of, my contact info is everywhere. There is an enormous difference between Michel Keck art lessons being taught by real teachers in classrooms, face-to-face with their students not for profit, and a company selling ‘Michel Keck’ art kits using my registered images and trademark without my permission for profit to be sold online through a website. Black and white. Night and day. No comparison. Period.
I've reached out to Disney to see if it would be okay with them if I could create a 'Disney' art kit to sell on my website for profit without having to pay them any licensing fees. I have yet to hear back... I'll keep you posted. I also sent emails to two of Disney's top attorneys asking them if they could explain to me if I do this to Disney if they would come after me for copyright/trademark infringement. I've seen both of them read the emails... no response yet. I'll keep y'all posted on that as well. Ha! #twotierjusticesystem #myartmychoice #givemeabreak #betthiswouldnthappentodisney
