Elon Musk accused of stealing farting unicorn image - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: JohnnyMalaria
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 28, 2018, 05:39:19 pm
content: Well, this certainly got my attention:Elon Musk accused of stealing farting unicorn imageQuote

author: GeorgeOfTheJungle
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 28, 2018, 05:47:13 pm
content: That's nothing... look:http://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-the-origin-story-2014-10

author: Mr. Scram
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 28, 2018, 06:01:38 pm
content: Quote from: blueskull on June 28, 2018, 05:43:08 pmIt's not about this picture, it's about using the art in the interface of the Tesla. If you use someone's work in a way that's not covered by fair use, you need to compensate that person. Despite what most of the world seems to think, creative folks can't live of goodwill and exposure. It does seem Musk offered to compensate, even if a little late. I'm not sure why that hasn't resolved the conflict.Unfortunately, most people seem to think they can just use whatever artwork they want and simply remove it if they get caught. Even huge brands with massive resources fall foul of this. In most cases it isn't even a lot of money.

author: Mr. Scram
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 28, 2018, 06:38:39 pm
content: Quote from: blueskull on June 28, 2018, 06:18:10 pmYou don't get a huge chunk of money for something like this. The artist seems to be well aware of that. Depending on the how and what it can be a few tens to a few thousand dollar. That's beer money, not retirement money.

author: ajb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 28, 2018, 06:54:02 pm
content: Quote from: blueskull on June 28, 2018, 06:18:10 pmBoth are pictured in the article. The one is clearly a redrawn-from-scratch *direct copy* of the other. You could say it's a different implementation of the exact same design. It's the sort of thing that would generally be okay in the software world (Oracle v Google notwithstanding), but definitely not okay in the context of graphical work. If it had been a clearly different take on a similar idea, then it may have been fine, but as it is, Tesla should have obtained permission and/or compensated the artist for using his design.QuoteNot every drawing of a unicorn is going to be an infringement of another drawing of a unicorn, don't be silly. You can certainly debate where the line ought to be drawn, but if you actually look at the two drawings here it's going to be very hard to argue that this was okay, if you understand what the norms for this sort of thing are.Anyway, I seriously doubt that Musk was directly responsible for this, so saying "Elon Musk stole. . ." is silly sensationalism.

author: Mr. Scram
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 28, 2018, 07:00:29 pm
content: From the article I understand it was an internal joke that got published as an Easter egg. Unfortunately, that means the assets need to be cleared.

author: Mr. Scram
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 29, 2018, 05:55:38 am
content: It does stand and quite obviously so if you've ever had anything to do with clearing artwork. Besides, we don't know the full story, so it's impossible to judge who's being obtuse. The only thing we know for sure is that Musk admitted using artwork that wasn't properly cleared.

author: bd139
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 29, 2018, 06:05:10 am
content: This sort of stuff happens all the time. There’s a great example here:https://panic.com/extras/ripoff/It’s not a problem really. Just make sure it’s cleared up after the event. Most people want attribution not cash.

author: CJay
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 29, 2018, 10:33:03 am
content: He's claiming he has offered to compensate the artist a few times and been knocked back so, if true, there seems to be an element of publicity seeking here by the artist.

author: rsjsouza
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 29, 2018, 03:51:56 pm
content: I agree with the arguments that the person that created the drawing should be acknowledged/compensated/whatever and I also believe the headline was a nice clickbait.However, in my head what I question the most is the sense of "artistry": what an ugly drawing!And quite a brouhaha because ofthat?!?

author: Mr. Scram
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 29, 2018, 04:17:26 pm
content: Quote from: CJay on June 29, 2018, 10:33:03 amThat's hard to say without knowing the details about the offer and the reason for refusal. Remember that we are mainly going on Musk's story. People are very eager to paint others as cash grabbing, but experience tells us that most of these folks want recognition.

author: Mr. Scram
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 29, 2018, 04:24:46 pm
content: Quote from: rsjsouza on June 29, 2018, 03:51:56 pmThere's no accounting for taste. Besides, it seems to be intentionally made to look like naive art. Too many people are actually talking about craftsmanship when they think they're talking about art. That's why you keep seeing the "my daughter can do this" folks who are mainly displaying their own lack of education on the matter.Besides, I doubt the graphic would have this charm if it were made in a photorealistic style, rather than the currently chosen art style.

author: CJay
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 29, 2018, 06:18:01 pm
content: Quote from: Mr. Scram on June 29, 2018, 04:17:26 pmEntirely possibly but this article is mostly from the artist's point of view (not that I disagree that he deserves recognition and compensation of course, was just making the point that Musk claims to have offered to pay etc...)https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/jun/27/elon-musk-farting-unicorn-mug-cartoon-tom-edwards

author: rsjsouza
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 29, 2018, 09:07:41 pm
content: Quote from: Mr. Scram on June 29, 2018, 04:24:46 pmNo question there. I rarely like naive art, and my home country produces plenty of them.Quote from: Mr. Scram on June 29, 2018, 04:24:46 pmIMHO art requires a given degree of craftsmanship to construe an artist's vision/idea. I just dislike when this degree is too low.Quote from: Mr. Scram on June 29, 2018, 04:24:46 pmA drawing does not need to have photorealistic style. Plenty of drawings have cleaner lines without resorting to artifacts such as shading, color grading, etc.

author: CJay
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 30, 2018, 08:06:49 am
content: Quote from: rsjsouza on June 29, 2018, 09:07:41 pmI like to think that's an indicator of true artistic talent, the ability to be able to represent something with a minimum of freehand lines and have it be immediately recognisable takes true talent, Picasso's line drawings being one of the most famous examples...

author: bd139
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 30, 2018, 08:11:50 am
content: Have to agree. Art is about conveying the essence of an object or an idea, not necessarily a verbatim copy of the object or idea. The artist’s unique interpretation of it is the good bit.

author: vk6zgo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 30, 2018, 10:52:32 am
content: Quote from: Mr. Scram on June 29, 2018, 04:24:46 pmI come from a family of artists.Their attitude to those folks who idolise "naive art" is similar to that of the denizens of this forum towards"Audiophools".

author: Mr. Scram
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 30, 2018, 04:28:59 pm
content: Quote from: vk6zgo on June 30, 2018, 10:52:32 am"There's no accounting for taste" applies to both the consuming and producing sides.

author: Howardlong
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 30, 2018, 06:35:43 pm
content: This is not new, there’s plenty more corporate unicorn intestinal cultural appropriation for you here:https://youtu.be/YbYWhdLO43Q