Yeah, starting to wonder if this was all a publicity stunt deliberately dreamt up by some marketing execs to bring Wu back to prominence. Obviously the album exists and was sold, but I seen this on the news AGAIN - "Ghostface Killa from Wu Tang threatens Martin Shkreli" and its just looking a bit too convenient...
Originally Posted by #StonerSloth
He named Shkreli on grounds that he didn't have the rights to display the art for vice.com's article. I don't think this will hold up...seems like a fair use argument can be made on this one. But I'm sure his attorney has his reasons...
From today's Newsday (Long Island, NY):
A Copiague artist sued a founder of the hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan and former pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli on Tuesday claiming copyright infringement over artwork that appeared without his permission on the sole copy of the group’s album that sold for $2 million, according to court papers.
Jason Koza, 34, who “long admired” Wu-Tang Clan’s music, submitted “comic-book style” digital images of each of the nine members to a web site that solicited artwork around late 2013 and early 2014, the suit said.
Koza and a producer of the album - “Once Upon a Time in Shaolin,” - emailed back and forth in April 2014 about the album, but Koza “never granted a license for his works to be copied or displayed anywhere other than the...website,” the suit says.
Last month, Koza learned in a news article that Shkreli paid $2 million for the album, which included a 174-page leather-bound book containing Koza’s “Wu-Tang Clan Portraits,” the suit said.
“Mr Koza’s works were used without permission and we’re trying to get redress for him,” said Koza’s attorney Peter Scoolidge of Manhattan.
The federal suit seeks unspecified damages. It names Robert Diggs, of Los Angeles, a Wu-Tang founder and album producer who also goes by the name “the Rza,” Padddle8 NY LLC, a New York online auction house where Shkreli bought the album and Tarik Azzougarh, of Morocco, another producer.
Paddle8 declined to comment. Shkreli couldn’t be reached. A representative for Diggs couldn’t be reached.
Shkreli, the former CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals, appeared before a Congressional panel this month, refusing to answer questions about his dramatic price hike of a life-saving pill. He is also out on $5 million bail on unrelated securities fraud charges.
The suit says the defendants infringed on Koza’s rights - including his right of reproduction and distribution - by copying the images, incorporating them in the album, and selling the album to a third party without permission.
Shkreli also allowed at least three of the images to be displayed in a Jan. 29 Vice.com news article without permission, the suit contends.
Shkreli has said he doesn’t intend to listen to the album but purchased it to “keep it from the people,” according to Bloomberg Businessweek. Wu-Tang Clan, the popular hip-hop group, emerged from Staten Island in the 1990s.
In the email to Koza from one of the album’s producers, Azzougarh, in April, 2014, he mentioned the new “one copy album” he was working on with Diggs. “Don’t wanna ask you anything until after a meeting I have on thursday with some important folks,” Azzougarh wrote, according to the suit.
“Looking forward to hearing from you!” wrote back Koza, an employee with the Town of Babylon Department of Public Works, the suit says.
Azzougarh emailed Koza two days after the Vice.com article. “Let me know if you want to skype discussing the use of your drawings,” Azzougarh wrote, according to the suit.
But the two never explicitly spoke about permission to use Koza’s images, the suit says.
Ringz, if you're reading this, and if this is true, how can you justify making an artistic statement addressing the supposed devaluation of art, while at the same time incorporating another artists work into your own, without the artist's permission? Is it not true? Or did you think that you could get away with it? Or is there a legal loophole that you exploited? Or did you simply overlook this issue?
the same thing happened to artist Gary Alford (who has illustrated most of 9th Prince's album covers and also the latest Dom Pachino DVD/CD combo that is being sent out around this time). his ODB art was used for this album cover without him having granted permission. I don't think he ever got compensated after the release either. recently I read a FB post of his in which he just said he was happy 'to be part of some important wu history' (or words to that effect) but he had never actually been consulted about the artwork for the posthumous release
here's the original Alford drawing
of course lots of things were wrong with this album release. misleading tracklist, artists like Pliz (of Big Bad Wolves I think, who toured with ODB) being pressured heavily into having their collabo records used on the album and so forth
Retired.
^ he also did the cover for Bobby Digital "Digi Snacks" i believe....
on a similiar note, rememember Sean who used to post here, the graphic artist.. Raekwon and his team asked him to design the cover for "Ob4cl2" which he also did.. do you think he got a single dollar for that? Hell No!!
daily updates: news, articles, reviews, the best compilations on the net. that true skool street hop!
r.i.p. Johan D, Kaddu, Ricke a.k.a. "Slick Rick" and the rest of the fallen soldiers - you'll never be forgotten!
The thing about that ODB artwork is that if you're going to say anything about not getting credit, you should make sure your artwork isn't copied from an existing photograph.
As for myself: I had come to the conclusion that there was nothing sacred about myself or any human being, that we were all machines, doomed to collide and collide and collide.
- Kurt Vonnegut
^
Good point
It's still an artwork and a matter of copyright protection.The thing about that ODB artwork is that if you're going to say anything about not getting credit, you should make sure your artwork isn't copied from an existing photograph.
Can you share some information on this topic?
Holy fuck, is that true. Pathetic
I hazily remember him, didn't he have a lot of other drawings he posted here as well... Yeah apparently he did http://www.wutang-corp.com/forum/member.php?u=53420
Sure, but then so is the original photograph.
As for myself: I had come to the conclusion that there was nothing sacred about myself or any human being, that we were all machines, doomed to collide and collide and collide.
- Kurt Vonnegut
The original photographer would've had to grant him permission to create a derivative work. Doesn't look like it falls under the fair use exception because it's basically an exact replica lol.
Right, there's nothing transformative about it.
As for myself: I had come to the conclusion that there was nothing sacred about myself or any human being, that we were all machines, doomed to collide and collide and collide.
- Kurt Vonnegut
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks