Recently, I have discovered that there is a counterfeiter of my work who is illegally marketing my prints as his own work. He is a 70+ year old man who travels around the mid west with his wife and sets up displays in the mall areas of PXs and BXs. We have begun to take steps to stop him but it may take some time. Since I have been doing this for over twenty years a lot of people know my work. When they walk into a PX and see a print of mine they have had for years being sold as someone else's work they know something stinks. And, with the wide spread use of the internet, it is only a matter of time before I hear about it. That is how I found this man. He is committing a fraud against the troops who are not getting what they are paying for. It also appears that he is fraudulently using the work of other artists as well.
You can help protect the troops by spreading the word and letting the exchange managers know that this man is BREAKING THE LAW!
(April 2002) Recently, I have had the experience of dealing with someone who violated my copyright. He is about to learn that it will cost him. So, I am including this on the web site as an educational article.
Copyright protection comes under Federal law. It provides protection for people who create original works. It also provides a means to prosecute and recover financial losses. I am providing a link to the Government Copyright office web site: http://www.loc.gov/copyright/ It can provide all the details you need to know and it's written so that anyone can understand it.
In a nut shell it says that once something is copyrighted it is protected by Federal law. No one can use it for any purpose without permission of the copyright owner. I own the rights to all of my work and it can not be borrowed or used in any form. It can not be used in whole or part. Meaning, do not use it and attempt to alter or change anything and then claim it as your own.
Another interesting point you will find is that a copyright life time is the life time of the owner plus 70 years.
As I said before, the law also provides a means to recover financial losses. That means that I won't rest till I do. It also means that if you violate someone’s copyright you should hope they catch you sooner rather than later. Time equals money.
People who violate copyrights spend a lot of time looking over their shoulder.
Eagle Illustrations
Jim Stovall