Balinese flute artist shames LV for 'stealing' tune for SG and MY eCommerce launch

Balinese music artist Agus Teja Sentosa, commonly known as Gus Teja, is suing French fashion house Louis Vuitton for not seeking his permission in using an original composed tune for its Singapore and Malaysia eCommerce launch. The French brand launched a dedicated online site for shoppers in Singapore and Malaysia earlier this month and had a short clip circulating on Instagram for awareness.

In an Instagram post on his own platform, Teja said the brand did not seek permission or even credit him in any part of the video or description for using a tune from his original music Hero. "It's a mixed feeling of being both happy and disappointed at the same time.?I believe musicians and music composers around the world will feel proud when their compositions are being used by a giant brand," he added.

According to several media reports, Teja was alerted by a fan in Malaysia when LV dropped its eCommerce launch teaser video. The fan reportedly sent Teja the screenshot of the video as evidence, which Teja published on his Instagram account (pasted below).

It?s a mixed feeling of being both happy and disappointed at the same time. I believe musicians and music composers around the world will feel proud when their compositions is being used by a giant brand. However, in my case, this brand didn?t seek any permission or even credit mentioned the artist in any part of the video or descriptions. Well, I still hope they will spend some time to clarify this matter with me, but at the same time, I still do want to wish them all the best in their business expansion. I believe in Good Karma and all of us be blessed too. ???? @louisvuitton Perasaan campur aduk antara senang dan kecewa pada saat bersamaan. Saya percaya musisi dan komposer musik di seluruh dunia akan merasa bangga ketika komposisi mereka digunakan oleh merek terkenal di dunia. Namun, dalam kasus saya, merek ini tidak meminta izin atau bahkan tidak menyebutkan judul lagu dan nama saya sebagai pencipta lagu di bagian mana pun dari video atau deskripsi. Yah, saya masih berharap mereka akan meluangkan waktu untuk mengklarifikasi masalah ini dengan saya, tetapi pada saat yang sama, saya masih ingin mengucapkan semoga yang terbaik dalam ekspansi bisnis mereka. Saya percaya pada Karma Baik dan kita semua diberkati juga. ???? . . . #gusteja #bali #gustejaworldmusic #hero #flute #louisvuitton #louisvuittonbag #louisvuittoninternational #denpasar #hakcipta #copyright #kemenkumham #denpasar #infodenpasar

A post shared by Gus Teja (@gusteja_official) on Oct 16, 2019 at 3:34am PDT

In Teja's latest Instagram update, he said LV responded and that the matter is still under investigation. "This matter is still under investigation at their end and rest assured Gus Teja's management team will do its best to seek clarification and justice so that no artist will be treated this way in the near future," the caption read.

Several comments left on his Instagram posts saw many supporting Teja and shaming LV for stealing from a local musician and to be understand the meaning of?copyright. Teja had also posted a certification from Indonesia's Ministry of Law and Human Rights to prove that his tune for Hero was listed by the government.?Marketing has reached out to Gus Teja and LV for comment.

The issue of big brands ripping off work from local artists in not unheard of. Recently,?Xiaomi confirmed to?Marketing?that one of its designers used artworks by London-based artist Peter Tarka without permission. The matter first came up when Tarka took to Twitter to expose the incident, which also involved some artworks that were commissioned by LG. According to Xiaomi, the designer responsible for this was dismissed with immediate effect.

(Photo courtesy: Gus Teja Instagram page)