Indonesian fashion brand apologises for plagiarising Polish artist's artwork

Erigo, an Indonesian fashion brand, has come under the spotlight for allegedly plagiarising an artwork by a Polish artist and featuring it on one of its products. In a tweet, Polish artist Nora Potwora mentioned Erigo, saying that the brand apparently thought breaking copyright and using someone's artwork without permission is "great way to make your products". The artwork in question was a tiger with hibiscus flowers around it. Potwora added that Erigo also kept ignoring her comments.

https://twitter.com/NoraPotwora/status/1219718915800039427

Several netizens told the Polish artist to take legal action. Some netizens from Indonesia also said they reached out to the fashion brand to inform it of the issue, adding that brands must be responsible for what they sell.

The brand has since apologised for the incident in an Instagram post, adding that the sukajan product with Potwora's design on it will no longer be sold. The remaining products will be donated to the needy and Erigo said it has already received support from Potwora in doing so. Erigo added that following their discussion, the brand gave Potwora her rights "as soon as possible at that time". Sukajan is a souvenir jacket inspired by baseball jackets and features Japanese influences as well as embroidery and silk.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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With humble heart and being so grateful we have come to an agreement. We, @norapotwora and @erigostore had found a best way out that each parties believe it is the best way. We hope that everyone understand about this unwanted event that none of us expecting to happen. After the discussion with Nora and she suggest us what it is right for her. We give her rights right away and as soon as possible at that time. We sent it to her exactly after she suggest and gave us a fair amount of compensation. We will make sure it will not happen again in the future. Like we stated before, appreciating artworks is VERY IMPORTANT especially in this industry where art is a big aspect. Indeed copying and stealing art will never be tolerable. Because of that, the sukajan product (with Nora's design on it) will be taken down and not be sold anymore. The rest of the product left will be donated to those who need it the most and we already get the support from Nora herself. We also hope that we are all will learn from this and come back better, wiser and stronger. We will try our best even more to give our best as gentle as possible to our beloved costumer. Thank you once again to @norapotwora in advance for her understanding. We will pay it forward your generosity and kindness. We also hoping our relationship with our freelancers, designers, and illustrator will be stronger.

A post shared by Erigo Apparel (@erigostore) on Jan 23, 2020 at 7:24am PST

"We will make sure it will not happen again in the future. Like we stated before, appreciating artworks is VERY IMPORTANT, especially in this industry where art is a big aspect. Indeed, copying and stealing art will never be tolerable," it said.

Meanwhile, Potwora also thanked netizens for their support on Twitter, adding that the situation has already been resolved. She also said that Erigo acted in a way that any store should - apologise and take responsibility for what occurred.

"I got financial copyright compensation in the amount I asked for and everything went smoothly," she said. Potwora also called for netizens to spread the good news. "We should not only chasten bad behaviours, but also reward good ones, and the way Erigo took responsibility deserves praise," she added.

Separately, according to a screenshot which showed an Instagram Story that has since expired, an account by the name of Yudhistiart apologised to Potwora, adding that it did not know the design belonged to her. "We really don't know and [we are] very sorry, and Erigo Store didn't know about this beforehand," Yudhistiart said. According to his Instagram profile, Yudhistiart is an illustrator and artist, and he is reportedly an oursourced freelance artist for Erigo.

"Actually, my assistant did it and I continued motif and colouring, and [did not] realise that it is the result of traching of your design. Sorry for our attitude, we are not people who have money, we beg you to accept our apologies and we promise not to do it again. You are [the] illustrator who inspired us," the Instagram story said.