Cartoonist Adam Ellis called out a Malaysian company for using his comic strip art in an advertising campaign without permission, notification, or compensation.
Shopee Malaysia has apologised after being called out by cartoonist and former Buzzfeed writer Adam Ellis for stealing one of his comics to promote its 12.12. Birthday Sale. In a tweet last week, Ellis said: “When are brands gonna realise that ‘memes’ aren’t free clip art for them to use in advertisements?”
left: Adam Ellis original; right: Shopee swipe
In response, Shopee said it would like to sincerely apologise for the regretful event. “We appreciate the hard work that comes from being an artist, and the value of your work. We want to make this right and have dropped you a private message to discuss further. Thank you,” the company said. A+M has reached out to Shopee for additional comment.
Marketing Magazine carries the story, along with a couple other examples of like-minded theft.