What took 'em so long?! Nuff said....

Just a quick update... Both of Bob's prints have finally been removed from Redbubble.

Firing up the DB members with an email probably wasn't such a good idea after all...

I am glad for Ryan and family this Bs is over . Time for some more Kickass wallpaper I am about to get a 55 " oled . Purchasing a few prints off zazzle to show more support ... woot !!!

Out of curiosity, I used TinEye to see what copies of Haiku it found. Somebody likes using it as a PSP background, someone else has uploaded it as an iphone wallpaper with the DB watermark cut off.



http://www.tineye.com

found http://www.flickr.com/photos/26728656@N02/sets/72157622715415222/



I haven't tried other images.

Just wondering if you know what the status is on your copyright claim against Bob's painting?

Well, it takes all kinds, doesn't it? If one of us fans did send a message in your name, which I suppose is possible since I'm sure you didn't call Jim Phillips a jerk, that was "wreckless," as Bob Hall would say. On the other hand, Jim Phillips may have made up the whole thing, needing to have the last nasty word, perhaps because as an artist you're worlds better than he is. You're in a whole different GALAXY. Anyway, your response to Mr. Phillips was, again, very classy. Now HE owes you an apology. :)



What an honor it is to be a fan of such a talented and ethical artist. I agree with you, Ryan -- it's time to move on and not give Bob Hall and RedBubble any more free publicity. I'm eagerly awaiting your newest masterpiece, as, I feel certain, we all are.

@Nick

So much detail is hard to remember, but since he's painter he may have photographic memory.

It could be that Bob saw Haiku at one point and then at a later date was inspired to create his painting, not remembering that he had previously seen the image before. That could explain their similarity while not condemning for plagiarism.



That said, I think the way Ryan handled this should be an inspiration for us all. You handled the situation extremely well and stay classy throughout the entire thing, as others have stated.



Looking forward to your next renders.

-Nick

you are right, it seems this "Jim Phillips" wants to keep the hostilities running.

Bob has apologized, but who is this Jim Phillips guy? He claims you sent him a "b-mail" calling him a jerk and an ass, and that you referred to Bob the same way.

I just finished a watercolor I call "FLOURESENSE." Copies are for sale on Bluebubble. Who's this Ryon Bless dude?

Love Ya Ryan.

I am in true awe at your integrity and how gracious of a man you are Ryan. I do not know how many would have done the same thing. Always have had the respect for you with the way you convey everything to your fans, but this makes me proud to be a member of your site and work.



I do think it does say something about Bob. It is great he made the apology, but something still doesn't feel right. I'm sure controversy will always cloud this issue. Actions speak louder then words, and perhaps that is what clouds my judgment on the quality of person Bob is, but I think we all have no doubt about you Ryan, Class act of unparalleled caliber.

I could take Ryan's original image and, using GIMP or Photoshop, turn out something shockingly similar to Mr. Hall's product. The shape of the leaf is IDENTICAL, as are the positions of the colors INCLUDING the dark spots of imperfection on the leaf surface that Ryan added in the 2007 update. Though not as individual as snowflakes or finger prints, leaves from different trees are rarely this similar. Also, as the shading patterns of the light reflections and stones beneath the water match almost exactly. The only significant difference (besides media) in these two images is that the stem of Ryan's leaf is bent and Mr. Halls is not. It is a statistical impossibility that Mr. Hall's work was not based specifically on "Haiku (2007)". There are too many points of similarity, and almost no points of difference. I would take a guess that he picked up the image from a random website or possibly someone's user icon on a forum, with no credit attached.



That said, Kudos, Ryan, for being the bigger man.

Thank you Ryan! Thank for being compassionate, thank you for being level headed, and thank you for demonstrating mercy to another artist. I've really enjoyed watching this whole interplay and have learned more about your heart through the whole thing. You really demonstrated yourself to be a man of both integrity and artistic passion, and that is a real rarity. If I was proud of your work before, I am now proud of you work, and of you. It is a delight to support someone like yourself!

Ryan's integrity remains beyond reproach, and as he again demonstrates.

Clear enough that Mr. Hall remains in denial, claiming as he does that their compositions are merely "similar" and that no copyright infringment involved.

Truly, what are the chances of that, comparing the "compositions" as described below?

Sure seems the administration of that website and Mr. Hall exist on some other plane. That should be a warning to others.

notice that he didn't say where he got the image or if he copied it from somewhere? lol Anyway it's cool that he's man enough to submit an apology.

It takes a lot of control and restraint to reply in the manner you did, Ryan, and you will gain even more respect from your fans.

I highly respect your professional attitude and composition. You handled this like a pro, and I'm proud to be a dedicated DB member.

I must say, Ryan, you are more forgiving than I would have been. Your reply to his apology was very classy -- you took the high road, and that was a good decision, IMHO. It's harder for us fans to forgive him, I think, because it's always harder to forgive a person who's hurt someone we care about. You're "our" artist, and we want to defend you. Boy, do we ever!



Now Zazzle should apologize to you, too. That would make it complete. :)



Posted by Ryan on http://www.redbubble.com/people/artbybob/journal/4959960-apologies-to-all-4-7-10



dblasphemy less than a minute ago

Apology accepted Mr. Hall. I’ve had more than my fair share of surgeries over the past two years so I know where you are coming from. I wish you well with your recovery.

It is unfortunate that some the comments on your journal took a nasty personal tone. This was never my intention, nor did I accuse you of copying my work. My fans drew their own conclusions from the evidence before them. I hope someday you have as many great fans willing to stick up for you.

Time to move on. Please make sure your thoughts are clear next time you accuse someone of a crime. Pain killers and the Submit button do not mix. The next guy might be more litigious and less forgiving.

Ryan Bliss

Digital Blasphemy

http://digitalblasphemy.com/

I love you.

@Sean: well put.

So, hopefully this hasn't set you back, Ryan. When will we see a new wallpaper? Hopefully soon! Thanks for being awesome, and keep the amazing art coming.

They are grown ups ... Let's drop it everyone ... energy best spent else where.

Apologies To All.... (4.7.10)



Hi everyone. I had received, among other complaints concerning my journal about Ryan Bliss, that I haven’t responded yet to various comments. That’s correct. I haven’t responded until now (4.7.10) because I was hospitalized with a P.E. (blood clot on the lungs) and a site infection with high fever. I just got home after 5 days in the hospital. This was my second trip to the hospital; my first was on 3.19.10, for an emergency appendectomy. The following Monday I went home to recover. It was during my recovery period that I wrote my journal concerning Ryan Bliss.



What I wrote was wrong. Accusing him of copyright infringment was not only wrong, but in bad taste. Anyone who reads my previous journals and reviews my comments to other artists on Redbubble will notice that it isn’t my nature to come off like I did toward Mr. Bliss. Ryan Bliss and I have similiar compositions (concerning our leaf pictures). There is no copyright infringment involved. Much was stirred up needlessly on my part; accusations were made, and wrong statements were generated.



Again, I apologize to Ryan Bliss and to anyone else who was offended my wreckless statements. I wish Mr. Bliss nothing but success as a fellow artist. He has an attractive website and one that took a lot of work to build. Also, I apologize to Redbubble and to my bubble friends.



With much regret,

Bob Hall

@Mirage: I agree that the similarity in angle, POV, and color scheme between Haiku 2007 and Hall's "Floating Leaf" are too similar to be coincidence.

There's zero doubt whose predates whose, because Hall's image is dated 2008, so clearly Haiku is the original.

What really strikes me is that there are more differences between Haiku 2000 and Haiku 2007. Ryan took a great image and made it better: added more detail--made the leaf stand out and look amazing. It's easy to see that his own image was his inspiration, but he made changes in color scheme, shadows, etc. Bob Hall couldn't even do that. I'm positive that he had a print of Ryan's work and created a painting. (Hall's page shows that he's no Photoshop expert.) There's just too much similarity between the two. Even look at the picklejar of Ryan's 2007 version--more differences (angles and water) than between Hall's.

I think I speak for everyone when I say that what really got us heated up over this whole ordeal is that Hall called Ryan a liar and a thief. It's hard not to find a rogue copy of Ryan's images somewhere on the interwebs, but to have someone accuse copyright theft when Ryan's work clearly predates his work--it's infuriating, not to mention moronic. Moreover, to see a website allowing the sale of a copied work, and then back their member when testimony screams against him is also infuriating.

I hope that Ryan can work things out with RedBubble, and the copied work is taken off their site. I also hope that Hall issues an apology, but I highly doubt that happens. Bob Hall, and a few other RB members, don't seem to be the brightest bulbs on the Festivus tree.

I agree but it is different enough that it is no more than Hall's redo of Ryan's work. Look closely at the top of the leaf and it's shadow. This would be a waste of the courts time except for that little deal where Bob Hall libeled Ryan by calling him a liar.

I read a lot of what went on. A lot of people mentioned that a maple leaf on the water is a common motif. It is, just google it or search for it on DeviantART and you get a whole slew of results, some of which are very stunning. The thing that I noticed though, when looking for any that are similar specifically to Haiku just to see how often this 'coincidence' might occur is that all the ones I saw were different in their own right. Even if they had a similar color scheme to Haiku, the leaf was in a totally different position, or 'taken' (or painted, depending on the medium) at a different angle/P.O.V. Or some where the position/P.O.V. might have been similar, but the color scheme was completely different. Because there were far more differences than similarities, it makes it easy to believe that the few similarities are in fact coincidence.

However I just don't see those differences with Mr. Hall's 'work'. The color scheme is extremely similar, including the shadows in the water and the position of those shadows in the water. The position of the leaf is also pretty much exactly the same. The similarities far outweigh the differences and so it's harder to believe that it's all just a 'coincidence' as RedBubble indicates to their responses that others have posted below. At the very least, Haiku was used as an 'inspiration' for Mr. Hall's work (if he didn't just tweak things in photoshop that is).

I would hope that, regardless of what Ryan ends up deciding to do (if anything), that Mr. Hall is mature enough to offer an apology for accusing Ryan of thievery when it's clear that Haiku predates "Floating Leaf".

Ryan > random person who thinks he's being original

Seems I've read somewhere that copying someone else's work in a way that deprives someone else from income from the work considered a "knock-off" and IS illegal.



So also is libel and slander. This fellow intentionally caused Ryan's work to be removed by his misdeeds, potentially reducing income and reputation.

I'm not going to slingshot myself in to an arguement here, but Bob has stolen Ryan's work. At first glance, it is slightly different... but look closer and you can see it is exactly the same image that has just been modified.



Bob has taken this members-only image without Ryan's permission, edited the image (poorly), removed the DigitalBlasphemy.com text from the image, claimed it as his own work, and then even had the cheek to falsely accuse Ryan as a thief and a liar.



I'm sure that's breaking more laws than just the copyright law.

I looked at both very closely and to me it is apparent that Bob stole Ryan's work. If you look at all that Ryan has done, you can tell that they are all the same kind of style. Why is it that all of Bob's other paintings are of horses, and cowboys? The leaf picture looks really out of place compared to all of his other stuff. I truly think that he stole Ryan's work.

If I were to redo from scratch this leaf image with minor changes and post it as my own there should be no copyright issues. If you compare the shadow of the leaf it is apparent this is what's happened. Big Bob should have been nice enough to mention this is his rendition of Ryan's work but instead he took the low road. I can't really see this being removed or DB having a legal leg to stand on.



Bob Hall is still a jerk but you'd never win a court case.

Bob nor Redbubble are not worth the stress or time they are both greatly lacking in integrity or honor.

Bob nor Redbubble are not worth the stress or time they are both greatly lacking in integrity or honor.

I love your work, Ryan. You are the only one who can decide if the lost income, and thief accusation, is worth pursuing further. My past experience is that once you get to the level of a suit, the only people who win are the lawyers so be careful if you take that step.

I was happy to take a moment and display my distaste

for just foolishness. Hopefully a lesson has been

learned.

Tranquil Wallpaper -

Work from the true master's hand

No luck for bad Bob





:)

I think this is the first time I have ever had an account suspended lol. Worth it! hehe :)

I don't understand exactly why he decided to bring up copyright infringement, but my guess is that he didn't check the dates. Either that or he's desperate to sue someone, in which case he clearly chose the wrong opponent.



And to those of you who want to Ryan to sue...why? It just seems like whenever someone steps on your foot the first thought that runs through your head is 'sue the hell out of them.'



Like the previous poster, credibility and the internet is on his side. There is no need to sue (unless there are large monetary damages, correct me if I'm wrong). Let's all just be civil and move on...

I thought RedBubble was gonna do the responsible thing and remove that piece of work. But it seems they chose to take Mr. Hall side on this. I made an account there for the purpose of reporting the image and to ask Mr. Hall to give a public apology to Ryan, and even though my comments were neither agressive nor offensive in any way. Redbubble decided to suspend my account anyway and erase all trace of the incident(the incident was far bigger than the link below by NickB shows). They didn't even bother to answer my report. The way it goes, seems to me that RedBubble is not gonna take any action against Mr. Hall, for this incident. And even worse they seem to condone Mr. Hall's actions.

I'm thinking the RedBubble folks feel safe from legal action by Ryan because they're based in Australia and Ryan is in the US. I don't know the process or means for suing internationally but I'll bet it's extremely difficult and expensive.



Hall, on the other hand, is in Knoxville TN. Just sayin'.

Heard about this site called Redbubble lately? I hear they have art on there. Anyone care to review it?

Uh! It also sucks that I cant post anything on RB coz of the account thing. Makes me wanna barf.

So it looks like they're implicating themselves in copyright fraud. This is definitely not a coincidence, and I think you should push to have it removed, if you're not going to file a lawsuit against them. I certainly would, if I were you, given the gravity of his accusations, and his attack against you.

According to the linked discussion, RedBubble determined that the similarities are coincidental, removed Mr. Hall's journal post for defamation, and issued him a warning. They consider the matter done with.



http://support.redbubble.com/discussions/questions/5451-why



Now that both Zazzle and RedBubble have resolved their parts in this issue, I imagine it's up to Ryan now whether to contact Mr. Hall personally and pursue further action. I'd like to see a public apology, myself, but would certainly understand if everyone involved would rather put the matter behind them.

Check this out... http://support.redbubble.com/discussions/questions/5451-why



How they can conclude that "any similarities in concept are coincidental"? His work is an identical copy of yours, Ryan, AND he accused yYOU of theft. I say again, "Wow".

If you want to read the accusations (as well as the heartening responses from DB members in Ryan's defence), it's cached in Google:



http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:U3pAf7lbDbwJ:www.redbubble.com/people/artbybob/journal/4927469-stolen-images-be-on-the-lookout+bob+digital+blashpemy+haiku&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=au



Apologies for the really long URL...



It really beggars belief that someone would try this. How foolish or naive is this Bob character?

sure it's sent. I really should put it up somewhere if more people want it.

Hi I didn't get to have a look at the accusations, just want to see it for myself, could you possibly send it to me. Thanks

Email:reubenjwalters@gmail.com



P.S. I totally agree with you about dating it 08 when the original was in 07.



P.P.S We are all supporting you Ryan

I didn't have time to comment anywhere. It was quite a funny read with people attacking the DB posts, then they did their research & were like, well maybe Bob is a noob...

Anyway, Like others have said I don't see how he can claim you stole his art regardless of the dates with yours being so much more detailed than his.

Originally I did think he just photo-shopped your image (not for the better IMO) & I tried to duplicate it and I could to a point... I probably could with a little more work, but judging from the slight color variations (more reds than yellows), the ripples in the water are a little closer together, and the quality of his other paintings I think he may have painted it. His photography is good, the paintings are somewhat lacking with floating leaf being in the top 2 along with Streams of Living Water.

I don't know if he's dumb enough or ballsy enough to make that claim knowing that he could be easily proven wrong. He had to be copying directly off of the image while he was painting to get it as exact as he did. The only thing I wonder is if he was copying off of some other person that stole your work. I'm just saying... when you're copying art from a gallery that has it listed by year and then saying you painted it first in 08 when it was here in 07... you would have to be pretty dumb.



In other news, of course we're all behind you Ryan, good to hear that one of my favs is back up in Zazzle quickly enough. Also nice to see that some of the Red Bubble peeps did their research and defended you as well... unfortunately the site it-self didn't. I had the website still up in my browser with all of the bubble accusations & bubble comments (sounds dumb to me every time i think about it... bubble mail, come on seriously? lol) on the wall so I could finish reading it. So I saved the page with everything on it, I'll shoot you an e-mail with it attached in a bit just so you have it for whatever you might need it for.

As many others have surely stated, just let us know what we can do to discredit this unimaginative idiot and we'll certainly do so.

I decided to rejoin redbubble because it did have some intriguing artwork and so I can keep an eye on our friend Bob's blog. I suspected our original accounts would get suspended, so I used a throwaway email and account name. I'll let ya'll know if he posts anything libelous.

Such a crazy world we live in. Sheesh. I clicked on the link where you said he posted something in his blog and I got an error that said the page no longer existed. So maybe he will get his just desserts and they will remove everything. I did see some posts by other DB members, so not everything has been deleted yet. I have a feeling that everything will work out for you Ryan. Just hang in there.

Hang in there. This sort of stuff happens. Some other Bob-like idiot has stolen much of my wife's work as well. The fact that Bob may be making money off it makes it criminal, though.

That just the thing, Ryan... Many of us were actually interacting with other friendly Red Bubble members, besides Bob Hall, and at least 3 other DB members that I have been speaking to, besides myself, were considering using their site to sell some of our own work. They were given this infusion of new members, none of which were angry with Red Bubble, and now they're deleting us for reporting copyright infringement?



Sorry buddy, but since the work is still for sale on their site, all they've done is really irk a multitude of new members and implicate themselves in a criminal act.

My guess is that somebody contacted this guy about the similarities between "his" work and Haiku, and he panicked and decided that the best defense was a good offense. What he didn't seem to think about it is that what he tried to do is like getting 6 guys with clubs and assaulting the Great Wall of China. The element of surprise really doesn't do much when you're pounding on a 30 foot tall stone wall with a stick.

That's the message I get now on RB. Looks like my IP has been suspended because I tried to make a couple other IDs and got the same message. It's just really irritating because it looks like RB is just pretending all of us never existed, which wouldn't bother me if they also deleted this theif's "work", but it's still there, and still for sale. Oh well, guess I'll just have to create a new account from work tomorrow, LOL...

I wonder how many print sales of Haiku you will now get because of this :D I'm getting one.

If you google "bob hall thief" it's the top hit, but you must click on the "cached" link.

It's still there and still for sale. http://www.redbubble.com/people/artbybob/art/2822520-4-floating-leaf-1

Well that certainly was fun. Looks like my account was suspended as well. I hope Bob's account was one of them. Glad to see in the long run you won the fight with Zazzle Ryan.

I get a 404 when I try to read his accusation.

RedBubble's response to my copyright concern:



The author/artist has indicated that they are of the opinion that no copyright or trademark laws have been infringed, and they provided the following information:



"This work has already been reported and is pending review. Thank you for reporting."



If you believe that the author/artist is in error and the work should be removed from RedBubble you can escalate this to a member of the RedBubble team for further investigation at this link: http://www.redbubble.com/objections/copyright_infringements/20110



Nice system they have -- Hall himself gets to decide whether he wants to admit to having stolen Ryan's work. Naturally I escalated on both of the rip-off pieces. Wanna take bets on whether RB does anything?

ALL of the posts showing that Bob stole Ryan's work have also been deleted. It's as if nothing posted today ever happened, and Hall gets to keep his stolen "work" posted and for sale.



This is disgusting.

Well that certainly was fun. Looks like my account was suspended as well. I hope Bob's account was one of them. Glad to see in the long run you won the fight with Zazzle Ryan.

I just checked on DB about half an hour ago, and am late to the bandwagon of Bob-hating, dedicated DB fans, but no less enraged than everyone else.



Well done, friends, on your passion and dedication toward DB.



You knew you had dedicated fans Ryan, but I'll bet you're quite happy to see just how much we really do appreciate you as a person, and your never-failing glorious artwork.

The post containing the libel has been removed as well as my account. As long as the libel stays off, I won't re-enlist and will let Ryan fight the copyright battle as he sees fit.

Bob's blog post accusing Ryan of theft has been removed.

They are indeed shutting down accounts. Though I am not surprised, the blatant attacks in Ryan's defense probably didn't actually do anything productive.



I managed to keep my comments mature and respectful but now any work that might have caught my eye elsewhere on the site is wasted.



Amusing that this all came to light after Bob's accusations on his blog and to Zazzle.

Well, I can confirm that besides my account, at least one other DB Member who joined Red Bubble to report Bob's so-called 'art' has has their account suspended for the favor.



Ryan, you've never struck me as the type to go off suing people, but Red Bubble is now blatantly protecting a work with OBVIOUS copyright infringement and shutting down the voices of the people who are asking them to remove it.



At this point I think you should at least THREATEN to file a lawsuit against not just Bob Hall, but also against Red Bubble, for protecting a copyright-infringed work. You can easily prove in court that there are enough similarities between his image and yours to qualify as copyright infringement, especially since he started by attacking you first.



I meant what I said in my first post on this topic: I will meet you in court to testify against this guy. And against Red Bubble. This has clearly gone beyond some crazy artist trying to pass your work off as his own. Now the website he posts on is actually protecting him and trying to keep out the people who are reporting him!



Please, have your attorney send a long, nasty letter to Red Bubble demanding compensation. At least do that much for us. We're all kinda pissed now that they're deleting our accounts for reporting him.

I enjoyed reading Bob’s detailed comparisons.



They talk about similarities in color, rippling of the water, angle of the leaf, etc., while avoiding the most condemning point of how Ryan’s work predates his by around a year.



It’s very like how SCO showed—with great detail—the similarities between their code and the code that Linux “stole”, even though the code was properly attributed in Linux to have actually written by neither party.



As with SCO, it’ll prove out that the accuser “doth protest too much.”

This is my first comment on DB ever, simply because there was nothing to comment on. Your artwork is simply amazing and I'm enjoying every bit of my lifetime membership.



But this is just plain unfair. Everything that needs to be said on the subject has been said so I just wanted to let you know I'm a big fan of your work and I know Bob's a fraud.

I checked out Zazzle tonight and I saw Haiku up. So maybe they figured it out and fixed everything. :)



Hopefully Bob will have his dues coming and kudos to you Ryan for staying calm through the whole fiasco. Best of luck and hope everything remains calm. :)

As a lifetime member, I find it disheartining that Ryan should be held suspect for something that is so obviously copyright infringement.



Ryan, you are a true artist and I look forward to sharing your art with everyone I know!



Dont'lose heart! I'm behind you all the way!

You might be right, it was my first thought too. But after studying the pictures for a bit, the resemblance is just OVERHELMING! If he once saw it briefly, the resemblance wouldn't be that great.



Btw, just look at Christian's link, it's that easy!

(http://thetatons.com/web_links/stolen_art.jpg)



If the resemblance should just be an accident (which I think is very unlikely), the resemblance is still huge. Huge enough to get sued for copyright infringement.



@Ryan

We got your back, don't worry. You got like a thousand times as many supporters as he, at least. Hope this can be fixed without a lawsuit, it's just so tiring and stressing. Looking forward for your next masterpiece! :D

By calling you a thief without doing any real investigation, Bob is liable in money damages for libel and defamation. Also, copyright only protects against copying a work. It does not protect against independent creation of the same or similar work by others.

Unlike many others here, I do not think he just Photoshopped this image, rather actually painted it.



The resemblances are very striking, but I think on this occasion it was purely coincidence, perhaps he may have been inspired when he briefly saw it once, perhaps.





So I applaud Ryan for not accusing him of theft, but I have to say Bob, strong words on the internet never bode well for anyone.

jeez ryan.. after reading that redbubble thread i was enclined to share with my friends who all have the same feelings as i do on the situation... silly hillbilly =P LOL. I told my friends that you probably wouldnt sue, i dont see it in your nature. MR. BOB got his comings already... lol. What did we learn? Don't F*#K with Ryan Bliss fans!

Zazzle likely took it down due to a DMCA takedown request from Bob. Technically, the accused party is supposed to have a chance to file a counter request, but in practice providers seldom provide this. It's Zazzle's fault for that bit, but for the takedown request itself, they're just covering their own liability.

He's just mad his looks nowhere as good by comparison.

A lot of Bob's scenes are very iconic. Aside from Haiku, they don't seem to be stolen from Ryan, but I do wonder if they are stolen from other artists.



Has someone here tried searching some of Bob's other images for similar copies elsewhere?

http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/5922/bobhallbusted.jpg

I signed up for Redwhatever just to post and report the violation. I would implore everyone of you who loves Ryan's work to do the same.

No No, you're both wrong. This image was copyrighted by me back in 1945 which can clearly be seen in my image here.

http://thetatons.com/web_links/stolen_art.jpg



Seriously, 5 minutes, 1 transform, 1 crop, 1 adjust, and 4 filters to make this "original watercolor on canvas work."

Oh yea, and one text tool to sign it.



This guy is an idiot if he thinks he can get away with this.

If enough of us do it, maybe they'll shut his account down. I think that would be just freaking GREAT!!!

From the comments, it definitely looks like ole' Bob picked the wrong guy to steal from this time.

Take him for every cent you can Ryan. I have loved "Haiku" for a decade and BOB's version looks like a fuzzy photocopy.

I reported "his" artwork as copyright infringement on the link you provided. I'm surprised that someone would do this, and the law is clearly on your side. And yes, Zazzle probably did what they did as a precautionary measure, but I'm sure they'll put your art back up very soon.

What "Bob" did is both stupid and childish. The thing that's almost funny when people try to fake something is they're blind to the obvious facts that other people will find in a snap. (In this case, the date)



I actually think Zazzle did the right thing. In the short term, it's only covering their own asses that they temporarily take it down while it's looked into. I'm sure it'll be available again soon.



Don't be discouraged, Ryan. Keep the great artwork coming!

I would like to retract my statement earlier about the images being different. The similarities are just scary.



The shape of the leaf is exactly the same, though seemingly stretched a bit. The stalk is at the precise same angle, and the reflecting clouds even show the same sort of pattern, though they have been blurred together more on Bob's stolen image.



Yes, at first glance the images are slightly different, but look closer and you can see that it is the same image that has just been tweaked a fair bit (a simple "paint" photoshop effect and a bit of leaf darkening).

Just wanted to express my support Ryan what ever actions you pursue. Keep up the excellent work!

Wonder when we'll hear from him?

I was shocked when I awoke this morning and read this. You should not be stressed at all Ryan! It's so obvious that Bob is 100% wrong and the fist of justice will smite him in the end. Besides, look at the dedication of your members, we all have your back. :D

I don't know much about advanced cg art, but really, wouldn't it be fantastically difficult to make such an exact digital copy of a painting? If someone was going to copy a painting, why would they spend unnecessary effort to get the digital version to look *exactly* like the painting? Isn't it obvious that the painting is derived from Ryan's digital version, and not the other way around? :(

Also, has anyone noticed that ever since DB members invaded redbubble, Bob has stopped posting? haha

People please. It’s obvious Ryan Bliss has a time machine. He must have stolen Bob’s work and then went back in time with his version. Otherwise, why would Mr. Hall be stupid enough to accuse Ryan of being a thief, when his work is clearly dated ‘08 against Ryan’s in ‘07?

It's just not right... call the layers!!!

As far as I know you can issue RB with a DMCA copyright take down notice for obvious copyright infringement of your work.

After looking at this:

http://www.redbubble.com/people/artbybob/journal/4927469-stolen-images-be-on-the-lookout#comment-27737744



You'll never find fans more dedicated. Makes me proud to be one. DB fans never sleep :) Give him hell everyone.

I can only assume that this kind of thing happens when your artwork becomes so popular; it's not fair to the innocent party. But seriously, as a nurse, I hope this stressor doesn't cause any Crohn's flare ups. Best of luck, Ryan. Your fans support you 100%.

Must have been nervous when he typed that out.

I love the firestorm that this website has turned into over this lol. All your loyal members are on there letting them know what's what, myself included. I hope all his work gets taken down, because he's nothing but a hack.

LMAO. How did I not notice that?!?!

"Also, I will contact his connected websites and inform them of his thieft," -Bob Hall



Thieft... I mean you just can't make a word like that up.

It seems that we have someone else trying to capitalize on your work Ryan. You have many loyal members here. I posted on the comment section and flagged this painting as stolen. I know they these annoyances of life take us away from our work and put stress and headaches on us. If he even dares pushes a lawsuit I pray to god you counter sue him and take him to the cleaners. Use this flawed system we live in back in your favor!

I don't know if there's much we as your loyal members can do beyond reporting this guys "work" as copyright infringement and calling him out on it on his page (which I have), but we all stand behind you 100%!

I'm not normally one to suggesting anyone sue, but this @$$ has some nerve by first ripping off your work then saying you stole it from him. I personally would drag this sorry, worthless, sack of guano into court and slap him with a huge lawsuit. He should pay dearly for what he has done. Any lawyer would love to take this guy apart in front of a jury. I'd check, many lawyers will take these cases with no payment up front as long as you agree to give them a certain amount of the settlement - usually 20%, and they'd make him pay the court / legal fees also. At any rate, he's the thief, not you, Ryan!

Its the accusation that got me. Ryan is the original author as proved by the dates (and I have loaded both images side by side and can see that bobs is a PS'ed copy). I will admit I hate the sue culture we seem to have got into but in this case I feel it is needed to be done.

To Ryan -> I really hope you get this sorted in a fair way to YOU and not some copier!

Ryan:

I admire your work since 1999 but recently this year could be a lifetime member of your artwork. I can only say you by way of consolation an appointment which I think is from the Quixote: "Leaves that dogs bark... signal that we are going in the right direction."

I agree with you. The fact that he not only took credit as the original author of the image but he also accused Ryan of thievery is reason enough to sue.

This is so not fair on you Ryan!

Hope this bob gets what is coming to him. named and shamed, his accounts shutdown and all money he has made off those pictures sent to you!.. can't belive I am saying this but

Sue him

How it's possible that Zazzle took his side? Time to switch to another printing company perhaps?

sad that Zazzle couldn't do a two minute check to see that the accusation was baseless. I'd say it's time to find another place to work with Ryan. Annoying for you but easily defended. Sorry that you have to deal with this on top of everything else. It's going to be a better year for your damnit! :)

We are with you.

But, please be smart about what how you decide to act. Just lashing out or blind agression will in the long run hurt you. Choose your battles with your goals and loves in mind not just a knee-jerk reaction to this one insult.

This guy 'Bob' has some nerve. You should have very little trouble clearing this up.

This guy 'Bob' has some nerve. You should have very little trouble clearing this up.

I was going to post a comment on FB about how you never know how big your network is until something good/bad happens(in this case my b-day) and they all write on your wall--but THEN I came over here just to see if there was anything new--OMG!!! and hit the limk to Bob Hall's RedBubble page--YOUR network/fans are coming out in DROVES to point out Mr. Hall's(I'm being nice) MISCONCEPTION as to the origin of "Haiku"!!!! If anyone would like my COMPLETE DB files just to prove it to him--they're welcome to ask for them!!!!

Hey Ryan, as I was following this issue (I'm on your side) I went to the RedBubble page for Mr. Hall and I found another interesting things ... http://www.redbubble.com/people/artbybob/art/4502650-2-morning-mist ... a tree in the mist on a hill. Remind you of anything? ;-/



Perhaps Mr. Hall should stick with photography. Film is concrete proof. Besides his painting is not, in my opinion, worth the few bills he's asking.



Love YOUR work,

A lifetime Member since 2005 (admirer since 1997)



PS. BTW My kids can't wait to get their own laptops so they can become members and proudly display your work.



PPS. My daughter is constantly changing my wallpaper to something that catches her eye. You see I have your works in a series of sub-folders and I've set my (windows) screen saver to point to that folder and randomly show them. :-)

The barefaced cheek of this guy! Firstly that he would, seemingly, make a blatant copy of one of your images and then publically call you, Ryan, a thief. It is beyond belief...



Res ipsa loquitur.

I don't know for sure he ripped your image, it surely can happen, 2 artists making the 'same' image (great minds think alike? :P). But to make a public accusation without some fact checking is just rude. He could just contacted you privately to sort this out?



As for Zazzle, it is good that they take their copyrights seriously. To bad they didn't chose your side, but I guess that's just bad luck, the guy behind the delete button might not have recognized your work...



Anyways, good luck!

Ryan, every time I click the links in your entry, I get a cannot find error.

Like a lot of others, I'm guessing, I joined RedBubble so that I could flag both of his Haiku ripoff images (he did a second one with more fuzzed-out edges) as copyright infringements and then to report his blog post accusing Ryan as defamation and a violation of RB's terms of service.

If you need anything, let us know and we are there to support you against the libel from Bob Hall

If you need anything, let us know and we are there to support you against the libel from Bob Hall

Well, I'm honestly surprised this hasn't happened before, and I'm actually glad to hear that Zazzle takes copyright infringement so seriously. Hopefully they will address this in short order and your artwork will become available again.



I tend to agree with some of the others, that copyright infringement may be difficult to prove in court due to the variations, not to mention any lawsuit would likely force all copies to be removed from websites/etc. However, this is clearly a case of libel, which is a criminal act on its own.



Ryan - I sincerely hope this can be resolved without resorting to lawsuits, but know that you have many supporters of you and your work as a result of *your* years of effort and excellent work.

My god this dude is crazy , I had this on my comp from you long before . I am sure this will go your way Ryan and hope you can make a little off them for the grief . The thief title he calls you offends me and would like you to sue the shirt off him for me : )

Have to agree there. I live in England, so the laws regarding copyright may be slightly different... but this guy has obviously stolen your work, and that's an offense whatever country you're in.



But I suggest that you take this guy seriously... he's clearly a major threat to your company as he is not only stealing your work, but trying to destroy your reputation by calling you a thief.



Don't listen to me, I'm not a lawyer or anything - I'm just saying what I would do if I was in your shoes... and if I was you, I would take some legal advice. After all, his image is slightly different, the concept is exactly the same (water, leaf, ripple, clouds reflecting) but the actual image itself is different, and that could effect your chances if you was to take this guy to court over it.

Zazzle has probably pulled BOTH sets of prints until "they" figure out who is the rightful owner of said print. We all know yours is the true image... So I wouldn't worry about it... time will tell and you will prevail...

... his picture is much blurrier than yours. Is he really asserting that you created and rendered a much sharper digital model of his artwork? (Leaving aside that you made it a year earlier!)

Bob's "work" is an obvious copy of Haiku 2007. Just look at the shape of the leaf - the curve of the point, the whole outline. It's a totally different shape from the original Haiku. There's no way he painted a leaf that just happened to have exactly the same features as Haiku 2007.

I don't really know much about copyright laws, but here's my guess: They look very much alike, but they're not the same picture. Can he still prevent you from publishing it?



If it helps in any way, I love your work the most! ;)

I mean it. Just file a copyright infringement lawsuit against him. All you have to do is prove your work predates his. It's similar enough to stand on its own. I don't think I'd recommend that if he hadn't attacked you first, but I meant what I said on his blog comments: I will personally fly to wherever you sue him from and testify that I was around for the original 2000 version AND the 2007 remake of Haiku.

to be making copyright infringement claims against you. His image looks as though it could have been simply cropped from the 2007 version of your Haiku image, and had several Photoshop filters applied to it to make it appear hand-painted, and color-adjusted and had the rubber stamp tool used to slightly reshape the leaf; if someone could take the time to demonstrate this (I really wish I could), it'd be just about everything you'd need to file a copyright infringement counterclaim against him.



Copyright law, the internet, and common sense are on your side, Ryan. Looking at his blog post, there seems to be a significant backlash from the DB community, and I think I speak for more than just myself when I say that I'm willing to fight for your side on this so that you can stay focused on creating.