Thread:Harostar/@comment-27247962-20160509051925/@comment-10733658-20160516101946

I think you're confused, Dayne.

That isn't Forgery, which involves creating a fake and then passing it off as the real thing.

Plagiarism involves taking credit for something someone else did.

The issue with Chibi is that it seems to be rampant. And when people point out the issues, he refuses to own up to it and deletes the comments. That suggests it isn't a simple and innocent mistake, but rather an intentional act.

In terms of someone with a fan following, there is a responsibility as well. If Chibi rips people off, the folks that follow him and are fans will think it's totally OK to do that sort of thing to others. When he refuses to own up to something, and just silences naysayers, he's dodging any responsibility for his actions -- mistake or otherwise.

The theories piece is more vague, but the Art Theft is a huge issue. It is one of the most significant rifts between Japanese and Western fans, across all fandoms. Japanese artists are put in legal danger by it, and many will shut down their pages and stop posting artwork to avoid Western fans stealing it. Many sites have started implementing methods to try to keep Western folks out, because of how incredibly disrespectful Western fans are to Japanese fans when it comes to their material.

Stealing edits from artists is also incredibly rude.

Plain and simple, it's lazy, disrespectful, and selfish behavior.