Apple’s little problem with ripping off artists
November 21st, 2007 by YTWWN
This is a great artical found on engadget
UPDATE: Anthony points out that: …it’s not really Apple. This is the fault of Apple’s advertising agency, TBWA \ Chiat \ Day…
…TBWA Chiat Day should be mentioned in this article not particularly Apple… In hiring a company the size of TBWA, I’m sure they are paying them to conceptualize an idea, and frankly they should do a better job for that kind of budget.
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We can appreciate the fact that Apple seems to draw a lot of inspiration from art — we really can. But we’re noticing a pretty disconcerting trend taking shape: Cupertino’s getting all Picasso on us with the “Good artists copy, great artists steal” stuff, time and time again knocking off other artists’ and creative companies’ work in its own products and advertising. Seems a little odd for the company whose mainstay customer is the creative professional, and whose most enduring ad campaign compels us to Think Different. Let’s take a quick look back at some of the lumps Apple’s taken for its ads just in 2006 and 2007.
Why, just this weekend we found out Colorado artist Louis Psihoyos filed suit against Apple for allegedly swiping his wall of videos photo after Apple backed out of negotiations to license the imagery to use in the Apple TV intro video and branding.
But Mr. Psihoyos is certainly putting up a much harder fight than artist Christian Marclay gave Apple, with whom he was in negotiations over permission to recreate his 1995 abstract film, Telephones (above), for use in advertising the iPhone. When Marlay declined, Apple just up and used it anyway, running its own totally indistinct version that aired during — what else? — the Oscars. Marlay abstained from suing.
But it wasn’t only artists’ work Apple has ganked. Compare for yourself: Lugz Shoes’ Fall 2002 commercial, and Apple’s 2006 Eminem / iTunes ad. (We especially like the Lugz / iTunes commercial mashup.) Lugz was highly unimpressed, and sent Apple a cease desist to halt the airing the commercial immediately. Tail firmly between legs, Apple pulled the ad.
Youtube link- The Postal Service’s music video
And, of course, how can we forget the nearly shot-for-shot remake of The Postal Service’s music video for their hit single Such Great Heights? The band was less than impressed by Apple’s swipe, but Cupertino insisted it had no prior knowledge of the music video when it contracted the directorial team of Josh Melnick and Xander Charity to whip ‘em up a commercial for the Intel transition.
The thing is, at the end of the day we really like the fact that Apple tries to fuse art with technology — even in these most literal of cases. But let’s get square: nobody likes a ripoff artist, and Apple’s got to learn its lesson before the company crosses the line from Pablo Picasso to Elmyr de Hory.
P.S. -Anyone else think it’s weird none of this is mentioned in Wikipedia’s article about Apple’s advertising?
(30 votes, average: 4.67 out of 5)
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Just like any other religion Apple is a hotbed of hypocrisy. It’s amazing with how much you can get away once you’ve gathered a herd of believers around your shiny idols of worship.
Great post, but I think I would give them a pass on the Postal Service video. The music video is clearly inspired by the movie THX1138, so it isn’t exactly 100% original on its own. For all we know, Apple could have been inspired by the same source and the movie has had a resurgence in attention during the last couple of years due to the release of the director’s cut.
lol @ #2
http://paidandpopular.blogspot.com
Well, it’s not really Apple. This is the fault of Apple’s advertising agency, TBWA \ Chiat \ Day. If I hired an artist to make a painting for my wall, and you came over to my house and saw that it was your idea, or concept that was ripped off from you; you would probably ask, “who did this?” My point is that TBWA Chiat Day should be mentioned in this article not particularly Apple… In hiring a company the size of TBWA, I’m sure they are paying them to conceptualize an idea, and frankly they should do a better job for that kind of budget.
Pablo Picasso? You mean the guy who’s attributed to the quote, “Good artists imitate, great artists steal,”?
Such Great Heights has nothing to do with THX 1138, but even if it did how the hell does TBWA get ‘inspired’ in exactly the right way to *reproduce the Postal Service video* in their commercials for the Mac Intel chipset?
Have you even *seen* THX 1138?
Wow… in the last one, even the person in the suit looks nearly identical!
@Jen: I can understand inspiration, but when some of the shots look exactly the same (or at least that close), something sounds fishy.
Looks like the wikipedia article has been amended.
Whats amazing is that the poster of this entry just copied and pasted the original entry from Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/05/apples-little-problem-with-ripping-off-artists/
Surely just point to the Engadget link. I mean this site is all about not ripping ppl off and stuff.
Also wtf is with all these links to this website:
http://paidandpopular.blogspot.com/
I keep thinking you’re referencing it in some way in your comments. If you want to drive traffic to your website then buy some google ads and stop spamming us please.
Dear Bingo-
IT IS NOTED IN THE FIRST LINE OF THE POST:
“This is a great artical found on engadget”
But i do have to agree with you about this paidandpopular.blog spam shit.
He better put a cork in it or i’ll sort him out
Ha – Only one thing graphic designers like more than complaining (boo hoo, that boy stole my doodles) is sucking up to Apple.
Guess you guys are a bit conflicted here…
Crediting Engadget in no way negated the fact that you’ve violated their copyright. You’re no better than the people you mock.