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Manila Bulletin devider Lifestyle devider Artist's comic 'Arcane Flames' receives wrong copyright notice from Riot Games

Artist's comic 'Arcane Flames' receives wrong copyright notice from Riot Games

Published Feb 2, 2022 02:22 pm

Riot Games has already issued an apology

“Riot Games claimed that my original artwork is their intellectual property,” Ukraine-based artist Kutty Sark cried through a post on Instagram over the weekend that set a buzz online. The work that got a red flag from the American video game development firm was the artist’s 2018 comic “Arcane Flames,” the design of which was translated into T-shirts sold on TeePublic platform.

Kutty Sark's ‘Arcane Flames’ and Netflix's ‘Arcane’ series (Photos from @kuttysark_art on Instagram and Netflix)

According to the said Instagram post, TeePublic shared with the artist an email about a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) takedown notice from Riot Games, Inc. due to an intellectual property claim. “ I can do nothing about it even if all facts prove them wrong,” the artist wrote on the caption. “I don’t want to be silent when someone claims that my original work belongs to them, even if it’s someone as big as Riot Games.”

The allegations may have been connected with the Riot Games’ “Arcane,” a series based on “League of Legends” that was released on Netflix in November 2021.

After going viral, Riot Games investigated and issued an apology to the artist for the wrong claims. “Like many large companies, there are a number of teams and third party agencies working to protect our IP,” the company tweeted. “While we’re still investigating what happened here, it's clear that the takedown request was made in error. We apologize for this experience and wanted to assure you all that we're actively reviewing.”

Currently, Kutty Sark’s designed shirts are up again on TeePublic, and thanked everyone for their support. “My situation was solved because I was lucky enough to be seen but a lot of small creators around the world face similar problems,” the artist wrote. “I do really hope that my situation would bring some awareness regarding such issues.”

While “Arcane Flames” dark fantasy comic was released in 2018, Kutty Sark noted through a different post that the idea of it began way back when the artist was still a student. Later on, its designs mirror the artist’s love for fine art, history of European art, costume history, and theater costumes. “The story of Arcane Flames starts from the story of Al'vis, a young mage-apprentice. After the tragic and mysterious disappearance of her teacher and another apprentice, Al'vis followed their steps to the catacombs. Instead of finding her loved one, she ended up finding some secrets that had to be buried deep under the city. And also someone that had to be buried there,” Sark wrote.

Different from Sark’s comic, “Arcane” series is about two sisters’ fight on rival sides of a war between magic technologies and clashing convictions, set in twin cities Piltover and Zaun. The series features the voice of stars Hailee Steinfeld, Katie Leung, and Kevin Alejandro.

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Related Tags

Riot Games Arcane Flames Arcane Kutty Sark Arts and Culture
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