{"id":31918,"date":"2012-11-27T10:20:13","date_gmt":"2012-11-27T18:20:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mehallo.com\/blog\/?p=31918"},"modified":"2012-12-07T17:11:21","modified_gmt":"2012-12-08T01:11:21","slug":"modern-dog-takes-on-disney-target-and-needs-your-help","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/mehallo.com\/blog\/archives\/31918","title":{"rendered":"Modern Dog takes on Disney, Target: and needs your help!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"400\" height=\"255\" src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/pfrIuTEXROs\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><em>If there were in the world today any large number of people who desired their own happiness more than they desired the unhappiness of others, we could have paradise in a few years. <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bertrand_Russell\" target=\"_blank\">\u2013Bertrand Russell<\/a> (1872-1970)<br \/>\n<\/em><br \/>\nYears ago I knew a head general counsel who worked for a legal department for a rather large corporation. <\/p>\n<p>When it came to lawsuits, he explained to me that their approach was they \u2018never settled\u2019 and \u2018would use all of our resources \u2013 millions of dollars at our disposal\u2019 to fight any suit that came in. Whether they were right or wrong. \u201cIf they\u2019re going to go up against us, that\u2019s what they\u2019re going to get.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Years later I sat in on a \u2018business ethics\u2019 class where this ethic was explained in detail: \u2018it is okay to destroy the competition. That\u2019s good business ethics.\u2019 And throw in that businesses today operate to \u2018keep shareholders happy\u2019 over everything else \u2013 we live in a very frightening world. One that squashes innovation and creativity in favor of \u2018good competition.\u2019 <\/p>\n<p>Good competition is fantastic \u2013\u00a0when the tables are \u2018fair and balanced,\u2019 a term \u2013 even today \u2013 that\u2019s <a href=\"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2012\/09\/05\/al-roker-fair-balanced-fox-news_n_1858426.html\" target=\"_blank\">not used for what it actually means.<\/a> There\u2019s a lot we CAN be doing as a race \u2013 in terms of social, political and humanitarian causes \u2013\u00a0but we don\u2019t. There\u2019s a great scene in <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.climatecrisis.net\/\" target=\"_blank\">An Inconvenient Truth<\/a><\/em> where Al Gore points to an illustration of a pot of gold. It\u2019s our motivation. It\u2019s what we live for. A pot of gold. A <em>shiny<\/em> pot of gold we can hide from others, shower with, r<em>ub on our bodies if it makes us feel better.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>the battle<\/strong><br \/>\nRight now there\u2019s a David v. Goliath lawsuit going on. It seems simple open and shut: Large corporations profit from stolen artwork. So artists who created artwork get a lawyer and take on the corporations.<\/p>\n<p>In this situation, the corporations are our darlings: The fantastically wonderful <a href=\"http:\/\/disney.com\" target=\"_blank\">Disney<\/a> and the \u2018god I love what they do for design\u2019 <a href=\"http:\/\/target.com\" target=\"_blank\">Target.<\/a> And I spent an afternoon recently going thru the case files \u2013 which are posted at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.friendsofmoderndog.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Friends of Modern Dog<\/em><\/a> \u2013 and to me it seems it\u2019s another bury the little guy response.<\/p>\n<p>You\u2019d think it would be <a href=\"http:\/\/uo.com\" target=\"_blank\">Urban Outfitters<\/a> doing this \u2013 it IS their <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2011\/05\/26\/urban-outfitters-steal_n_867604.html\" target=\"_blank\">modis operandi<\/a><\/em> \u2013 but no. It appeares Disney and Target are poised to destroy Seattle\u2019s very own <a href=\"http:\/\/www.moderndog.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Modern Dog.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>Ashamed<\/em> is not a word I use much. Though I think it applies here: BOTH Disney and Target should be <em>ashamed.<\/em> They are BOTH corporations that benefit from creative innovation. BOTH should be working WITH Modern Dog, not \u2013 as this lawsuit seems to be doing \u2013\u00a0putting them out of business &nbsp;. . .&nbsp; <!--more--><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.friendsofmoderndog.com\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/mehallo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Picture-12-400x369.png\" alt=\"\" title=\"Picture 12\" width=\"400\" height=\"369\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-31930\" srcset=\"http:\/\/mehallo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Picture-12-400x369.png 400w, http:\/\/mehallo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Picture-12-425x392.png 425w, http:\/\/mehallo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Picture-12.png 1057w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<em>Friends of Modern Dog website \u2013\u00a0donations are wholehartedly accepted, even a few bucks will help. Donate <a href=\"http:\/\/www.friendsofmoderndog.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">here.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>bias<\/strong><br \/>\nI will admit \u2013\u00a0I am a huge fan of Modern Dog. I can actually remember the first time I ran across their work \u2013 back in the early 1990s. I was flipping through a graphic design magazine and saw that there was this cool company in Seattle \u2013 tied to Seattle\u2019s burgeoning music scene \u2013\u00a0that had not one, two or three BUT an entire tabletop covered with LOGOS. They are a creative juggernaut \u2013 one innovative piece after another. And in my view one of Seattle\u2019s greatest design resources. I\u2019ll even go so far as to say, they put Seattle on the map for me. I spent my honeymoon in 1995 in Seattle \u2013\u00a0not because of Modern Dog <em>per se<\/em> \u2013\u00a0but because I knew Seattle was cool.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.friendsofmoderndog.com\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/mehallo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/dog-dino-collage-900x570-425x269.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"dog-dino-collage-900x570\" width=\"425\" height=\"269\" class=\"alignleft size-large wp-image-31923\" srcset=\"http:\/\/mehallo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/dog-dino-collage-900x570-425x269.jpg 425w, http:\/\/mehallo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/dog-dino-collage-900x570-400x253.jpg 400w, http:\/\/mehallo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/dog-dino-collage-900x570.jpeg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 425px) 100vw, 425px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>the suit<\/strong><br \/>\nSo if one takes it apart: What it looks like is someone working for Disney thought it would be cool to lift images from Modern Dog\u2019s <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/0811861686?tag=stevemehallo-20&#038;camp=213381&#038;creative=390973&#038;linkCode=as4&#038;creativeASIN=0811861686&#038;adid=0R35SH8CFZ3RY9B9RRPH&#038;\" target=\"_blank\"><em>20 Years of Poster Art.<\/em><\/a> They used it in a retail piece, a tee-shirt to promote an Ashley Tisdale film. <em>Flip the images, no one will notice<\/em> (see video up top). Well, someone did notice. And Modern Dog found itself defending their handdrawn illustrations of <em>their own dogs.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>What happened next was unexpected, the defendants fired back. Detailed legal jargon is the response. With a huge legal price tag. Modern Dog owners Robynne Raye and Michael Strassburger so far have <a href=\"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2012\/09\/14\/modern-dog-design-company-lawsuit_n_1882559.html\" target=\"_blank\">sold their house to pay for things.<\/a> Good press is <a href=\"http:\/\/minesf.com\/resources\/cca\/2012\/09\/10\/friends-of-modern-dog\/\" target=\"_blank\">on their side.<\/a> Robert L. Peters has a great overview <a href=\"http:\/\/www.robertlpeters.com\/news\/allnews\/help-modern-dog-fight-to-protect-their-art-and-the-rights-of-other-creators\/\" target=\"_blank\">here.<\/a> Though at this point, a settlement doesn&#8217;t seem to be in the picture.<\/p>\n<p><strong>the obvious solution<\/strong><br \/>\nYears ago the Head General Counsel I knew also explained one more thing about business ethics to me: <em>if someone fucks up, they should be responsible.<\/em> Whoever did this \u2013 in whatever relationship to Disney and\/or Target \u2013\u00a0is the <em>plagarist.<\/em> THEY caused this lawsuit to take place, THEY stole the work. Disney and Target \u2013\u00a0should do the right thing: <\/p>\n<p>FIRE the plagarist, go after them for legal fees \u2013\u00a0and SETTLE with Modern Dog.<\/p>\n<p>Disney and Target: It\u2019s the RIGHT THING to do. Pretty sure you can afford this.<\/p>\n<p>You guys are supposed to be doing the RIGHT THING. I remember a whole LOAD of Disney films thrown at me just about this very concept. Why is your legal department thinking otherwise? Especially after such a good PR month where you (Disney) now <a href=\"http:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/culture\/film\/film-news\/9645582\/George-Lucas-explains-why-he-sold-Star-Wars-franchise-to-Disney.html\" target=\"_blank\">own STAR WARS because George Lucas thinks you guys are on the up and up.<\/a> And he turned around and donated your money <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/news\/disney-deal-george-lucas-will-384947\" target=\"_blank\">to education.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/Auburn-Valley-Humane-Society\/184912551559273?fref=ts\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"158\" src=\"http:\/\/mehallo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/HumaneSociety-400x158.png\" alt=\"\" title=\"HumaneSociety\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-31937\" srcset=\"http:\/\/mehallo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/HumaneSociety-400x158.png 400w, http:\/\/mehallo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/HumaneSociety-425x168.png 425w, http:\/\/mehallo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/HumaneSociety.png 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>how to actually steal from modern dog<\/strong><br \/>\nSo I train graphic designers \u2013\u00a0on the fine art of inspiration over stealing. It\u2019s a simple concept: using someone else\u2019s artwork without permission is <em>stealing.<\/em> Getting inspired by others and bringing something new to the table: NOT stealing. <em>Inspiration.<\/em> In this case, Disney\u2019s artist should have DRAWN THEIR OWN DAMN DOGS. It\u2019s that simple.<\/p>\n<p>Modern Dog inspired something I did recently: a simple logotype (above) for an animal shelter just south east of Seattle (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/Auburn-Valley-Humane-Society\/184912551559273\" target=\"_blank\">opens January 2013<\/a>). Since, for me, Seattle\/Washington State is Modern Dog territory (a dog reference, of course) I decided to thumb thru Modern Dog\u2019s wares to inspire me on how to approach the \u2018dog\/cat\u2019 cartoon creature I came up with. Is it a direct copy from them? No. It\u2019s my own thing. Simple, with a touch of empathy that I believe animal shelters need \u2013 beyond the \u2018heart\/paw\u2019 thing most are doing. (And the type is modified <a href=\"http:\/\/www.myfonts.com\/fonts\/parkinson\/sutro\/\" target=\"_blank\">Sutro,<\/a> Jim Parkinson&#8217;s wonderful humanist slab serif.)<\/p>\n<p>Dogs are cool. Modern Dog is cool. Be inspired by them. And help them \u2013 they need a few bucks. Donate <a href=\"http:\/\/www.friendsofmoderndog.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">here.<\/a><\/p>\n\r\n\t<div style=\"float: left; \">\r\n\t\t<a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/share\" class=\"twitter-share-button\" data-count=\"horizontal\" data-text=\"Modern Dog takes on Disney, Target: and needs your help!\" data-url=\"http:\/\/mehallo.com\/blog\/archives\/31918\"  data-via=\"mehallo\">Tweet<\/a>\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n\t<script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"http:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\"><\/script>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If there were in the world today any large number of people who desired their own happiness more than they desired the unhappiness of others, we could have paradise in a few years. \u2013Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) Years ago I knew a head general counsel who worked for a legal department for a rather large corporation. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[102,50,49,51,53],"tags":[121,126,58,123],"class_list":["post-31918","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-art","category-design","category-education","category-illustration","category-thoughts","tag-design","tag-education","tag-graphic-design","tag-illustration"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/mehallo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31918","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/mehallo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/mehallo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mehallo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mehallo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31918"}],"version-history":[{"count":42,"href":"http:\/\/mehallo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31918\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31967,"href":"http:\/\/mehallo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31918\/revisions\/31967"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/mehallo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31918"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mehallo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31918"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mehallo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31918"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}