Artemy Lebedev pointed out Penza authorities broke copyright law twice
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Penza, 8 January 2015. PenzaNews. Artemy Lebedev, a renowned Russian designer, blogger and traveler, who earlier accused the Penza authorities of stealing parts of the brand design for a New Year festival “The Best Winter City” developed by Art.Lebedev studio, pointed out that the billboard in question also broke copyright law by using a photo of Tatyana Cherkashina from Irkutsk.
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On Thursday, January 8, Artemy Lebedev told his LiveJournal subscribers “the Penza drama was unexpectedly given another spin.”
“Here’s a fact: Tatyana Cherkashina, a photographer from Irkutsk who works with children and families, wrote a letter to my Cozy LJ that says she is going to sue the Penza city administration […]” he wrote, adding that the photo of a child was used without the author’s consent and “without a hint of any request for usage.”
Because of this, the designer stated that “the New Year billboard signed by ‘the Penza city administration’ is a theft of two art projects, and neither of them is related to Penza in any way.”
Artemy Lebedev also suggested that probably the only original element on the billboard in question are mittens.
“Our position stands the same: stealing is bad, thieves must be punished,” the blogger concluded.
As PenzaNews agency reported earlier, the vivid outburst of critique from Artemy Lebedev at the Penza authorities was caused by a photo made in Penza that depicts a billboard on Pushkina and Stavskovo streets crossroads. The billboard features a photo of a child, the words “Dreams come true!” the logo of “The Best Winter City”, as well as the number of the oncoming year (2015) and a signature: “Penza city administration.”
On December 29, the press service of the Penza city administration has publicly released a report from the director of “Penza city advertising service” Inna Revina. According to it, “the institution had no aim to copy someone else’s brand.” It also says the template has been developed to promote socially oriented content and was not used for profit.
Afterwards, the billboard that caused public outcry was removed. However, another billboard on Lunacharskovo street with the same logo in question was left intact.
