Orly Commits Copyright Infringement

I've have been blogging about nail art for approximately 3 years as of date and I've had a good share of instances wherein my photos have been grabbed and edited without my consent. For a time, it was easy to set my frustrations aside. But when a big company such as Orly commits copyright infringement using one of my nail art photos, it is hard to ignore.

So how did Orly violated my rights? Sometime on September 23, 2013, Orly Australia posted this picture:


This is the original photo with my watermark:



I published this nail art I fondly titled "Black Cats Galore" here on my blog on October 04, 2012 containing several photos of the same design. (Post can be found here.)

CLEARLY, Orly intentionally covered my watermark and replaced it with theirs. The big question is, why?

Does it mean that Orly is claiming the photo as theirs?

Are we suppose to assume that an established company like Orly, that deals with print ads and other forms of advertisements, does not know that stealing someone else's photo is a crime? Seriously?

Some may say that Orly Australia gave me credit by mentioning my blog in the caption area.


It read:

How cute is this nail art from #rina-alcantara.com? You'll need a steady hand for this one! Give it a try with suggested #ORLY Lacquers from www.orlybeauty.com.au

Perhaps they intended to give me some sort of consolation by at least mentioning my blog in the caption? Don't I deserve a proper tag? If they were going to mention my blog anyway, why the need to cover my watermark? It doesn't make any sense.

To make matters worst, Orly Philippines followed suit!


I haven't used Orly since June 2012 because of personal preference. After this incident, I know I made the right choice.

The principle is easy to understand. Thou shalt not steal. With all the social media channels I have, it is NOT hard to send me a message and ask for permission. If you are too lazy to do so, at least give proper credit and DO NOT edit the original work.

I may not be as famous as other artists the world so admires. But I've worked really hard to establish a good name as a nail artist in the blogosphere. The nail art designs I publish here is to inspire those who would like to embrace the craft as much as I do. As much as I encourage people to share what they see here, photos of my nail designs are NOT meant to be exploited as you please.


I'm sorry that this happened. I'm sorry that it happened to me. And I'm sorry that I felt I needed to write about copyright infringement once again. This is my deal breaker as an artist. If you feel the same way that I do, please help me spread this offense made by Orly and hopefully no one else will experience the same.

I know that this post will somehow spur mixed thoughts. I would love to hear your insights on this matter.








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