#4 - Plagiarism and Fabrication

Plagiarism: Disney

Plagiarism is a subject discussed immediately when students begin learning how to write. Defined by Merriam-Webster, to plagiarize is "to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own: use (another's production) without crediting a source." Many may be under the impression that plagiarism can only occur through written works; however, this is not the case. Someone can plagiarize a song, photograph, statistics, or even art. Giving credit where it is due is essential to being an ethical and honest journalist, marketer, creator, and individual. 

On TikTok this week, Andrew Martin posted under the username "monstercaesarstudios," claiming that Disney stole his art and is selling it for profit. He created a 3D model designed after the Tiki Drummer from Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room attraction from their parks. 

Tiki Drummer in the Enchanted Tiki Room

The 3D model is available online for others to use; however, Disney is allegedly selling it without permission and has credited it to another artist who works for the park. Although Disney owns the rights to the Tiki Drummer, Martin says that they do not have the right to sell his work without credit, even if it is fan-made. The TikTok user gives the example of a music artist creating a cover of another artist's song. The original artist could not resell the cover and claim the singing voice as their own. Disney has yet to comment on the issue.
@monstercaesarstudios Disney Stole and is selling my work @disneyparks #stolenart #artistontiktok #disney ♬ original sound - Andrew Martin - Sculptor
@monstercaesarstudios Update on @disneyparks stealing my work #arttheft #disney #3dartist ♬ original sound - Andrew Martin - Sculptor
Some may wonder, has Disney been accused of plagiarism before? Actually, Disney has been accused of plagiarism many times. Whether or not these accusations are true is speculated, but they occurred nevertheless. 

In 2018, a lawsuit was filed claiming that Disney had plagiarized the story from their Pixar animated movie Inside Out (2015). Damon Pourshian, from Canada, wrote a script by the same title in 1999, along with a short film in 2000. Pourshian filed his lawsuit after learning that several students attended his alma mater, Sheridan College, when his short film came out. These students later went on to work on Pixar's Inside Out. In August of 2021, the lawsuit was "greenlit" by a Canadian court. Pourshian is is seeking an injunction, damages, and his name added to the credits. Seven defendants are currently under Ontario jurisdiction: Pixar, Walt Disney Pictures, Disney shopping, Disney Enterprises, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media, and Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. Due to Pourshian's successful appeal, Disney also owes him $25,000 in legal costs. A verdict has yet to be made, but the similarities between Pixar's Inside Out and Pourshian's original work are striking. 



Disney has recently been accused of plagiarizing an artist's work on their Disney+ show, "Behind the Attraction." Disney+'s show, "Behind the Attraction," is a documentary-styled show where fans can see how an attraction came to be. The show is similar to that of many fan-made YouTube videos. The YouTube channel "Art of Engineering" has a video similar to Disney's episode about the Tower of Terror attraction. In the Tower of Terror video created by "Art of Engineering," the creator, James St.Onge, made a graphic depicting the building; the picture on Disney's "Behind the Attraction" was almost identical. 

According to James St.Onge, this case falls under the Architectural Works Copyright Protection Act. The Act states, according to St.Onge, that "If a building is viewable by the public in the United States, then you are allowed to create an artistic representation of that building (like a photograph or drawing) without violating copyright." St.Onge also states that Engineering plans and blueprints are protected as regular artistic work; however, he did not have access to the Tower of Terror blueprints for his graphic. He created it through his "own artistic representation of the building and ride system." 

Disney has fallen under much scrutiny due to its copyright laws and plagiarism accusations. It is difficult to make a case against a giant corporation like Disney; however, plagiarism should not be overlooked regardless of the size of a corporation or public opinion. 

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