For beginning artists, finding their unique artistic voice is probably the most challenging part of the creative process. That’s why most artists tend to look at other people’s work for inspiration and creative ideas. However, getting inspired sometimes leads to crossing the line between inspiration and copying.
In 2012, the Department of Tourism was accused of copying a six-decade-old Swiss tourism advertisement. Then 5 years later, the same government department was bombarded with criticism for being a “copycat” of South Africa’s campaign ad.
And with the internet at the tip of our fingertips, it’s so tempting to copy other people’s ideas and earn that same level of success. No wonder why plagiarism and copyright infringement are becoming on the rise not just in the world of academia, but also in creative industries.
In a Facebook post, Sydney-based YouTube Content Creator Frank Gabriel called out a fellow YouTuber, Miko Tiotangco, on copying Andreas Hem’s content.
MAG KOKOPYA SI MIKO TIOTANGCO- wag mo to e delete,
THE UGLY TRUTH ABOUT MIKO TIOTANGCO (KOPYA KOPYA).. WAG MO TO E DELETE.. ULIT.Stealing content is wrong in any form. people have been messaging you about what they saw and yet you continue to not credit andreas hem at lahat ng content creator na kinopyan mo.. ikaw na ang tama! kasi intro lang at shots lang ang ginaya mo e .. hinde lahat so in short tama. whatever! watch this video. and please wag muna e report ulit.Sa mga narrow minded, alam ko nakatatak nansa isip nio na ganito ganyan.. inget lang ako.. bakit big deal etc.. well basahin nio to kung hinde kayo tamad all your questions are here godbless 😊hello to everyone, im just gonna comment here because i cant reply to all the comments. because my internet is so damn slow lol.. anyways.. first question na naNikita ko dito sa comment section is ..why didn't i message him directly? well tbh i did and so did other people. i wrote a comment on his youtube video days before to let him know.. diko alam kung nandun pa ang comment nayun. pero anyways back to the topic. do u guys think na hinde ku muna message bago e public to? i mean his a great editor i cant take that away from him, im actually a fan, but when i saw what he has done i just cant sit back and act dumb.. parang ganito lang yan . ill give u an example. what if meron ka nakitang na ganap na rape/murder tas hinde mo nireport or pinansin. ano tawag sayo nun? i know how hard to create an idea it takes weeks and even years.. dont get me wrong editing is hard aswell but editing can be learnt but ideas and creativity is hard to come by.. trust me most artist do go on phases where there is no idea sipping in their head.. plagiarism is a crime punishable by law guys if you guys dont know.. pede kasohan yan. and before you say na ingit kalang. the answer to that my friend is no.. im just dissapointed and i wont be able to sleep at night knowing na hinde ko ginawa ang tama. let me give another example about copying.. what if meron kayo ginawa na art work for years tapus meron nakakita pero di nio nakita at ginaya at sya una nag pasa ng malupit na art at kumita sya ng malaki tas ikaw epapasa mu lang at nalaman mo na nanakaw pala idea mo pero ang iba ung nakinabang (nagkapera, or na recognized) how would u feel? i have had my share of my work stolen before and i know the feeling.. and im sure alot of content creators can agree on this that plagiarism is wrong.. in any form.. and sadly I don’t understand while people think its right?? Beats me? I still need to learn whats go on in the mind of people.. anyways what if nalampasan ni Miko si Andreas in terms of subs etc just a what if ..tapus walang nakakaalam..? Ano na yan? Si Andreas hem pa hung nanggaya kasi mallet lang sub Nya?as for the question of.. ginagawa mo lang to para maka kuha ng subs followers.. That my friend is false.. its actually more harmful to myself and to my channel pero i dont care becuz i want to do the right thing. theres more unsubs and dislikes than subz and likes. Also before I did that video on youtube and on fb I asked permission first so i hope i answered some of your questions and as for andreas hem.. his such a swell person.. super nice. after all of this . kudos.Medjo masakit na daliri sa pag type good day 🙂
Posted by Frank Gabriel on Tuesday, December 18, 2018
Through a split-screen, Gabriel pointed out the supposed similarities of the vlogs posted by two different YouTubers. Apparently, Hem’s vlog was posted a year ago while Tiotangco’s content was only published later this year.
If you have seen the entire video, it’s conspicuous that the opening sequence in which Tiotangco is being chased by a motorcycle rider looks the same with Hem’s.
From the sequence and establishing shots down to the tiniest detail, Tiotangco’s vlog appears to be a “copycat” of Hem’s “I’m Back” video blog.
Gabriel clarified that his comment doesn’t intend to harm anyone. He sincerely admires Tiotangco’s skills when it comes to creating content and editing his videos. However, on the other side of the coin, he knows that plagiarism—in any form—is unethical and a threat to integrity.
“I know how hard to create an idea it takes weeks and even years. Don’t get me wrong editing is hard as well but editing can be learned but ideas and creativity is hard to come by. Trust me most artists do go on phases where there is no idea sipping in their head. Plagiarism is a crime punishable by law guys. If you guys don’t know, pwede kasuhan ‘yan and before you say na inggit ka lang, the answer to that my friend is no. I’m just disappointed and I won’t be able to sleep at night knowing na hindi ko ginawa ang tama,” he shared.
English writer Charles Caleb Colton once said, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” Yes, there are circumstances where copying is generally acceptable, especially if we’re learning from the creative process. It’s not bad in trying to understand how an output is created; it’s not wrong to be influenced by your role models. The only time that this common practice gets bad is when you start copying other people’s work, claiming it as your own, and profiting from it.
While we learn and grow from our source of inspiration, let’s also remind ourselves of the line between stealing and inspiration.
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