[merylsilverburg]

This is a really great topic, Meiko, I'm really glad you brought it up.

As Red said, do you think you could provide an example or tell us what your friend did? It's not that we don't believe you, but the whole topic of "stealing" can be debated greatly and I think it could widen our perspectives if we knew what happened.

As for my thoughts in general: I absolutely hate it when someone steals another's work and effort and call it their own. Like Red, there is no class in it whatsoever. Yet, I can't say that I'm completely against it because something like this can have 2 sides to it and here's an example why: (just an example)

I was browsing a site of amateur manga (comics) and I came across this one story where the artist completely copied the art style of Sailormoon. Now, people have argued with me, saying the girl was doing doujinshi but it's not. Doujinshi is when you use characters from a professional series and put them into your own story...like "Sailormoon Goes to Hawaii!" would be one. However, this girl was simply copying the art style but using her own created characters/personalities. Yet, I read comments and praises, such as "Wow, you're sooo good!" or "OMG, your style is great, you should go pro!" to which this girl replies "Thanks everyone, I worked so hard to create my own style!"

Many people say "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery." So, in the case mentioned above, would that be considered "stealing" or "imitation"? And can this be used as an excuse to copy another's work? She was taking someone else's style and yet, no one else could see it. They didn't bother saying "Umm...that looks an awful lot like "Sailormoon."'

Other people can also argue that, if they do "see" it, the girl was just using the style as "inspiration" and she'll probably develop her own style as years go by. Sure, that could happen because in my case, I've done it. I'm inspired by certain styles I see...so I imitate them at first but then I try my hardest to develop that into something of my own (which, ironically, I usually end up getting criticized for my lack of originality. ). But again, the development of original style might not happen because I've seen a lot of stuff where the art style is imitated and these people will continue to draw like this...yet, these people are praised to no end about how "original" they are.

Which brings me to the next point: originality. Nothing is truly original in this world anymore. Everything, whether it'd be art, music, stories, they're all inspired by something one way or another. So, would the girl be considered "unoriginal" for "stealing"/"imitating" from the original artist if the original artist "stole"/"imitated" her style from another person?

For these reasons, this is why I cannot say that I don't understand. Many people are "imitating" another's work and are either a) becoming successful or b) getting many praises and being called "original." I might consider it "stealing" but to others, it might not. It's a sort of debate that can be argued to no end, I feel.

I'm sorry if I confused anyone...if someone doesn't understand something, I'll try to explain it more clearly.