Starbucks caught in a copyright act

Starbucks copyright case

A law suit has been claimed by an artist of Brooklyn, internationally known for her artwork in opposition to world known coffee beverage maker Starbucks for infringing her geometric artwork in promoting its “Mini Frappuccino”.
Maya Hayuk along with herattorney Aaron Silverstein of Saunders & Silverstein filed the report on 25th June in Manhattan Federal court for $750,000 plus unspecified cash damages.

In her complaint she said that- Last fall, Starbucks contacted her related to her geometric splendid painting through an ad agency, 72and sunny in California for potentially using her painting in promotion of their Mini Frappuccino by saying “We Love Your Work”.

She declined the offer as she was under an agreement with company of non disclosure due to which she wasn’t able to describe her dealing with the company. But seems as Starbucks didn’t stop using her work for promotion. According to her, she felt bad when she saw her copied painting used in promotion in print, Starbucks cup, Pamphlets and Menu- Her lawyer said on 24th June.

Maya Hayuk, in all her history, she was indulged in work with companies such as Billabong, Microsoft, General Motors, Reebok and Sony. She is best known for her bold and large mural geometric patterns, her recent 5 painting with the abstract of radiating beam of different colors, likes black, yellow, white, azure and magenta have been used in the same abstracts by Starbucks for its new drink campaign.

A Seattle based Jordan Kay, an in house artist for Starbucks created the campaign’s artwork, apparently thumbing on the kaleidoscopic, with bright light radiating beams artwork figuring same feature of Maya Hayuk’s copyrighted artwork.

Art is the professionalism of Maya Hayuk, and when something like this happens, it splashes the dirt spots on the art which makes the value of such art cheap.

As the reach of the campaign is astonishing, Hayuk claims that the company trespassed the artwork in ads and promotion on the company’s websites in U.S., U.K., France, Germany and Canada. And in print, it went over the product packaging over 21,000 retail locations in 66 countries.

Clearly, Starbucks is using her artwork to promote Frappuccino campaign to gain momentous financial benefit of reporting $2 billion in annual Frappuccino sale.

It’s not her first time when she sued over her artwork, lately in 2014 she sued both singer and songwriter Sara Bareilles and well known brand Sony and Epic records for using her Chem Trails, a temporary Bowery mural art in advertisements without asking her.

The artist alleged that the singer and brand used her artwork unlawfully in promotional material

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