Greetings, all! It's been quite a while since we last updated this journal, but it's good to see that even while inactive the group has been growing.

We thought we'd take a little time to address two common questions we've been getting lately.


What do I do if someone has traced my art, and it has not been taken down even when reported?
This one comes up a lot. Because of dA's new (and self-contradicting) tracing policy, in many cases only the original artist has the right to request the removal of a traced deviation. If you've reported the deviation, and it has not been taken down, send a link of the tracing to the original artist.

If you ARE the original artist, and the tracing still hasn't been taken down, here are some tips for how to report.
Make sure you include the phrases:
-my original artwork
-used without permission
-request immediate removal

And remember, it doesn't help anything to be cheeky. dAdmins spend much of their day going through similar complaints, and by report #981237948, they just want to get it over with.
Use what your momma taught you:
-be polite
-use please and thank you
-don't trash talk the tracer
-keep it short and sweet

If you've done all of these, and the deviation has STILL not been removed, drop us a note here, and we will personally look into the matter for you.



I tried to report a trace, but the tracer just claimed it as an RPC/Base. What should I do?
First, let's define a few things: a base is an image (often pixelated) that dA users submit with the INTENTION of being traced/edited so that users can customize them (think paper dolls). RPC stands for Role Play Character, but we usually see it come up (at least here on dA) when someone has taken a screenshot/another artist's work, bucket-filled the hair and eyes with a different color, and labeled it as "OMG MINE DON'T STEAL".

If the tracer DID in fact use a base (examples here: [link] ), then it's completely legitimate. Bases are designed to be taken, customized, and re-used.
As an important note, if the tracer used a base, there SHOULD be a link to the original base in the description of the new piece; this link should connect to a naked-looking person pic categorized under Customization~Dolls~BASE.
If a) there is no link, and the tracer cannot produce a link when asked, OR b) the link goes to something NOT categorized under base, they may not have used a legitimate base, and it may be art theft. If you know for certain that no base was used, and it was in fact traced, follow the rules from the first question.

If the trace is an RPC, there are two ways to deal with it:
If the pic is a re-color of someone's original work, follow the guidelines in the first question. It doesn't matter how 'different' it looks; if it's traced, and the original artist wants it down, it has no right to still be up.
If the pic is a re-color of a screenshot, things get a bit trickier. You must find the exact screenshot which was used, and link to it when you report the deviation, otherwise nothing will be done. On the bright side, most tracers use google search to find their screencaps, so often you can find the same image the same way. Good luck!


And remember, please be courteous at all times. Even if we want to call an art thief a *******ing ****itty ***** ***** with ******** and ****** in the ********** and ********* on a *********ing ******* sandwich, it really doesn't help anything. In fact, it lowers our own credibility. So let's keep it civil, shall we? Thanks, all. And keep reporting!

~TiNA