CANADALAND The Freelancer’s Guide to Getting Revenge When You’ve Been Ripped Off
10 snips
Feb 2, 2026 Tristan Capacchione, producer and audio editor who conducted the on-site interview. Raymond Biesinger, Canadian illustrator and author known for a bold graphic style and his book about having work stolen. They discuss repeated art theft, clever tactics for getting paid back, why lawyers often fail creatives, how memes and AI complicate enforcement, and when imitation crosses into theft.
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Use The Orphan Works Desk
- Use the Copyright Board of Canada's Orphan Works process to license hard-to-find historical material.
- Pay the board fee to legally use works when the rights holder cannot be located and protect yourself from future claims.
Small Pamphlet, Big Payoff
- Raymond discovered a nonprofit used his 2012 'Female Anatomy' print without permission and cropped off his signature.
- He negotiated a fee, threatened to publish a $2 pamphlet called Nine Times My Work Has Been Ripped Off, and secured the payment and a book deal.
Use Foot-Dragging As Leverage
- Drag out negotiations to increase the infringer's internal legal and payroll costs.
- Use small changes of position to force repeated meetings and make them pay attention to your demands.
