55DSL on Nitta Infringement: “Our Chick is Hotter than Yours!”
No, really– that is literally what 55DSL said in response to hearing about Youka Nitta’s borrowing of their popular 2006 ad for a pose in her manga. That and:
Nitta, don’t worry, we’re not that kind of brand, we consider this a tribute, only the greatest are copied, right?
No doubt Nitta agrees! I don’t think anyone was ever really worried about Nitta being sued by any of the fashion companies whose photos she used– though I suppose it’s possible –but it’s awesome to hear that the companies are taking it with good humor. In their honor, I’ve used their logo above.
55DSL, by the way, is a fashion line originally started by Dieseil in ‘94, though it became an “independent business unit” (which I take to mean still part of the company family but operating entirely on its own steam) in ‘99. Apparently a lot of people are referring to the image in question– seen here –as “the Diesel ad,” but for those of you who want to be picky, there you go: it’s not really a Diesel ad.
Hopefully now we can put this all behind us and Nitta can start working again soon?
Tags: fashion, scandals, youka nitta
July 18th, 2008 at 12:22 am
Wha-? Libre and Nitta called the ad a “Diesel advertising photo” on Libre’s homepage, so they must not think 55DSL is as independent as Wikipedia claims it is. Although, Libre, Nitta, and Wikipedia have all amply shown they’re not the foremost experts on legal matters. ;-)
July 18th, 2008 at 3:34 am
Eh, it’s just one photo from many… Really, I wouldn’t even care about this incident (everyone knows that Nitta hasn’t really quit, she’ll be back once the incident is forgotten), but Nitta’s “oh, sorry, I didn’t know it was a crime” is pissing me off. So plagiarism is okay if it’s not a crime or what? I can’t believe I’m hearing this from a long-time pro mangaka and not a teenager caught red-handed…
July 20th, 2008 at 7:41 pm
[...] meantime, Gia kept on top of the issue with the general scoop, resulting effect and an amusing follow-up from one of the advertising companies whose photos were [...]
July 21st, 2008 at 12:00 am
I’m glad that someone can find some humor in this.
But, how is this a tribute to the company when no one even knew which company it was? They all called it by the wrong name!
I hope Nitta comes back but she can’t continue copying like this without crediting originals.
September 3rd, 2008 at 5:59 pm
A. Not to plagiarize one of the Diesel comments, but Iwaki is way hotter than the chick!
B. I created a livejournal just for discussion of manga copyright issues. http://manga-copyright.livejournal.com/