Donald Trump, Copyright Pirate?

Navigating the world though racial and ethnic stereotyping while landing on an island somewhere near you for the odd grope; it seems Donald Trump can now add Copyright Pirate to his list of daring dos.

UK Photographer David Kittos, a refugee from Cyprus shared the work ‘A Bowl of Skittles’ on Flickr with an ‘all rights reserved notice’. The Trump campaign used the photograph in the campaign combing it with the words ‘If I had a bowl of skittles and I told you just three would kill you, would you take a handful. That’s our Syrian refugee problem.’

While the propensity of Mr DT to cross lines is widely debated his move into copyright piracy has not been. The infringing image was removed from twitter following a complaint from Kittos’ lawyer. It continues however to be shared on social medial and elsewhere. The law suit filed in the District Court of Illinois names not just Donald Trump but Donald Trump Jr and running mate Mike Pence as defendants. Kittos is asking the court for an injunction, damages for copyright infringement and compensation by way of any profits made in the process.

The outcome will be interesting. Who knows when the case comes to be decided whether Donald Trump will be president of the largest country the free world or just a faint memory of what did not come to pass.