Google translated screenshot from Tageblatt.lu.
I won. I won my appeal.
The Luxembourg court has ruled that Jeff Dieschburg infringed upon my copyright when he used my work without consent.
Using a different medium was irrelevant. My work being 'available online' was irrelevant. Consent was necessary.
This win means a lot—not just for me but also for artists and photographers everywhere.
It’s a reminder that copyright protects individuals from those that try to profit off our work without consent.
It reaffirms that our work being online doesn't mean we give up our rights.
For 2 years I’ve been harassed for fighting this because of my gender, my race, my being a photographer.
My home address was doxxed, I was told they'd put me in jail, that I’d kill myself soon. I lost out on work because of how it ate away at me. But I didn't want to give up.
I couldn’t give up because it’s one of my longest held wishes to experience justice once, in this life.
Maybe it's a stupid ideal, but I think if we can, we should stand up to bullies who believe they can get away with anything because they know people can't fight back.
So this is for the young me who couldn’t fight for herself, and for everyone else who's felt the same, that they couldn't challenge what seemed terrifying, powerful, and unjust.
I know that as individuals, it may not seem like there's much we can do. But even if we are alone, the act of many individuals fighting for what's right, over time, may one day be collectively enough to make a difference in this world.
So next time you see someone do this to another artist and claim that:
- "using a different medium is transformative and not copyright infringement", or
- "this was found on the internet so it's free to use!"
Show them my case. Because they are wrong.
I want to thank Luxembourg and its judicial system for upholding copyright protection for an individual, especially in time of AI where our rights seem to be quickly eroding.
And to my lawyer Vincent Wellens and team at NautaDutilh—thank you for your strength and for fighting to protect the rights of artists.
I’m grateful for the incredible kindness of the people of Luxembourg and everyone around the world. Your help and support meant a lot when my world was breaking apart.
I sincerely hope that more of the world will look towards Luxembourg and remember that copyright is what allows individual such as myself to work as an artist. Because without knowing that I can own what I create and be protected to make a living off my work—I could never have chosen this path.
It's hard to find the right words after two years of suppressing what I can say or post. I'm still processing the fact that I can finally start to have my life back now.
I hope bit by bit, I can return to how much I used to create and share. Thank you.