Counterfeits and Art Theft

If you see my works being sold by anyone different than myself, you are likely purchasing a counterfeit version of my works. I do not partner with any stores or sellers in reselling, thus you won't find genuine paintings or prints of mine at a large scale aside from here or my Etsy. However, it is possible for very small quantities if sold as second-hand items. It is not to be expected for people to recognize my works as I am not a well-known artist, therefore it is understandably difficult for people to spot counterfeits and be duped into scams.

There have been multiple instances in the recent past where bad actors in the space profited off of unknowing buyers by selling printed screenshots of my product listing photos. More details are attached at the bottom of this page regarding how you can spot the counterfeits. 

Currently, there are no large operations selling counterfeits of my works, as I have taken legal action against all shops & sellers that were participating in the art theft. If you spot one moving forward, please let me know via my email: info@mingoart.com, and I will take prompt action. The internet is a vast limitless space, and I am not able to constantly scan it for bad actors, your help is much appreciated! 

Why not buy counterfeit artwork? Aside from the moral issue. 

- Despite most of my products being prints, which are by default reproductions themselves, when buying a counterfeit print, or a print from a product screenshot, you will receive a print from a lower-resolution image, resulting in blurry, or low-quality prints that do not look nearly as good as one from the artist. My prints are made from images by default 5100x6600px, the ultra-resolution allows sizes up to 24x40 inches without any blur. 

- When screenshotting a product listing photo or illegally downloading artwork from an artist's portfolio site, there are often watermarks or other overlays on the downloaded image. There are AI tools that can remove watermarks, as well as manual methods of digitally removing them, but the process tends to yield lower quality or strange appearances on the artwork. This also applies when AI is used to scale up the image by artificially adding detail into a blurry image to make it clear. 

- Only real artists can make the work to allow the counterfeit schemers to steal. Without the original artists, there wouldn't be any new works made. By not supporting the artists, eventually there won't be any works to enjoy. 

Attached below is a simple explanation of one method I use to prevent counterfeits of my works. If you have mistakenly purchased a counterfeit, please send me an email and I can see what I can do for you!