Winnipeg artist’s work lifted off website turns up on handbag

We all know by now, or should know, that stuff we put on the Internet gets treated as public domain by the rest of the web world.

It may be as trivial as someone grabbing a photo to use on a Facebook profile or as computer wallpaper, which may range from harmless to annoying. But sometimes it's more problematic. Last year, an online dating site's ad used a photo of Rehtaeh Parsons, the teen who committed suicide after photos of her being allegedly sexually assaulted were circulated digitally.

And sometimes it's financially problematic, which is how you could characterize what happened to Kal Barteski.

The Winnipeg artist had one of her works stolen by a Montreal-based fashion manufacturer. The image was used on a handbag that was sold by JC Penny, CBC News reports. A friend spotted one of Barteski's paintings reproduced on a bag at a Florida outlet of the big U.S. department store chain. She took a photo and sent it to the artist.

[ Related: Privacy experts warn about dangers of image theft via online photo scraping ]

“I was really hoping it was just a copy, but it was the original,” she told CBC News.

Barteski, who markets her work on a personal website, tracked the bag back to the Montreal-based Aldo Group, which operates Aldo, Little Burgundy and Globo retail stores across Canada.

The artist initially wrestled with the idea of calling the company.

“I kind of thought, ‘Is this actually worth it?’ because it happens all the time," she told CBC News, adding it's not the first time her work had been used without permission. "I thought, ‘We have to do something about it as artists, as people.'”

But instead of a confrontation, Barteski got a happy outcome.

"I have talked with all parties involved and we have come to a positive resolution including possible collaboration on future [and very legal] projects," she wrote on her blog. "It sure doesn't always work out this way and I am grateful to have stood up for myself and achieved a compromise."

Aldo also agreed to compensate Barteski for the unauthorized use of the artwork.

[ Related: Rehtaeh Parsons Facebook ad a 'textbook' case of online photo abuse ]

Barteski said on her blog that it was clear the image used on the handbag was lifted from a low-resolution version of the work posted online.

Lawyer Silvia de Sousa, who works on intellectual-property cases, told CBC News people who grab these images often don't know they're doing anything wrong.

“In most cases, I think the person that takes it doesn’t realize that just because it’s on the Internet, doesn’t mean that it’s free to take,” she said.

De Sousa said a cease-and-desist order often will resolve the issue. But she recommends artists get their work copyrighted and add a terms of service clause on their website to warn browsers the content is not free for the taking.

Not that it will stop some people.