Do you remove copies and trace-over art?

The fact that artists will reuse or reference ideas, scenes, poses, etc which may be found in the works of other artists is considered to be both an inescapable part of the art world and a completely valid learning tool for beginning artists.

Referenced, copied or inspired works should be created completely through your own efforts and must not directly contain any portions of the referenced work revealing it to be a manipulation or edit of the original.

A referenced, copied or inspired work which shows evidence of being directly traced, re-colored, 'painted-over', vector traced or which reproduces the original in exacting detail will be at increased risk of being removed by staff.

If you believe that a deviation or scrapbook addition is an "edit", manipulation, direct trace over, or is a fairly precise copy of your work then you should report it as a potential violation.

Reported works will be judged on a case-by-case basis by the appropriate administrative staff based on a direct comparison with the original or referenced work; be aware that will not act in situations where the similarities are vague, insubstantial or which can be assumed coincidental or unavoidable.

The following criteria is utilized in the review process;

Reproduction of Existing Works by Any Method
Situations listed under the heading of Not Tolerated will override the situations listed under Usually Tolerated

Not Tolerated

• The reproduction exactly duplicates an original work and the owner of the original work files a complaint.
• Reproduction is misrepresented as being something other than a copy of an existing work.
• The reproduction targets a stock resource and violates one or more of the Terms and Conditions for use of that stock.
• The reproduction actually contains elements of the original (i.e. photo showing through paintover).

Usually Tolerated

• The reproduction contains new elements which show a departure from the original. • The reproduction obviously copies an existing work but possesses noticeable and substantial differences.
• The reproduction obviously copies an existing work but is noticeably deficient in quality.
• The reproduction and the original bare only vague or broad resemblances to each other (i.e. poses, etc).
• The reproduction has been posted into a Fan Art Gallery.
• The reproduction has been posted into the Scrapbook area.
• The reproduction targets an element of pop culture (i.e. Anime screenshots or official video game content).
• The reproduction properly credits the original.


It is important to note that the only two areas where copied works are deemed acceptable are the Scrapbook and the various Fan Art galleries. The deviantART staff reserves the right to relocate any copied works which are found residing elsewhere without prior notice.