Editorial Team
An art teacher at a Canadian school has been busted for selling his student’s drawings online.
Mario Perron, the teacher, was caught easily, because he put the artwork on his own website and used his own name.
The drawings were made by 12- to 14-year-olds, according to reports.
Parents call on Quebec school board to take action after students find their artwork being sold online by their art teacher.
The students are 12-14 years-old. The art is being sold in many forms like phone cases, stickers and tote bags.
📸: 1-mario-perron.pixels/ website pic.twitter.com/oKZQrUrweS
— Virgin Radio Montreal (@VirginRadioMTL) February 9, 2024
Students caught Perron by Googling his name. Then some parents found out, and two of them are taking legal action after discovering their children’s work being sold on various items like t-shirts, coffee mugs and iPhone cases, CTV News reports. The items were being sold for $30 to $120.
Joel DeBellefeuille and Edith Liard, parents of ripped-off artists, sent a letter to Perron and the Lester B. Pearson School Board “to demand $350,000 in moral and punitive damages for alleged intellectual property breaches,” CTV News reports. “Their demands also include a formal apology and for the art to be removed from the teacher’s website.”
The school has reportedly launched an investigation.
Meanwhile, Perron’s website where he sold the items, along with his social media accounts, appear to be down. He also seems to own the website renminds.org, which as of writing is still active.
