Toms’ Whale Shark Shoes Infringe Copyright, Wildlife Artist Says

Aug. 10, 2020, 4:17 PM UTC

A wildlife artist filed suit in an Atlanta federal court against Toms Shoes LLC, saying it infringes her copyright by using her drawing of a whale shark on a line of its shoes.

Jennifer Richards told the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia Aug. 7 that she posted a sketch of a whale shark to her website in 2013.

Richards says she saw a Toms ad last month for a line of blue shoes adorned with drawings of whale sharks and “immediately recognized” the sharks from her sketch.

According to Richards, she overlaid her sketch on a ...

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