Quebec Teacher Accused of Selling Students’ Art Sparks $1.5M Lawsuit from Parents.
A lawsuit has been initiated by a cohort of parents against a high school art teacher in the Montreal area and the respective school board following revelations that students’ artwork from their classroom was being sold on the teacher’s personal website.
The lawsuit, totaling $1.575 million, or $155,000 per plaintiff along with punitive damages, targets Mario Perron, the implicated teacher, and the Lester B. Pearson School Board (LBPSB) for alleged copyright infringement.
Edith Liard, among the parents involved in the lawsuit filed in Quebec’s Superior Court on Friday, expressed how the incident negatively impacted her daughter’s aspirations of pursuing art.
“My daughter loves art, always has been into art, and this year after everything happened, she said to me, ‘I don’t think I’ll do art next year,'” said Liard.
“I was surprised because she’s always been artsy at home before school, and she actually picked Westwood because of their art program.”
oel DeBellefeuille, another parent involved in the lawsuit, emphasizes that although the sought-after sum may appear excessive, it reflects the magnitude of the intellectual property violation that occurred.
“We requested $5,000 per artwork that was infringed,” he said, saying there were 31 pieces of plagiarized merchandise per student. Only 10 parents are represented in the lawsuit.
Under Canada’s Copyright Act, statutory damages can range from $500 to $20,000 per work.
As per the allegations in the lawsuit, Perron assigned a project titled “Creepy Portrait” to his 96 students back in January. This project tasked students with creating portraits of themselves or their peers, drawing inspiration from the artistic style of Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Following the submission of their projects in February, the students were dismayed to discover their classroom artwork being commercialized on their art teacher’s website.
To their surprise, their “Creepy Portraits” were available for purchase as prints, as well as featured on various merchandise such as coffee mugs, T-shirts, and cellphone cases. Some of these items were listed for sale at prices as high as $174.
Alongside the monetary compensation, the lawsuit stipulates that the group of parents is seeking a written apology from Perron, the removal of all students’ artwork from any online platforms, and a detailed report regarding any sales associated with the plagiarized works.
Before resorting to legal action, Liard and DeBellefeuille assert that parents had previously sent a demand letter to the LBPSB outlining similar requests, which allegedly went unanswered.
The teacher and the school board now have a two-week window to respond to the lawsuit.
In a recent email statement to CBC News, the LBPSB declined to comment on internal investigations or human resources matters.
Last month, the school board announced an ongoing investigation into the matter, emphasizing its commitment to addressing the allegations seriously
