Lawyers instructed by illustrator Stanley Chow accused Nigel Farage’s party of copyright infringement and asked for a public apology over the content, which they said was ‘edited without permission’
Reform UK has removed attack ads including a portrait of Andy Burnham after the artist threatened legal action.
Lawyers instructed by illustrator Stanley Chow accused Nigel Farage ’s party of copyright infringement and asked for a public apology over the content, which they said was “edited without permission”.
The images were reportedly AI-generated and appeared to show a group of people in a small boat holding “Vote Andy” placards emblazoned with Mr Chow’s portrait of the Makerfield by-election candidate and Labour leadership hopeful.
It comes with the most recent polls suggesting a 10% lead for Mr Burnham in the contest, following a disastrous Question Time where Reform’s candidate was savaged over his refusal to apologise for derogatory remarks about women.
Legal firm Brabners argued the artist was entitled to an injunction – or undertakings to cease and desist and take down the allegedly infringing works – compensation and a public apology.
A letter of claim sent to party headquarters is understood to have said the artist, whose original portrait has featured prominently in the Greater Manchester Mayor’s by-election campaign, would be seeking at least £5,000 in damages.
It also said Mr Chow required a public statement acknowledging his rights and the alleged infringing activity to be published on Reform’s social media channels and website.
Mr Chow, a second-generation immigrant from Manchester, said the Reform UK post “misrepresents what the image stands for and what I believe in”.
He continued: “For me, this is straightforward – my work has been used without permission to share a message that I fundamentally disagree with. To see my portrait, created to represent something positive about Manchester and Andy’s vision for the city, being used without my permission to push agendas, including an anti-immigration message, is fundamentally unfair and wrong.”
A Reform UK spokesman claimed the party maintains that its use of the material, which was posted a number of times on social media, “amounts to fair use” and that “this legal action is politically motivated”. They added: “However, we have removed the posts in good faith and without any admission of liability on our part”.