Latest news with #Deby
AsiaOne
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- AsiaOne
'Report 1 shop, another 10 appear': Hoyofest artists on copyright struggles, Digital News
They spend days in front of their digital canvas, drawing a character, and finally bringing it to life. But once they post their creations online, they are shocked to find that their labour of love is blatantly plagiarised, and are used on flimsy shirts or cheap acrylic keychains. Artists like Deby Kurniawan face such issues regularly when they create content for events, such as the upcoming Hoyofest in Singapore. Hoyofest 2025 is a festival for Hoyoverse games such as Genshin Impact, Honkai Star Rail and Zenless Zone Zero, where game merchandise, cosplay and other activities will be available for those participating in the event. To be held from July 25 to 27 at the Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre, Hoyofest is Singapore's largest one thus far, and has a similarly scaled-up artist alley to feature more content creators in the region. Proving themselves as artists Despite the support provided by Hoyoverse, the global brand name for China-based game company Mihoyo, artists do face their fair share of difficulties. Deby, 30, a Singapore permanent resident, is one of the five members of the artist group Kuromitsu Kitsune Art Circle based in Indonesia. She said that when Mihoyo's Genshin Impact was launched worldwide in 2020, the group's work began to get noticed after they started making art based on the game's characters. "When we published (our works) on social media, some of the our followers asked if we were going to make pins or prints — that's when we started to make (them)," she said. Deby, who works in the IT industry, started making art as a hobby during the Covid-19 pandemic. Copied by others But her group also faces a perennial problem — their works are copied by others online, which she can do nothing about, Deby admitted. "If you go to Alibaba, (our works) are all there and it's (sold for) $1 so we cannot fight back," she said. "You try to report one shop and another 10 appear." Deby added: "Sometimes we give up. It is really a waste of time, and we decide that it isn't worth the time. We should focus on creating new art." But that doesn't mean she's unaffected by those who infringe upon their copyrighted work. "It's upsetting because it takes some time and effort to draw these," she explained. "Like I said, I have to play the game and I have to understand why the characters are designed in a certain way." There are others like Deby who face similar problems. 'Nothing much I can do' For Singaporean artist Sherry Mak, who makes unique, crocheted works, copycats are a big issue. "They are very heavily inspired by my creations," Sherry, also in her 30s, said. "There's a way I make certain things, I keep it very standard… very recognisable. "Sometimes the customers (who buy a lot from me) can recognise the way my crocheted items look, and they will see that their (products) look very familiar." She added: "There's nothing much I can do." While she does take a long time to craft even one crocheted work, at least the process isn't quite as painstaking. "It's very fun," she admitted. "I play music or I watch movie — I basically sit there and just move my hands, so it's actually very relaxing." Is originality key? So when exactly do artists have a stake in their fan creations? Speaking with AsiaOne, LLC execute director Mark Teng said it is a common misconception for fan creators to think that if they create the work themselves, they own the copyright. "This is not necessarily correct, especially where the work is based on someone else's IP (intellectual property), such as characters, designs, or storylines from games," said Teng, who is also Co-Vice-Chair of Law Society of Singapore's IP Practice Committee. frequently helps IP owners against counterfeiters and copycats, although Teng said that it is rarer to see fan creators taking direct enforcement action because they are hesitant to attract attention from the IP owner or uncertain of the strength of their legal position. He added: "In legal terms, such a work is considered a derivative work. Unless the artist has obtained permission from the original rights holder, distributing a derivative work may likely constitute copyright infringement." Adding sufficient originality to the work may qualify it for a separate copyright, but this would be assessed on a case-by-case basis, he clarified. For Hoyoverse, its publicly available terms "do not appear to explicitly require fan creators to assign the copyright in derivative works back to the company", Teng said, explaining that if a fan creator's work is "sufficiently original", they may own the copyright in that derivative work. The burden is on the fan creator to prove the infringement — but for the case of a clear-cut copy-paste reproduction, the fan creator may have "stronger grounds to enforce their copyright" even for derivate works, he said. Responding to queries from AsiaOne, a Hoyoverse representative said: "We are devoted to fostering an inclusive fan base, and for our fans to share their passion for animation, comics and games through their own creativity and skills." 'Subtle watermarks' Teng also advised fan creators to embed "subtle watermarks" or "unique design elements" to discourage copying and better protect their work. "These can serve as evidence to help demonstrate that a copycat has copied their work," he explained. Using lower-resolution images when uploading works online also reduces the likelihood of copycats, Teng added. He also indicated that it is "good practice" for fan creators to monitor major online platforms and marketplaces for unauthorised copies of their work. "Early detection allows creators to take timely action, such as filing takedown requests with the relevant platform." As for copycats that may be based in China, the battle may not be worthwhile for many fan creators. "Owing to China's large manufacturing capabilities and its comparatively complex IP enforcement landscape, taking legal action across borders can often be expensive, complicated, and time-consuming," Teng admitted. It may even be more cost-effective to target distribution channels rather than the source of production, which means curbing demand and restricting sales of infringing merchandise on online marketplaces, he said. "While tackling the manufacturing source may be challenging, cutting off access to the market at the point of sale can be a more efficient way to reduce the impact of infringing products." Planning ahead Both Deby and Sherry have tried their own measures to mitigate the copyright infringement issues. Deby says that most copycats would understand after her group speaks with them. Her group has also started putting watermarks or blurring images when they post them online, so that copying their work isn't that easy. Separately, Deby also expressed hope that her group will be able to operate on a scale that goes beyond Southeast Asia such as in Europe or America. Sherry puts up notices both online and at the event booth "just to bring awareness to new customers" that they would be getting "original designs crocheted by her" instead of "copied from others". "That's all I can do," she simply stated. [[nid:715282]] khooyihang@
The Independent
08-06-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Chad to suspend visas for US citizens in response to Trump's travel ban
Chad has announced it will suspend issuing visas to U.S. citizens, retaliating against the Trump administration's ban on Chadians visiting the United States. The decision follows Trump's announcement of a visa ban on 12 countries, including Chad, citing "deficient" screening and vetting processes and a history of refusing to repatriate citizens who overstay in the U.S. The new ban targets Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. There will also be heightened restrictions on visitors from seven others in the new travel policy, which takes effect Monday at 12:01 a.m. In a Facebook post, Chad's president on Thursday said he is directing his government to suspend visas to U.S. citizens 'in accordance with the principles of reciprocity.' 'Chad has no planes to offer, no billions of dollars to give but Chad has his dignity and pride,' Deby said, referring to the $400 million luxury plane offered to his administration as a gift by the ruling family of Qatar. The new travel policy has triggered varied reactions from Africa, whose countries make up seven of the 12 countries affected by Trump's outright visa ban with some exemptions. In the Republic of Congo, government spokesperson Thierry Moungalla said he believes the country was among those affected because of a 'misunderstanding' over an armed attack in the U.S. with the perpetrators 'mistaken' to be from the Republic of Congo. 'Obviously, Congo is not a terrorist country, is not home to any terrorist, is not known to have a terrorist vocation. So we think that this is a misunderstanding and I believe that in the coming hours, the competent diplomatic services of the government will contact the American authorities here,' he said in the capital of Brazzaville. In Sierra Leone, among countries with heightened travel restrictions, Information Minister Chernor Bah said the country is committed to addressing the concerns that prompted the ban. 'We will work with U.S. authorities to ensure progress,' he added.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Governments denounce Trump's travel ban and vow to push back against US
WASHINGTON (AP) — Officials in some of the 12 countries whose citizens will be soon banned from visiting the United States denounced President Donald Trump's move to resurrect a hallmark policy of his first term and vowed Thursday to push back against the U.S. The ban, which was announced Wednesday, takes effect at 12:01 a.m. Monday, a cushion that may avoid the chaos that unfolded at airports nationwide when a similar measure took effect with virtually no notice in 2017. Trump, who signaled plans for a new ban upon taking office again in January, appears to be on firmer ground this time after the Supreme Court sided with him. The 12 countries — Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen — include some of the world's poorest nations. Seven more countries — Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela — now face heightened travel restrictions. In the central African nation of Chad, President Mahamat Deby Itno announced his country would respond by suspending visas to U.S. citizens 'in accordance with the principles of reciprocity.' In a post on Facebook, Deby noted that his nation, which faces widespread poverty, could offer no gifts, and he made a barely veiled reference to Qatar giving Trump a luxury Boeing 747 jet to use as Air Force One. 'Chad has no planes to offer, no billions of dollars to give but Chad has its dignity and pride,' Deby said. Some other African countries were more conciliatory, with Sierra Leone's information minister, Chernor Bah, saying the country 'will work with U.S. authorities" to address the White House concerns. Some of the 12 countries were on the banned list in Trump's first term. North Korea and Syria, which were on the list in the first administration, were spared this time. While many of the listed countries send few people to the United States, Haiti, Cuba and Venezuela had been major sources of immigration in recent years. Trump tied the new ban to Sunday's flamethrower attack in Boulder, Colorado, saying it underscored the dangers posed by some visitors who overstay visas. The suspect is from Egypt, which is not on Trump's restricted list. The Department of Homeland Security says he overstayed a tourist visa. The travel ban results from a Jan. 20 executive order Trump issued requiring government agencies to compile a report on 'hostile attitudes' toward the U.S. and whether entry from certain countries represented a national security risk. Visa overstays Trump said some countries had 'deficient' screening for passports and other public documents or have historically refused to take back their own citizens. He relied extensively on an annual Homeland Security report of people who remain in the U.S. after their visas expired. Measuring overstay rates has challenged experts for decades, but the government has made a limited attempt annually since 2016. Trump's proclamation cites overstay rates for eight of the 12 banned countries. It's not always clear, though, why some countries are on the list while others are not. Trump's list captures many of the most egregious overstay offenders, but it omits many others. Djibouti, for example, had a 23.9% overstay rate among business visitors and tourists in the year through September 2023, higher than seven countries on the banned list and six on the restricted list. Meanwhile, some countries on the banned list, like Chad, have high overstay rates as a percentage of visitors, but just a few hundred total people suspected of overstaying in a given year. The findings are 'based on sketchy data and a misguided concept of collective punishment,' said Doug Rand, a former Biden administration official at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Decision is a blow to Venezuelans In Venezuela, President Nicolás Maduro's government condemned the measure, calling it a 'stigmatization and criminalization campaign' against Venezuelans. 'What happened is not an isolated incident, but rather a new demonstration of the visceral hatred against the Venezuelan people that inspires those who currently conduct Washington's foreign policy,' according to a statement. Venezuelans have been a major target of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, with many accused of having ties to the gang Tren de Aragua. The administration has offered little evidence to back up the allegation but has used it to justify the deportation of hundreds of Venezuelans. For years, Maduro's government had mostly refused the entry of immigrants deported from the U.S., but it reversed course after Trump took office this year. Oreebus Gonzalez has been coming at least once a year to Miami to buy clothes that she sells in Venezuela. But as she prepared to fly home Thursday, she worried she might not be able to come back — even with a tourist visa valid until 2033. 'It scares me a lot,' Gonzalez, 40, said ahead of her flight to Caracas. 'The fact that you behave well and do the right thing doesn't matter.' 'America has to cancel it' Outside the former U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, a Taliban guard expressed his disappointment with the ban. 'America has to cancel it,' Ilias Kakal said. The Afghanistan travel ban was announced as forms of support for Afghans who worked with the U.S. are being steadily eroded under the Trump administration. A refugee program has been suspended, and there is no funding to help them leave Afghanistan or resettle in the U.S., although a ban exception was made for people with special immigrant visas, a program created to help those in danger because they worked with the U.S. during the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. In addition, many people who 'served shoulder-to-shoulder' with the U.S did not qualify for the special visa program, according to No One Left Behind, a group that has advocated for Afghans who worked with the U.S. Khalid Khan, an Afghan refugee now living in Pakistan, said he worked for the U.S. military for eight years. "I feel abandoned,' Khan said. 'So long as Trump is there, we are nowhere.' Since the Taliban took over the country in 2021, only Afghans with foreign passports or green cards were able to travel to the United States with any ease, travel agents said. Supporting the ban William Lopez, a property investor who arrived from Cuba in 1967, was happy to see Cuba on the list. 'These are people that come but don't want to work. They support the Cuban government. They support communism,' said Lopez, 75, who was at Miami's famed Cuban restaurant, Versailles, steps away from the Little Havana neighborhood. 'What the Trump administration is doing is perfectly good.' During his first term, Trump issued an executive order banning travel to the U.S. by citizens of seven predominantly Muslim countries. It was one of the most chaotic and confusing moments of his young presidency. The order was retooled amid legal challenges, until a version was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018. ___ Follow the AP's coverage of President Donald Trump at ___ Amiri reported from the United Nations. Associated Press writers Regina Garcia Cano, Rebecca Santana, Jon Gambrell, Ellen Knickmeyer, Omar Farouk, Nasser Karimi, Elliot Spagat, Elena Becatoros and Danica Coto contributed to this report. Chris Megerian And Farnoush Amiri, The Associated Press
News24
20-05-2025
- Politics
- News24
Chad: Ex-PM Masra arrested over deadly clashes
Chad's former prime minister, Succes Masra, was arrested on Friday for allegedly inciting hatred that resulted in the deaths of dozens earlier this week. While Masra's party said he was 'kidnapped' by the judicial police on Friday morning, public prosecutor Oumar Mahamat Kedelaye said that Chad's former premier was being investigated on charges that included incitement of hatred and revolt, complicity in murder and the desecration of graves. What else did the prosecutor say about Masra's arrest? The prosecutor said investigations by the judicial police pointed to Masra's involvement in a clash that killed 42 people on Wednesday in the southwest province of Logone Occidental, mostly women and children. 'This alleged involvement incited the population against a community residing in the same locality. Messages were circulated, notably on social networks, calling on the population to arm themselves against other citizens,' the prosecutor said. Meanwhile, Masra's opposition Transformers party said in a statement that their leader was 'kidnapped' in his residence and expressed 'deep concern over this brutal action carried out outside any known judicial procedures and in blatant violation of the civil and political rights guaranteed by the constitution'. What is the political crisis in Chad? In 2022, Masra went into exile after the military government suspended his party and six others in a clampdown on civil unrest over President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno's decision to extend his rule by two more years. READ | Chad junta chief launches presidential campaign without main rivals More than 60 people were killed in the unrest, which the government said was as 'an attempted coup'. Following his return to Chad, Masra was appointed prime minister in January 2024 in an effort to appease the opposition, four months before the presidential election. Masra, who served as Chad prime minister from January to May 2024, faced off against Deby in presidential elections a year ago. One of Deby's most vociferous opponents, he won 18.5% of the vote while the incumbent secured 61.3%. But Masra cried foul, alleging electoral fraud. While Muslims are predominant in the vast Sahara desert and the arid Sahel region in Chad's north and centre, the far south of the country is largely Christian and animist. Masra belongs to the Ngambay subgroup of the Sara people who traditionally inhabit southern Chad and among whom the former prime minister enjoys widespread support.
Kuwait Times
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Kuwait Times
Chad's ex-premier arrested for inciting hatred
N'DJAMENA, Chad: Chad's former prime minister and opposition leader Succes Masra was arrested early Friday accused of inciting hatred in connection with deadly clashes in the southwest, the public prosecutor said. Masra, who served as premier from January to May last year, faced off against President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno in presidential elections a year ago. One of Deby's fiercest opponents, he won 18.5 percent of the vote against Deby's 61.3 percent, but claimed victory. Earlier Friday, his party said Masra had been abducted from his home in the early morning. A post by The Transformers party featured an unverified video showing him leaving his residence surrounded by around a dozen armed men in military uniform. Prosecutor Oumar Mahamat Kedelaye later said Masra had been detained after inquiries into a clash in the southwestern region of Logone-Occidental on Wednesday. 'The investigations carried out by the judicial police revealed the involvement' of Masra, Mahamat Kedelaye told reporters. 'Messages were disseminated particularly on social media calling on the population to arm themselves against other citizens,' the prosecutor said. Territorial Administration Minister Limat Mahamat told journalists Friday of 'a massacre that was planned, organized, executed methodically'. It was, he added, triggered by 'an audio recording that incited hatred, revolt against populations seen as non-natives of this territory'. Wednesday's violence claimed the lives of 42 people, mostly women and children, the prosecutor said, raising a previously reported toll of 35. One local source said Thursday that the cause of the violence was thought to be a dispute between ethnic Fulani nomadic herders and local Ngambaye farmers over the demarcation of grazing and farming areas. Conflicts between pastoralists and sedentary farmers are estimated by the International Crisis Group to have caused more than 1,000 deaths and 2,000 injuries between 2021 and 2024. —AFP Masra, who comes from the south, is ethnic Ngambaye and enjoys wide support in the region, whose people are mostly Christian and animist and complain of being marginalized by the mostly Muslim central government. The 41-year-old economist, who trained in France and Cameroon, was a fierce opponent of the ruling authorities before they named him prime minister five months before the presidential election. He contested the results and his party then boycotted parliamentary elections in December. The elections cemented Deby's rule and ended a three-year transition period. He had promised an 18-month transition to democracy but extended it by another two years. Deby had been proclaimed transitional president by fellow army generals in 2021 after his father, Idriss Deby Itno, who had ruled Chad for 30 years, was killed in a gun battle with rebels. Opposition figures have fled, been silenced or joined with Deby. -- AFP
