Legal defense fund for artist David Lillie

David Lillie is the creator of the ‘Dreamkeepers’ series, and has been happily sharing art online for decades.

He is now being sued for $100,000 in federal court over claims of copyright infringement and breach of contract by a former commission customer.

This isn’t an exaggeration, and it isn’t a joke.

The scariest thing is, if this is happening to us, it could happen to any online artist. 

Most indie artists post illustrations every day without giving it a second thought. Few of those artists have a signed contract granting permission from their client to share that art in perpetuity.

We entered into a publishing agreement with the plaintiff that seemed to proceed along good terms until they attempted to terminate the agreement. After that, we began to receive multiple DMCA notices from them or their agents, and it has now escalated into a lawsuit filed in federal district court in the State of Colorado.

We believe we have fully complied with the law and that the lawsuit filed against us is entirely baseless and without merit.

If you’re willing to help us prevail in this case, it will send a message loud and clear that will hopefully protect the ability of artists everywhere to continue creating and sharing what they love.

You can view a PDF of the complaint filed against us here.  (Case No. 1:23-cv-02616)

(Note the complaint contains several ‘Statements of Fact’ that do not align with our experience.)

Also please do not harass or contact anyone involved in this legal proceeding in any way.

It’s frightening to be making art, and one day wake up to a $100,000 federal lawsuit. Any support you can give, even if it’s just shedding more light on this situation, we deeply appreciate it. Thank you.