Imagine working hard on a drawing in class, only to find out later that your art teacher has put it up for sale on the Internet. And without asking your permission! This is exactly what happened at Westwood School in Saint-Lazare, Quebec. Aces spoke to Jax, who was very surprised to see his portrait posted online… for $118.
A disturbing discovery
Students of class 2e secondary school of Mario Perron made a shocking discovery on February 7, by typing the name of their teacher on Google. They first found his website. And to their greatest surprise, he was selling their drawings there! There were even other items like phone cases, puzzles, t-shirts, and even mugs, all adorned with their creations!
Asking prices went up to $169. Surprisingly, the students’ real first names appeared under each drawing.
What is copyright?
Copyright is a rule that protects people’s work, such as books, songs, or films. This means that no one else can copy or use it without their permission.
Jax, 13, is one of the students affected. He entrusted to Ace having felt betrayed. He doesn’t understand his teacher’s gesture. “It’s the last thing I expected. I don’t trust him at all anymore,” he said.
Very angry parents
When he heard the news, Jax’s dad, Joel DeBellefeuille, couldn’t believe it. It was when he went to Mario Perron’s website and saw more than 90 drawings for sale, all made by his son’s classmates, that he understood the seriousness of the situation.
“How can a teacher do this to his students? » he told us.
Mr. DeBellefeuille and another dad officially requested the removal of all images, an apology to the students and an amount of money for the children and families involved. In total, the parents are seeking $350,000.
“We wanted to send a clear message to the school to scrutinize their employees a lot more before hiring them,” Mr. DeBellefeuille explained to me.
Investigation
Aces have contacted the Jax school board, which said it takes the situation “very seriously” and that an investigation is underway. According to our information, for the moment, Mr. Perron is not teaching children.
Marilys Beaudoin
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