Art for the public or exploited products?

Since the start of the blockade that was imposed on Qatar by its neighboring countries in June, citizens and residents have in part expressed loyalty to the Emir, Sheikh Tamim Al Thani, by displaying his images on their artistic logos and paintings in Doha.

Many businesses, however, are using some of these drawings and logos on their own products for the purpose of sales and profits.

Some observers have questioned whether the artists behind the drawings and logos have copyrights on their work, especially as companies and businesses are using their art for personal profit.

Noor Al Emadi, the owner of NoraniArt, an engineer and a Qatari artist who has also created art related to the blockade, said that she did not like the use of her art for personal purposes,

“Although it made me very happy to see my drawing everywhere, I did not like the exploitation of it for sales and the exaggerated use when I saw it being printed on almost everything like food packets that end up in the trash.”

Some businesses have not only used artistic drawings to increase their own sales, they have also increased the prices of products which used to cost less before the blockade.

Peter Boatwright, a marketing professor at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, says that he was new to Qatar when the blockade started, and that he did not expect the huge support, “I saw the extensive support for the Emir and the pride in local products and desire to support them.”

When asked about businesses increasing prices for some products, he said that it is good to support local products, however, exploitation makes a business look bad. “A business which would be claiming that they’re supporting local products and sourcing could attract people solely for their stance, however, the business would look bad if they were pricing highly only because of the Emir’s image.”

From a different perspective on the topic, the Qatari business owner of Phonto, Maha Al-Abdullah, shared, “I was drawing the logo of Tamim Almajd and I just shared it on Snapchat and Instagram, then my customers and my friends gave me the same idea to print it on my products, so I chose to add them on my cups. I did not do it for money, I did it because people liked it.”

On the topic of exploited products, a Qatari female customer said that she did not see anything wrong with them, “I know this is a way for businesses to make profit, however, I don’t think there is anything wrong with it as long as people are happy and willing to buy and pay for it.”

Until today, and even after some artists implemented copyrights on their products, the images and logos are seen everywhere. From cups, furniture, clothing, food, and much more, Qataris are still buying such products even though they know that their sellers are cheating with prices and have made them higher after the blockade.

Most of them do so to express and share their pride for their Emir, their country, and their position on the blockade imposed by the neighboring countries.

Image credits:

Cover image - Aisha Al Muftah; inline image 1 - redbubble.com, 2 - Walid Shoebat.