Outlander fan’s fight with TV firm... over felt
PAINSTAKINGLY crafted from felt, the portrait is a loving tribute to Sam Heughan, the heart-throb star of TV’s Outlander series.
But the wall hanging made by Libby Galli in her kitchen on the Isle of Eigg has landed her in the middle of a copyright row with a billion-dollar television company.
Mrs Galli, 55, made the one-off artwork – created using wool and silk fibres – to celebrate her island’s affection for Heughan, who holidayed there as a boy.
The piece was listed for sale on craft website Etsy – and she was astonished when it was removed following the filing of a ‘notice of trademark infringement’ on behalf of Sony Pictures Television. Mrs Galli, a self-taught ‘felt artist’, is now calling on the firm to reconsider and allow the felt fan art to be sold.
Last night, she said: ‘Sam Heughan used to come here when he was young. He was good friends with some of the people who live on Eigg.
‘There is another couple on the island who make all of the wicker props for Outlander.
‘Everybody here loves the series and I just thought it was a nice thing to make. I was a bit annoyed.
‘I just work in my kitchen. I try to do it in the winter. I do garden teas in the summer and try to fit the felting in around that.’
The 12in by 6in black-and-white portrait shows Heughan in full Highland regalia, in his role as Outlander’s leading man Jamie Fraser.
It was based on a photograph Mrs Galli had found online, and the finished product has been set in a frame ready for sale.
She works from the bungalow she shares with her husband Charlie, and her artistic process involves using a needle to add dyed merino and silk fibres to a wet felt background. Most of her commissions are of local landscapes or pets.
Mrs Galli, one of just over 100 residents on Eigg, derives her main income from laying on tea and scones for tourists. However, she was so pleased with her Outlander picture that she decided to sell it via Etsy for £350.
But she was stunned to be sent a legal notice stating: ‘Etsy received a notice of trademark infringement from Sony Pictures Television alleging that certain material on Etsy is not authorised. In accordance with our Intellectual Property Policy, Etsy deactivated the listing specified as infringing and, where applicable, refunded the listing fee.’
It added: ‘Etsy is not in a position to speak on behalf of the complaining party and cannot provide legal advice. If you have questions about the notice, you may consider contacting Sony Pictures Television, the authorised representative of Sony Pictures Television who provided Etsy with the notice, or talk to an attorney.’
Mrs Galli said she had contacted Sony but her pleas had fallen on deaf ears. To date, she has had no response from the company’s lawyers, and has now decided to sell her work through the island’s café instead.
She said: ‘It’s hard to make a living here and the picture was a one-off. It’s not like I’m going to produce hundreds of them. I don’t think they realise it was in felt and not a photograph.’
Etsy said it removes items ‘when we receive a proper notice of infringement’. Sony Pictures Television said it had ‘no comment at
this time’.
‘I just thought it was a nice thing to make’