What is it with these huge companies and their apparent inability to properly compensate artists?Wizards of the Coast, specifically Magic: The Gathering (MTG) was recently rocked by yet another accusation of plagiarism, this time involving artists Fay Dalton and Donato Giancola.
The allegation emerged when Dalton was accused of appropriating artwork for the MTG card "Trouble in Pairs", allegedly lifted from a piece by fellow artist Donato Giancola, known for his contributions to both MTG and Cyberpunk 2020. This controversy unfolded on social media platforms after a Reddit user (u/hypnotichog) identified similarities between Dalton's work and Giancola's Cyberpunk 2020 art.
Giancola, upon being made aware of the situation, publicly addressed the issue, expressing his dismay and intention to pursue legal action against Dalton. In a candid post on his Facebook page, Giancola directly addressed Dalton, condemning the plagiarism and vowing to involve legal counsel. Wow. Nearly speechless, but not speechless enough not to contact a lawyer. Copyright infringement. What were you thinking Wizards of the Coast? To be clear, there are exacting details in the neck, arms, background, and hand which show clear copied structures from my art. Copied and pasted. This is not about 'similarities' , this is about direct copying. Wizards of the Coast (WoTC), the company behind MTG, has not taken the allegations lightly. In response to the community's concerns, the WoTC Community Team acknowledged the issue on Reddit, assuring users that they are investigating the artwork featured in the Murders at Karlov Manor card "Trouble in Pairs".