As music production companies are fighting piracy, product related fields are fighting counterfeits. The fight for only original products is getting out of control and nowadays you can hardly tell the difference between authentic and fake products. It is really unfair when artists are not given credit for products they’ve spent time and money working on. The main issue is ethics; it is everyone’s responsibility to be ethical and only accept what belongs to them. Let’s take the Aboriginal artwork for instance; nowadays we have many websites and art galleries that claim to sell authentic Aboriginal work only. The industry has been filled with so many fake products that it’s getting hard to distinguish the originals from the counterfeits. So who’s responsible for this? We are all responsible, both the buyers and the sellers. Here’s a division of the roles we both play;

• Buyers

Before you buy Aboriginal art, it is your responsibility to ensure that the product you are purchasing is genuine. You can do this by confirming that all the files describing the artwork are available and also full details about the artist. If you purchase the artwork without the documents you will be promoting production counterfeit products indirectly.

If you have the ability to reach the artists, you should buy Aboriginal art from the actual artist. This will promote the artist and also help keep the Aboriginal culture alive. Galleries are indirectly ‘killing’ the Aboriginal People by not promoting the artists and putting more focus on the artwork. After you’ve purchased the artwork, don’t forget about the artist, always mention the artist’s name whenever something about the painting comes up.

• Sellers

As a seller, when you buy Aboriginal art from an artist, insist on a fair price; don’t focus on your profits too much. This will encourage the artist and in turn he/she will be motivated to create more paintings. This is more of an ethical responsibility.

If you own an art gallery, always invite the artists when their work is on display. Yes, you already purchased the painting, but letting the artist promote his/her own work will really encourage them to do more work and advance their career. Finally, as a seller, you should never buy Aboriginal art from a broker or another seller.

These are just random acts we can do to keep the Aboriginal ‘Dreamtime’ alive for many years to come. Yes, you can’t fight counterfeit work alone, but that doesn’t mean you should promote it either.

See also: Removals Company