Sony Japan has taken down an advertisement from its YouTube account after online sleuths discovered it contained re-traced animation from other artists. The director of these spots, Kevin Bao, has since been let go by Eallin Animation, a production company he previously worked for.
Following the fallout of the revelation, Eallin released an official statement, writing, "We had no knowledge that the work produced by Kevin Bao was plagiarized. We have ceased with immediate effect any representation of Kevin Boa's work and have contacted Kevin for a response."
Bao’s plagiarized spot featured in Sony’s "PlayStation 4 Lineup Music Video Winter Mix," an advert that showcased PlayStation 4’s extensive gaming catalog. It contained moments that were seemingly lifted directly from other animated properties including Steven Universe: The Movie, FLCL and Gobelins student films.
Oleg Kositsyn was the first to notice their art had been stolen whole place by Bao, posting on Twitter, "cool animation, thanks for perpetuating," accompanied by a sad emoji and a sarcastic thumbs up. Kositsyn’s observation led more people to recognize other moments in the video that had been copied, with someone eventually compiling a side-by-side comparison.
Bao graduated from Tama Art University in Tokyo, Japan. He has since removed all of his work on social media. Additionally, his Japanese agency, Connection, has removed his director’s page from its website.
(via CartoonBrew)