Cartoonist Zulkiflee Anwar Haque sent a letter of demand to The Star today, seeking an apology and appropriate damages for publishing his cartoon without permission on Aug 22.

However, he stressed that the monetary demand was not to "make profit" but to raise awareness on copyright issues and intellectual property.  

 

"Your (The Star’s ) act of publishing my artwork constitutes an infringement of my rights, and your action has caused me to suffer loss as a result. 

 

"In accordance to the Copyright Act 1987, I am entitled to damages from you for the loss that I have suffered as a result of your infringing conduct," Zulkiflee (left) said in his letter of demand today.

Zulkiflee, better known by his moniker Zunar, also demanded that the daily places a public apology in its page, "with the contents, size, layout and location agreed upon" by the cartoonist.

 

He added that he was pursuing the case to push for greater protection of artists’ rights as well.

 

"This case should become the cornerstone of the copyright protection of artwork, not only to me but also to other artists in Malaysia in the future," he said in a statement.

 

The Star had published Zulkiflee’s cartoon depicting the MH17 aircraft silhouetted against a heart-shaped sun in a special pullout in tribute to MH17, without his permission. 

 

The artwork was first published by Malaysiakini on July 18.

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