Snapchat Filter Update: Makeup Artist Mykie Accuses App Of Stealing Artist’s Work

460110345 — Makeup artist Mykie has accused Snapchat of stealing her work. Getty Images

Among the things that make Snapchat a fun app are the funky filters that can turn you into a dog, an angel or many other options. But the way the app is going about its filters might be illegal. Makeup artist Mykie, who shares her looks on YouTube, has accused Snapchat of stealing her work.

She penned a Twitter message after a debate over the filters “gained momentum.” She took the opportunity to clear the air. “I tried to handle the Snapchat thing privately at first and saw it would go nowhere for anyone. A Snapchat rep brushed my concerns off,” she wrote. “Legal action is an option, but it doesn’t help any other artist until MAYBE years down the line.”

The point of Mykie’s statement was to have other artists become aware of the problem now so they can protect their artwork. “With all outlets covering this now, I think that’s been accomplished to a greater extent than I ever hoped for,” the makeup artist said. “People choose to handle things differently, but I don’t at all regret choosing to use my voice over other routes I could’ve taken.”

She finished her note by saying it is possible for makeup artists to copyright their looks: “It’s NOT about claiming the overall makeup genre so it can never be inspiration for other works, it’s about protecting the specific stylization and details that act as an artist’s signature.”

The post garnered hundreds of likes from her nearly 100,000 followers after it was posted for less than an hour. On Instagram, where her finished looks are posted, she has more than 1 million followers.

Snapchat has not issued an official public response to Mykie.

What this post is for and what you should know if you care enough to read this caption: _This is an update to a post from April. I wasn't sure how I felt about a new Snapchat filter, as the details of the filter matched specific details to an old makeup look I did (inner corner of eyes, 3 lines for lower lip, brow hairs in front & open in front half). _This became a problem for 3 other artists (@argenapeede, Lois Van Baarle and Alexander Khokhlov) where snapchat made filters or stickers that had minor changes but matched exactly in very specific details, placement, shape AND overall concept. _TAKE AWAY: Snapchat has since admitted this is an issue, and that copying will not be tolerated. Thats what this Teen Vogue article is about. That's a good thing and that's why I'm posting. The support of people who are artists or know even a TINY amount about intellectual property and copyright laws are why that happened. I'm not asking for arguments on whether or not this is copied since snapchat has acknowledged it. Hard to call it just "coincidence" on 4 different works from 4 different artists in a 3 month timespan- this is not about just one filter. _What else you should know: Yes, makeup CAN and has been copyrighted. Yes, my work has copyright & that's because of the SPECIFIC style & details, not the overall style of pop art or watercolor separately. Same for the other 3 cases. Yes, there are bigger problems in the world. But yes, it is still an issue, and someone should not be paid by a massive company to take the work of someone else who gets no credit or compensation. Art needs to be changed enough to count as a new work. That's copyright law, not my opinion. If you don't care about this that's fine, but don't complain in the comments like I forced you to look at this. ⚠️Again, snapchat has ADMITTED theres an issue with copying they're looking into. If your comment disregards that, or the info in here, don't bother commenting or you will be (laughed at and) blocked.
A photo posted by mykie (@mykie_) on Jun 17, 2016 at 7:25pm PDT

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