KUALA LUMPUR — Lithuanian artist Ernest Zacharevic has received strong support from netizens over his plans to sue Malaysian-owned AirAsia.
After sharing his plans to sue the multinational low-cost carrier for using his artwork repeatedly without his consent, social media users have rallied behind him while criticising AirAsia for its handling of the matter.
In response to his Instagram post on the matter yesterday, many commenters agreed with Zacharevic that the case could set “harmful precedents” for the arts community.
“Full support! They (AirAsia) have all the monetary means to fully compensate and pay you for your artistic work,” user reginakhoo pointed out, noting that AirAsia could have taken this opportunity to nurture talented artists instead of unfairly benefitting from their works.
User babynokaoi claimed that the issue goes “far beyond” copyright infringement as AirAsia has supposedly built an “entire brand position” around Zacharevic’s artwork, which found fame following his street murals in George Town, Penang, back in 2012.
“AirAsia has stolen your intellectual property/work and essentially claimed it as a primary asset of your brand. The amount of brand equity AirAsia has built off of your uncompensated work could translate to millions in revenue growth and increased brand value,” the user said.
Replying to a user’s comment on how AirAsia had previously paid artists to design its planes’ livery, Zacharevic revealed that while he was initially commissioned by AirAsia for such work, the airline had “dropped the project halfway”.
This drew more outrage from netizens, one of whom lambasted AirAsia for refusing to recognise the artist, knowing the value of his work.
“The only way to protect artists’ rights is to stand up when your own artistic rights are trampled upon,” user goddesssri said, urging Zacharevic to not “back out of this fight”.
Some netizens also said in jest that the artist should seek a lifetime supply of free AirAsia flights.
In his post, Zacharevic also shared evidence of his murals appearing in multiple AirAsia products. The artist said that while he had continuously engaged with AirAsia, he was repeatedly denied proper credit or compensation.
Despite his attempts to resolve the issue amicably, he said AirAsia’s response to the matter has left him with “no choice” but to pursue legal action.
“AirAsia’s response has followed a familiar pattern: issuing statements, denying past infringements and prolonging discussions.
“Their final offer fails to reflect the value of my work, leaving me no choice but to pursue legal action,” he said.
Scoop has reached out to AirAsia’s communications personnel for a response.
Zacharevic’s mural in question, which he had painted in George Town, Penang, features a young boy and girl on a bicycle.
In November last year, Zacharevic highlighted that the mural had been used on an AirAsia plane’s livery without his permission, and he had sought an explanation from the airline but received no response.
He also said it had been difficult for his team to “get through the many corporate layers to the correct person”. – January 25, 2025