Jacksonville, AR - In a stunning turn of events producers at CBS News ripped off RB McGrath's story and case information from the artist's battle with a mainland Chinese manufacturer that pirated McGrath's now famous painting Still Life of Violin for counterfeit reproduction and sales world wide, only to create a story and instead showcase the work of a New Jersey based artist who, according to producers, has also been a victim of art piracy.
Since March of 2013 McGrath has worked closely with Producer Jennifer Janisch at CBS News headquarters by phone and by email correspondence with constant updates as the artists art piracy case has worked it's way through legal channels, federal investigations and media attention.
As recently as Friday, Oct. 18 CBS contacted McGrath for updates on a recent conference that included McGrath, representatives of the U.S. Copyright Office in Washington and representatives of the IPR Division's China Offices. McGrath's fight against art piracy by a foreign manufacturer drew the attention of former U.S. Congressman, now Lt. Governor of Arkansas Tim Griffin, who launched an inquiry into the matter on behalf of McGrath.
"Your the perfect person for this story." Wrote CBS News Producer Janisch in memos to McGrath. "We would love to interview you." "By sharing your experience over the last several months it has helped to inform our reporting about this problem." "You should know that that has made a big difference. Your notes to us got the ball rolling and illuminated us to this problem." In June of 2013 Janisch wrote to McGrath: " A great deal of interest over here in a story. " Please don't speak to other media outlets"
As of Tuesday, Oct. 22 however, CBS News turned the tables on McGrath with the following: "The only way (we) would be able to do this story was if we interviewed someone local, just outside New York, in a small town in New Jersey. He too is a struggling artist. He only makes about $20,000 a year. Our choice has everything to do with logistics."
McGrath fires back: "If I were in New York, I'd feel as though I had just been mugged!" In a response to the CBS News Producer, McGrath wrote: "You can't possibly comprehend the hurt, disappointment and disillusionment I feel right now. You say I'm the perfect person for the story, you want to do this story, and all of my information has helped inform CBS's reporting on this subject, and that I made all the difference, but...your going to do the story around a New York artist and give HIS work national exposure, while I get relegated to back to oblivion? Geez! Can you drive the knife in any deeper? Talk about throwing salt on a wound!!"
It is estimated that the Chinese manufacturer in Fujian, Xiamen, China (mainland) may have sold as many as 570,000 counterfeit copies of RB McGrath's Still Life of Violin painting for an intake of as much as $1.8 million.
States McGrath. "My work has been pirated by a Chinese manufacturer,pirated by an online music blog for CD promotion and now CBS News pirates my story and nine months of my cooperation and uses my case to create the story yet they showcase another artist because he lives near New York and I'm just a nobody down by the railroad tracks in a small town in Arkansas." "Perhaps CBS News should go into business with the Chinese wall art pirates. They seem to have something in common - a total lack of integrity."
Still Life of Violin. 24x30", oil on canvas. RB McGrath 2006
Xiamen Bigal Co., Ltd's online ad via Bizrice.com for sale of counterfeit copies of RB McGrath's "Still Life of Violin". Xiamen Bigal Co., Ltd. pirated the image of McGrath's original work from the web and are reproducing both hand painted and machine made copies of the work for sale world wide.
