Former Hollywood child star, Aaron Carter was forced to back down after he was busted for stealing a Maldivian digital artist’s work, and trying to pass it off as his own.
Ali Shimhaq -a biomedical engineer who also does digital artwork for both local and international parties- said that he was made aware of Carter’s use of his “cosmic lion art” through one of his Twitter followers on Friday, and that further inspection showed that Carter had been using this piece “for months now."
Carter, on Friday, announced a collaboration with jewelry company Johnny Dang and Co and attached a design for a chain.
While he claimed to have rendered the image himself, it did not take long for Twitter users to find the same image online, posted on Shimhaq’s Deviant Art page in July 2016. Shimhaq later posted a photo proving that he had originally shared the design in 2014.
After being made aware of Carter’s actions, Shimhaq responded to him accusing the singer of using his design for profit -in various merchandise in his store- without getting the required permission.
This led to an aggressive response from the former pop star, who claimed to have bought the design.
“Bro literally get over yourself. I bought the image and I own it. And I touched it up and re rendered some colors. **** off and stop clout chasing. Or sue. Me.”Aaron Carter
However, Shimhaq told RaajjeMV that he has “never sold this design to anyone," and that Carter had never reached him for permission to use the design through any platform.
While Carter has since backed down and pulled the cosmic lion image, Shimhaq noted that he had used the image to sell merchandise prior to doing so.
“There has to be compensation for that”Ali Shimhaq
While Carter also accused Shimhaq of using him for attention or "clout chasing," the Maldivian artist said that he did not know who Carter was until this issue.
“You're not big time 'bro'. You can’t just google search and take something, touch it up and claim it as your own. At least own up now that you're being called out. The actual artist has reached out to you”Ali Shimhaq
Aaron Carter is the younger brother of Nick; one of the members of the most successful boy bands -Backstreet Boys- in the United States. He was also quite successful in the music scene in the late 1990s and early 2000s, with songs like “Surfin’ USA,” "I Want Candy" and “Crush on You" taking top spots in the charts.
While he had released four albums before even turning 16, he has recently been making headlines for a entirely different reason.
Some of his family members are seeking restraining orders against him, including Nick; after finding out that the younger Carter brother had harboured thoughts of killing his wife and babies.
While Carter is far from where he was at 13, he blames drug abuse for his fall from stardom; which he claims to have started after his sister overdosed.
Carter has also been facing immense criticism from a number of Maldivians over the use of the cosmic lion artwork, something he is not taking well; and while Carter's original post announcing the collaboration received around 195 likes and 23 retweets, Shimhaq's response has over 680 likes and 250 retweets.
