Montreal parents are demanding justice and $350,000 from the teacher who sold their students' art

A Montreal school faces legal drama after parents face off against a local teacher for turning their children's art into a profit-making venture. Mario Perron, an art teacher at Westwood Junior High, sold his students' artwork online without consent or compensation.

The parents' legal representatives argue that Perron's commercialization of student art on items such as mugs and t-shirts constitutes a “2976 clear violation of intellectual property laws.”

“The law is clear that every act of intellectual property infringement in Canada will result in the infringer paying between $500 and $20,000 per infringement,” BDeB lawyers and HR consultants said in a statement.

The situation came to light when the students discovered Perron's professional profile on fineartamerica.com, which had many items for sale decorated with their artwork. The controversy revolves around the “Horrifying Portrait” project, which challenged students to create art reminiscent of Jean-Michel Basquiat's style rather than directly copying his work. Despite Perron's initial warnings against plagiarism, he put the students' artwork up for sale, priced between $30 and $120.

A legal notice published on February 13 by Lester B. Pearson is demanding that both the school board and Perron immediately stop selling the artwork, suspend Perron's teaching duties, remove the misappropriated artwork from all platforms, and take immediate action against Perron. detailed sales report.

It is also seeking a letter of apology and $350,000 in restitution from the affected students and their families. In this picture, copyright infringement fines are combined with moral and punitive damages.

With increased public scrutiny, parents and students have the option of filing a class-action lawsuit against both Perron and the school board, including potential criminal charges against Perron. This situation raises questions about how schools manage student creations and protect intellectual property rights in the digital age.