Courtney Yang of CYANG Creative Used My Registered Work Without Permission

When “Inspiration” Becomes Infringement: The Courtney Yang Incident

On September 13 I was tagged by another photographer in a post that was promoting a workshop hosted by Courtney Yang of Cyang Creative and another photographer.

The image used in that post was a screenshot of my registered photograph series Faceless Dolls. My business name had been cropped out and my watermark blurred. The event invited photographers to join, and from what I've been told, the photographers paid $100 to attend while models could attend for print trade. The stated purpose was to recreate my images. The image of the event listing was my image.

What was her intention behind removing my name from the header of the screenshots and blurring my watermarks?

Why would a fellow artist think this is OK to do to another? And if they are 'doing nothing wrong' why remove the artist info?

I contacted the person who posted the image and he told me that Courtney Yang had taken the screenshot and set up the event and then invited him to co-host. Courtney Yang later admitted to doing so via messenger (see below) but claimed she had shared my original post publicly and engaged with it, which I have zero record of.

In reality I don't show that she ever interacted with my post as she claimed. What I do have proof of is her admission that she screenshotted my work, cropping out my name, with my watermark blurred, before using the images to promote the workshop event.

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I reached out to Courtney (see the screenshots) and made it explicitly clear that she did not have permission to use my work or recreate it. This was weeks in advance of the event she planned based solely on recreating my registered work.

Despite that, I discovered on November 12 that she went ahead with the event and recreated my work and took credit for the idea publicly.

Now based on those messages above, you'd think she'd tag me if she didn't think she did anything wrong?

You'd be wrong.

But look at all the people she did publicly credit.... To feel zero shame in screenshotting my work, removing my name, blurring out my watermark, placing blame on her co host and then proudly taking credit for the idea is truly appalling, not only to me, the victim, but to the industry.

When challenged publicly on her post on November 13, Courtney Yang responded by stating “you can’t copyright an idea" and "THANKS FOR THE ENGAGEMENT" to commenters.

My work on the left being used to advertise the workshop and the recreation on the right.

Note the credits...

Further revealing just how arrogant she is and how optional she thinks copyright law is.

That statement completely misunderstands the law. Copyright protects the specific expression of an idea, not just the idea itself. By using my copyrighted images to promote an event (an act of infringement alone), removing identifying information, recreating the entire work, and taking credit for the idea, she crossed ethical and legal lines.

But don't rely on my words, rely on the law....

Why This Matters from a Legal Standpoint

Copyright law grants creators exclusive rights under 17 U.S.C. § 106 and § 501, including the right to reproduce and publicly display their work. The U.S. Copyright Office confirms that you may pursue legal action if your work is used without permission.

U.S. Copyright Office

Under 17 U.S.C. § 504(c), statutory damages for willful infringement can reach up to $150,000 per work.

Under the DMCA (17 U.S.C. § 1202), removing or altering Copyright Management Information (like a watermark or credit) can result in additional damages of up to $25,000 per instance.

Five of my images were used here.

Also, under the DMCA (17 U.S.C. § 1202), removing or altering Copyright Management Information (CMI) such as cropping out a photographer’s name or blurring a watermark as she did here, is a separate actionable violation with additional damages up to $25,000 per instance, of which there are 6 here.

What Happened in This Case

• Courtney Yang with Cyang Creative took a screenshot of my work for the sole purpose of hosting an event to attract attendees to recreate that work.

• Courtney Yang intentionally cropped out my name.

• She intentionally blurred my watermark from the images.

• She used my image on the event page to market it.

• She received my messages and was warned not to infringe again or recreate my work.

• She decided to do it anyway and held an event and recreated my work.

• Courtney Yang took credit for "her" 'creepy visions' based solely off my work.

Final Thoughts

Courtney may wish to portray this as “inspiration,” but the facts show something much more concrete: the use of my registered work, without permission, in a commercial context, with credit withheld and direct profit sought. That is not just poor taste, it is textbook infringement.

Creatives invest time, money, and vision into their work and deserve protection. If someone uses your work to promote an event, using your original concept and passes it off as theirs, the law gives you a very real path to remedy. And there are serious consequences for doing it the wrong way.

Sadly, most need to learn the hard way.. And it is not that I am a litigious person, although I have sued for and won infringement cases in the past, I prefer communication, I prefer to mitigate damages, I prefer to protect my peace. It is pride, ego and arrogance that lead to legal action.

Follow what happens next, here.

*This post reflects my personal account and understanding of the events and the applicable copyright laws. All information shared is based on my own experience and publicly verifiable facts.