August 13, 2018

Antonio Tajani

President of the European Parliament

Rue Wiertz 60

1047 Brussels

Belgium

Mr. Donald Tusk

President of European Council

Rue de la Loi 175

1048 Brussels 

Mr. Jean-Claude Juncker

President of European Commission

Rue de la Loi 200

1049 Brussels

Subject: Infringement of copyright by the Delegation of the European Union to the Dominican Republic

Dear President Tajani, President Tusk and President Juncker:

The Delegation of the European Union to the Dominican Republic is involved in the infringement of copyright, in the cases of the projects “Impulsando los Derechos Sexuales y los Derechos Reproductivos” and “Voces por el Avance de los Derechos de las Mujeres”.  For the first one, the European Union donated 903,937 EUR to its Dominican partner Asociacion Dominicana Pro-Bienestar de la Familia, Inc., (PROFAMILIA).

In 2011, I designed the EMPODÉRATE Logo to identify the project “Impulsando el Ejercicio de los Derechos Sexuales y los Derechos Reproductivos”, which the Asociación Dominicana Pro-Bienestar de la Familia, INC. (PROFAMILIA), Centro de Estudios de Género de INTEC (CEG-INTEC), Núcleo de Apoyo a la Mujer (NAM) and  Sociedad  Dominicana de Obstetricia y Ginecología carried out together with the Delegation of the European Union to the Dominican Republic. These institutions reproduced, distributed and communicated to the public my artistic design without my authorization and payment, which violates my author’s rights, according to international author’s rights treaties, international commercial treaties and Dominican author’ rights laws.

On the other hand, since 2014 Asociación Dominicana Pro-Bienestar de la Familia, INC. (PROFAMILIA), Centro de Estudios de Genero de INTEC (CEG-INTEC) and Delegation of the European Union to the Dominican Republic are using the distinctive elements of my artistic design, the EMPODÉRATE logo, without my authorization and payment, in order to promote the project “Voces por el Avance de los Derechos de las Mujeres”. The typography and the freehand drawing are the distinctive elements of the EMPODÉRATE logo and, precisely, these two elements were taken without my authorization and payment to create UNAMOS NUESTRAS VOCES and UNIENDO NUESTRAS VOCES logos. The result of this illegal use is the plagiarism. When observing both superimposed images, you may watch the use of the same elements (typography and freehand drawing).

The UNAMOS NUESTRAS VOCES and UNIENDO NUESTRAS VOCES logos have been reproduced, distributed and communicated to the public for more than four years in several  physical and virtual media. Therefore, the magnitude of the plagiarism has had great benefits for the partners of this project, but the plagiarism has affected my moral and economic author’s rights.

The European Union, an international institution of such prestige, proclaims that promotes human rights and women empowerment, but my author’s rights are being violated.

At the same time, European citizens ignore how the Delegation of the European Union to the Dominican Republic is investing their money in projects that damage human rights.

In both cases, the demands will be introduced to civil Dominican tribunals in order to look for justice. 

Best regards,

Lic. Grecia Rosalma Reynoso Arias

Graphic Designer and Demander