From J-Walk Blog:
Keene Valley resident Jerilea Zempel was detained at the U.S. border this summer because she had a drawing of a sport-utility vehicle in her sketchbook.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers told Zempel they suspected her of copyright infringement.She was released after more than an hour in custody at the Houlton, Maine, port of entry from New Brunswick, Canada.
Her release came only after she persuaded border guards she was an artist doing a project that involved a crocheted SUV as a statement against America’s dependence on oil and love for big vehicles.
(Lohr McKinstry, “Keene artist had hard time getting back into US”, Plattsburgh (N.Y.) Press-Republican, Oct. 4).
4 Comments
Im gonna want proof on this one. I HIGHLY doubt that the border patrol would look for (let alone recognize) copyright infringement. Sounds like someone out for some cheap publicity for her protest.
The problem, Zempel said, is “I wasn’t doing anything suspicious.” I’m not so sure we’re getting the whole story here. Prior to 9/11, middle-eastern men taking flying lessons wasn’t suspicious. However, it is now. I suspect Zempel might not have received any training in observational cues and though thought her behavior wasn’t suspicious, it sounds like the detention was brief and she did something which put her in to at least one category which threw up a flag.
Here is the full story with a quote:
http://www.pressrepublican.com/homepage/local_story_278220015.html
“CBP officers may, at times, inspect a person’s belongings to determine whether or not items are admissible or are illegal.”
Woo didn’t say how a sketch of a car could trigger a border guard’s suspicion of copyright infringement. But he did say agents are trained in trademark and copyright laws.
“It’s a part of a CBP officer’s training. Time is set aside for intellectual-property-rights training.”
i gotta go with tracy on this. i dont see border patrol flipping out over a sketch