Pet pug Frank ends up on Tesco mug, as his owner discovered on a visit to Westwood Cross
Published: 00:01, 09 March 2016
A Tesco shopper was left gobsmacked after discovering her pet dog had become the face of a novelty mug.
Stunned Ania Knapek, 22, spotted two-year-old pug Frank on a stack of the £5 gifts at the supermarket in Westwood Cross.
But the health worker won’t be retiring on the royalties – because the snap was uploaded to a free picture-sharing website by her photographer cousin.
The photo - showing her beloved pug as a puppy - had been taken at her house in Queen Bertha Road, Ramsgate, 18 months before.
“I was just walking through the gift section when it caught my eye,” she said.
“I thought ‘that’s my dog, that’s Frank!’.
“It was pretty obvious and when I looked at the original picture it was clear. It was definitely a bit of a shock.
“I’d uploaded the photo to Facebook and Instagram, but didn’t know where they had got it from.”
Markings on the mug reveal it was manufactured by Oldham-based gift supplier Widdop and Co.
Health care assistant Ania was unsure if she was entitled to royalties, but soon discovered her cousin Matt Szwedowski – who took the photo – had uploaded it to a website called Unsplash.
The terms of the site say posted photos can be “copied, reproduced, modified and used for any and all purposes by other users for no compensation payable and without any permission being required”.
Matt, 29, who lives in Ramsgate, said: “I just wanted to put my work out there.
“I knew what the terms of the site were but I never expected it to go so far, to see your picture on a mug in Tesco.
“It is annoying that someone is making money out of my work, but also quite flattering that they saw it as good enough to put on a mug.”
Asked if he had any advice for aspiring snappers, he added: “With technology today it’s getting easier and easier to take a good picture, so people need to protect their work.
“Just be careful, read everything and good luck.
“It’s certainly changed the way I look at the internet. I will now only use websites like iStock so when a picture is downloaded I at least get some money.”
A spokesman for Widdop confirmed it had sourced the photo from Unsplash, but added: “On the whole we use very few photographic images on products.”
Despite missing out on a potential windfall, Ania sees the positive in Frank’s face adorning mugs up and down the country.
“It is still pretty cool that people I’ve never met are looking at him as they drink their tea,” she said.
“He’s such a little star.”
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Joe Walker