<figure id="attachment_3278504" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-3278504" style="width: 1600px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-3278504 size-full" src="https://media.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/d6f84013-ernest-zacharevic-fmt-090226.webp" alt="" width="1600" height="1000" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-3278504" class="wp-caption-text">Lithuanian national Ernest Zacharevic, with his lawyers, meeting the press outside the High Court in Kuala Lumpur today.</figcaption></figure>
KUALA LUMPUR: Lithuanian street artist Ernest Zacharevic has filed a suit against AirAsia at the High Court here for the alleged infringement of copyright, claiming that his artwork was used without permission.
He said that sometime in October 2024, he discovered that the artwork in question, &#8220;Children on a Bicycle&#8221;, had been featured on an AirAsia plane.
The artwork is one of Zacharevic&#8217;s murals in George Town, Penang, which he says he painted in 2012. The mural was <a href="https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2024/09/25/penangs-iconic-street-murals-get-makeover-from-artist-zacharevic" target="_blank" rel="noopener">repainted </a>in 2024, following public concerns that it was deteriorating due to natural weathering.
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Zacharevic alleged it was not the first time that AirAsia had used his artwork. He claimed the company had used some of his other artistic creations as promotional material in the past.
<figure id="attachment_2873779" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-2873779" style="width: 1600px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-2873779 size-full" src="https://media.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/bd496ee7-lituanian-street-artist-ernest-zacharevic-whatsapppic-250924.webp" alt="Lituanian street artist Ernest Zacharevic" width="1600" height="1000" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-2873779" class="wp-caption-text">Ernest Zacharevic, seen here with Penang state exco member Wong Hon Wai, repainted the mural in 2024. (Penang state government pic)</figcaption></figure>
He said he approached the airline for an amicable settlement at the end of 2024, but no agreement was reached.
In his lawsuit, he is seeking recognition of his rights as an artist, an injunction against AirAsia from further using the artwork, and damages.
Lawyer Joachim Francis Xavier told reporters that the lawsuit was filed today.
&#8220;The &#8216;Children on a Bicycle&#8217; artwork was removed by AirAsia after the plaintiff (Zacharevic) approached them,&#8221; he said.
Meanwhile, Zacharevic told reporters that &#8220;Children on a Bicycle&#8221; was a distinct artistic creation, not a natural or generic feature.
&#8220;I will leave it to the court to decide,&#8221; he added.

MatchPoint Times

Artist sues AirAsia over ‘unauthorised’ use of iconic Penang mural artwork

‘Children on a Bicycle’ was painted by Ernest Zacharevic in George Town, Penang, in 2012.

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