Was My Top-Secret Project Stolen By The Ohio Lottery Commision? Options

[Dave Arhar]

Can you help me?



My name is Dave Arhar. I'm the writer/publisher of Penny Dreadful Press, a small indy comic book outfit from the Cleveland Ohio area. It has been brought to my attention that a project that I created, one that was in development, is now being used in a similar fashion by the Ohio Lottery.



I have contacted the lottery, and although I wouldn't necessarily say they were elusive, they seemed reluctant to divulge specific information that might help me form a more accurate time line.



Although I acknowledge the minuscule possibility of coincidence, I believe that given the specific nature of this creation, (not to mention the fact that their version was commissioned well after I shared my own, both verbally, and electronically) I can almost completely rule coincidence out. I acknowledge that under routine working conditions, ideas may take a marketing department five to six months to fully develop from inception. However, given the fact that theirs was created in house (cutting down on the time), the unique quality of the work, and the obvious proximity to my own base of operations, well...



This is my dream project. A creation I'm so protective and proud of, that I announced it as new and top-secret long before I dared to share its title with the comic community. And although I'm not going to say I know it would have put Penny Dreadful Press on the map (I thought a previous creation, The Faustians would, and it hasn't- yet) I think there's a damn good chance it would have.



If anyone can provide me with help on this matter, it would be greatly appreciated.



Many people have advised me to forge on and continue my creation, but I feel my integrity as a creator will be called into question. I don't know if I could deal with accusations that I "borrowed" something that I myself have pored my soul into.





Dave Arhar

writer/creator

Penny Dreadful Press

[Dave Arhar]

I've gotten quite a bit of flack for questioning the coincidence I refer to in the post above. I posted it on a number of sites, fully aware of the potential backlash. Not a single response here, which I attribute primarily to kindness, and a maybe a little to a lack of any real interest. A lot of people don't seem to understand what I'm saying in the original post, and that's probably the fault of the author. Some people who have responded in other forums have been flat out disgusted by the posts absurdity, its audacity. Many respond to it pretty unsympathetically, as if it were written by a naive megalomaniac whiner who thinks so highly of his work, he actually believes agents of the state are conspiring against him! Maybe that's the way it's come off, but anyone who knows me understands that I don't need to make false claims in order to satisfy my ego. I'm crushed that the the originality and authorship of my original creation will always be in question.



I'm not assuming it's of any consequence to anyone but me, but I'd like to clear up a few things for my own peace of mind.



1) I don't believe people at the lottery have stolen from me. That's a bit of a stretch. I believe it is possible that a close friend may have betrayed my confidence, and as a direct result, compromised the confidentiality of one of my original creations. Many artists and writers in our field have done business in other mediums, and many know people from all walks of life. Someone I know personally has said he's even worked for them in the past.



2) I'm referring to the instant scratch off tickets that usually have some kind of play on words accompanied by a cartoon representing the idea. They come and go all the time, and few of them stay very long. I would have attributed the discovery to coincidence, but this ticket is brand new, came up 3 or 4 months after I had shared my creation with a small inner circle, and it's right here in my home state.



3) I haven't ruled coincidence out. I feel it is unlikely given the unique nature of the work, but at this point, based on what I know thus far, it is still a possibility.



That's really all there is to say. I can't give too many details, or name any names.I will eventually post the artwork and the pitch I created, and if anyone is still interested, they can draw their own conclusions. Thank you for listening.