Filipino digital artist Elmer Saflor, better known online as Superelmer, is suing an AI-powered meme platform that he claims sold his viral "Running Away Balloon" comic as a paid template without his permission.
Saflor filed a copyright infringement lawsuit on July 1 before the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, alleging that Memes App commercially offered his artwork to advertisers and marketers despite never obtaining a license from him.
Originally drawn to express Saflor's feelings about missed opportunities, the comic later became one of the internet's most recognizable reaction memes. He registered the work with the U.S. Copyright Office in 2024.
According to the complaint, the platform included the artwork in subscription plans costing between $40 and $199 (₱2,400 and ₱12,000) per month, allowing paying users to generate commercial content from the image.
"I understand why some people see it as 'just a meme.' But for me, it was never just a meme—it was something I created," Saflor told radar Business. "When an artist's work is taken without permission, it's not just about one piece of art. It's about respecting the time, effort, and creativity behind it."
Unable to shoulder the cost of a lengthy court battle on his own, Saflor said supporters helped launch $Balloon, a community-backed cryptocurrency token whose trading fees are intended to help fund his legal expenses.
An alumnus of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Saflor said he hopes the case encourages other Filipino creators to continue making art despite the risks of online copying.
"Don't be afraid to create," he said. "If it ever happens, remember that your work has value. Speak up, stand up for your rights, and know that you're not alone. I hope my fight gives other artists the courage to do the same."
(✍️: John Lloyd Aleta)
🍋 ANNONCE 💚
On commence nos annonces Boy’s Love avec "Un zeste de tendresse", un one shot signé Chigaya Ichigaya et qui met en scène le quotidien d’un couple d’hommes retraités.
RÉSUMÉ 👇
Hindi dapat maging normal ang pambubully sa loob ng paaralan.
Kaya naghain tayo ng Expanded Anti-Bullying Act (House Bill No. 10038). Sa panukalang ito:
✅ Isasama sa coverage ang colleges, universities, at technical-vocational schools
✅ Palalawakin ang depinisyon ng bullying, kabilang ang panghihiya, pagbubukod, at diskriminasyon
✅ Magtatatag ng Student Support Teams sa mga paaralan
✅ Magkakaroon ng mas malinaw at ligtas na complaint process
✅ Palalakasin ang mental health support at training ng school personnel
✅ Saklaw ang pambu-bully na ginagawa ng school employees, teaching man o non-teaching personnel
✅ May pananagutan ang mga school officials na hindi susunod sa batas
Ilan sa mga repormang ito ay nakapaloob na sa DepEd Order No. 006, s. 2026 at sa revised Implementing Rules and Regulations ng Anti-Bullying Act. Sa pamamagitan ng ating panukala, magiging permanente ito sa batas.
Ang paaralan ay dapat lugar ng pagkatuto, hindi ng takot. Ipaglaban natin ang mas ligtas na espasyo para sa ating mga anak!
When Christopher Nolan initially approached Sir Michael Caine to play Alfred Pennyworth in Batman Begins (2005), Caine was actually highly skeptical. He joked to Nolan that he was far too old to play Batman and asked,
“Do you want me to play the butler? What would my dialogues be? ‘Would you like another beverage or more custard?’”
To avoid playing a cliché, passive servant, Caine invented an incredibly thorough and specific military backstory for Alfred:
Caine decided that Alfred was not a traditionally trained butler who went to service school. Instead, he imagined him as a former Special Air Service (SAS) soldier who had been severely wounded in battle and could no longer fight on the front lines.
Because this tough sergeant didn't want to return to civilian life, he took over managing the Sergeants' Mess. Caine explained,
“So what that is is you have this very tough ex-S.A.S. guy who knows all about drinks and service and getting sandwiches and coffee, because he had to learn it for the sergeants mess.”
In Caine’s backstory, Thomas Wayne visited the SAS headquarters in Herefordshire to see an officer friend. While in the mess, he met this fiercely disciplined, highly capable sergeant and hired him right there to be his personal keeper and protector.
When Caine pitched this entire character outline to Christopher Nolan on set, the director absolutely loved it. Nolan looked at him and said, “Oh, I should have written it.”
This exact backstory Michael Caine invented was so popular and rich that DC Comics later leaned heavily into Alfred's active military history, and it eventually became the primary foundation for the standalone prequel TV series Pennyworth on Epix.
Léa Seydoux revealed she felt “like a pr0stitute” while filming Blue Is the Warmest Colour (2013).
“One Se× scene took 10 days. We had to lie on the bed..with each other, cold and n@k3d, hour after hour.”
Seydoux burst into tears after director Kechiche publicly shamed her for speaking out about the movie's toxic working conditions.
“How indecent to talk about pain when doing one of the best jobs in the world,” said the director.
Seydoux also said, "Every scene had taken forever... he insisted on take after take until we felt like we were cracking up."
"It was horrible. I would never work with him again."
Léa Seydoux later reframed her emotional breakdown to de-escalate the explosive public feud with director Abdellatif Kechiche, who dramatically claimed he no longer wanted Blue Is the Warmest Colour to be released because the controversy had "sullied" it.
Seydoux clarified that her tears were not meant to sabotage the director or label him a monster, stating:
"I have given a year of my life to this film... I have not criticized the director. I'm just complaining about the technique."
A Chinese restaurant in the Bay Area is fining parents for their out-of-control kids.
The owner of Chez Xue says he has had enough of poorly behaved children in his restaurant, so he is now fining parents.
You You Xue says one customer changed a dirty diaper next to another customer who was dining.
"We are not a playground. Please ensure children REMAIN SEATED at all times and respectful of fellow guests and the dining environment," the restaurant's policy says.
"Running around, shouting, making noise with utensils, etc. WILL NOT BE TOLERATED!"
One parent was charged $327 after their child smashed a credit card machine.
Another parent was charged $109 after their kid carved designs into a table with a utensil.
One more parent was charged $5 after a child smashed a teacup.
"I honestly put this notice on my menu because I didn't want to put my employees in the position of parenting other people's children. It should not be their job," the owner said.
This guy is awesome.
For Apocalypto, Mel Gibson cast primarily Indigenous people from Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, many of whom had little or no previous acting experience. To add to the film’s authenticity, the entire movie was performed in the Yucatec Maya language.
according to psychology people who often talk to themselves build fake scenarios and have full conversations in their heads often assume it’s normal. but in reality, it’s a form of self regulation, away to process emotions when there’s no one who truly understands them. 1/5