After hearing about this on FOX News I later found the story on Denvers CBS4 TV News website.

Professor Ward Churchill appears to have broken copyright laws by making mirror images of other artists work and selling them as his own. One is a copyrighted drawing, and the other is an autographed print by Churchill.


This original was by the late artist Thomas E. Mails, and was published in a 1972 book called The Mystic Warriors of the Plains.


This artwork titled "Winter Attack," was "drawn" by University of Colorado professor Ward Churchill. He made and sold about 150 copies for around $100 each. One was sold to Boulder County resident Duke Prentup, who as he flipped through a 1972 book called The Mystic Warriors of the Plains written and illustrated by Thomas E. Mails. He found the original sketch above that is strikingly similar to the Churchill piece.

The following is the transcript from the exchange between CBS4 News reporter Raj Chohan and Churchill on Thursday in the hallway outside Churchhill's office.

"Get that camera out of my face," Churchill said.

"This is an artwork we've got called 'Winter Attack.' It looks like it was based on a Thomas Mails painting; it looks like you ripped it off. Can you tell us about that?" Chohan asked.

That prompted Churchill to take a swing at Chohan while he held a stack of papers in his hand.

The exchange continued:

Chohan: "Sir, that's assault, you can't do that. Can I ask you about this? It looks like you copied it."

Churchill: "I was just grabbed by the arm. And that (camera) gets out of my face."

Chohan: "Sir, we're allowed to take these pictures, this is a public space."

Churchill: "You're not allowed to grab be by the arm."

Chohan: "He didn't touch you sir, we've got it all on tape. Sir, this is called Winter Attack. It's a serigraph by you. It looks like it was copied from Thomas Mails artwork. Can we talk to you about that please?"

Michelle Malkin has more with other pictures that may have been copied by Ward Churchill as well.