Illustrator Ohn Mar Win sues a Schedule A online store over a registered Gone Fishing illustration

The complaint

Ohn Mar Win v. The Partnerships and Unincorporated Associations Identified on Schedule A, No. 1:26-cv-13728 (N.D. Ill., Eastern Division), was filed November 5, 2026. The complaint is Document 1 and runs 8 pages. The plaintiff is Ohn Mar Win, who describes herself as an illustrator and designer creating digital illustrations, patterns, and expressive watercolor and mixed-media artwork. The defendants are the partnerships and unincorporated associations identified on Schedule A. An Amended Schedule A filed November 5, 2026, as Document 11, lists one defendant by store name. The case was assigned to Judge Joan B. Gottschall, with Magistrate Judge Daniel P. McLaughlin designated. The complaint pleads jurisdiction under the Copyright Act, 17 U.S.C. § 101 et seq., 28 U.S.C. § 1338(a)-(b), and 28 U.S.C. § 1331, venue under 28 U.S.C. § 1391, and personal jurisdiction based on alleged targeting of Illinois and, additionally, under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 4(k)(2).

The work

The complaint asserts U.S. Copyright Registration No. VA 2-485-558 for the creative content of her illustration (the "Ohn Mar Win Work"), attaches the registration certificate as Exhibit 1, and alleges, upon information and belief, that the copyright has an effective date that predates the defendants' accused acts. The registration certificate, attached to the clerk's AO 121 copyright report (Document 12), and the Copyright Office public record for Registration No. VA 2-485-558 show a 2-D artwork titled Gone Fishing, completed in 2014 and first published June 30, 2014, in the United States, with Ohn Mar Win as author and copyright claimant. The certificate lists an effective date of registration of January 22, 2026, and a registration decision date of February 24, 2026.

What the complaint alleges

The complaint alleges that the defendants created Defendant Internet Stores designed to appear to sell authorized products associated with the work, and that they sold and continue to sell unauthorized products based on and derived from the illustration through online marketplace listings. It alleges the stores offer shipping to the United States, including Illinois, accept payment in U.S. dollars, and, on information and belief, have sold products bearing infringing versions to Illinois residents. It alleges the stores share unique identifiers suggesting the same transaction or series of occurrences, and that the defendants conceal their identities.

The count and relief

Count I is copyright infringement. The complaint alleges each defendant, without permission, violated the exclusive rights of reproduction, distribution, and public display under 17 U.S.C. §§ 106(1), (2), (3), and (5), and that Win is entitled to relief under 17 U.S.C. § 504, attorneys' fees and costs under 17 U.S.C. § 505, and, under 17 U.S.C. §§ 502 and 503, an injunction and an order that each defendant destroy all unauthorized copies. The prayer seeks temporary, preliminary, and permanent injunctive relief; a judgment that the defendants willfully infringed under 17 U.S.C. § 501 and otherwise injured her business reputation and business; actual or statutory damages under 17 U.S.C. § 504, at her election; reasonable attorneys' fees and costs; and other relief.