i mean that they can't do anything about the research because they are images on the internet. you really can't remove these images from the internet, they spread faster than rihanna's superbowl image. in that respect, they quite literally can't do anything about it
even if they wanted to get legal about it, the artists could still come back under anonymous names and continue to draw. they take down one artist, another one will pop up. i've personally never heard of an artist getting sued or forced to stop drawing owned-content based fan works. some don't even live in areas where these laws apply, websites too. i don't think it works.
it's much different when compared to content hosted on YouTube, or hosted by individuals in the states. they are in the jurisdiction, and can be contacted and forced to drop their content.
by that logic anyone who draws research can end up fighting for the trademark one day
they could, but none of them are rich enough to afford the legal battle, haha
or have an actual stance that could gain them an advantage in court
