Internet Copyright laws are identical to any other copyright law. It only depends on the copyright law of the country you reside in. It has nothing to do with weather it’s in a magazine, in a comic book, on your web page, or airbrushed on a t-shirt. If you took a screenshot of my daughter, standing in front of my photograph on a wall, and used that to make money…I could sue you. UNLESS the copyright laws in your country of residence do not provide me any protection. Then it’s my fault for posting it on the net. Disney is merciless in their pursuit of copyright infringement.
One of the reasons that pretty much the only image you see from the movie Heavy Metal is the cover design on the video, is because Ralph Bakshi studios and others bought the rights from the artists. You can sell your work and reserve the rights…hence the term “All rightrs reserved”. Generally speaking, selling the rights to your art garners a significant raise in the fee you can charge.
“Royalty free” photographs are those in which the company providing the pics or cd’s full of pics have relinquished all of their rights on the use and monetary copmpensation gained by the use of those pics. Kodak currently produces about 300 royalty free disks each containing between 2 and 3 thousand images by Kodak photographers. Fuji, Broderbund, even the Smithsonian Institute and National Geographic have royalty free discs you can buy. (which kind of doesn’t sound right…paying for royalty free, but hey $9.95 for 2,200 photos is a good price)
There is nothing “titchy” about U.S. copyright laws. They are plainly written and you will notice that your html software i.e. Front Page, Page Mill, Hot Dog…etc all talk of “publishing” to the web. Copyright laws are pursuant to the country and not always the medium. Most issues CAN be sued over, er um if you have the time and money to appear say in a court in another country.
Also last but not least you must apply for a copyright in order to have one. Just putting a “c” with a circle on it provides no protection. Most publishers that use work can copyright for you even if you reserve the rights.
You can fool ALL of the computers some of the time…
[[[Disney is merciless in their pursuit of copyright infringement.]]]
This is emphatically not true when the user in question is using it for not-for-profit purposes. Try to make money off the Mouse, however, and yes, they will take you to the mat.
[[[There is nothing “titchy” about U.S. copyright laws.]]]
There are still a number of questions regarding their applicability to the Internet, as the folks at OLGA and the Lyrics Server can tell you.
[[[Also last but not least you must apply for a copyright in order to have one.]]]
This is absolutely, unequivocally false. All application does is afford you copyright *protection."
[[[Just putting a “c” with a circle on it provides no protection.]]]
No, but notarizing it and mailing it to yourself, then shoving it in a safe-deposit box does.
** Phil D. **
“There isn’t time to tell you all that you need to know.” – Jon Auer
Quote “Copyright laws are pursuant to the country”, because the Internet is NOT persuant to a country. Since I, and maybe you, reside in the United States…we are held by U.S. copyright laws. Anyone reading this in Japan or Canada, or Mexico are held to ther copyright laws of those countries respectively.
By the by. A non-profit organization may put in a written request to use a given Disney Character for a non-profit organization. Any use not authorized in this manner is open to litigation non-profit or not.
[[[Well DUH…why would you copyright if you didn’t want protection?]]]
Id din’t say anyone would; simply pointing out that, as a matter of law, a creative work is copyrighted from the moment you create it. Sending in a form to the Feds merely registers the already existing copyright, making it a matter of record. Trust me, I have used the little “‘c’ in a circle” and " ‘p’ in a circle" on many pieces of music without registering my copyrights with the government, simply because I don’t feel I’ll ever be in a position where I’ll be in any danger of infringement. I have, however, registered them with BMI for performing rights clearance should that ever become a possibility.
[[[
[Quote “Copyright laws are pursuant to the country”, because the Internet is NOT persuant to a country.]
]]
Errr…ask China about that.
[[[Since I, and maybe you, reside in the United States…we are held by U.S. copyright laws.]]]
We’re also governed by some intenational conventions and agreements to which the U.S. is a signatory.
[[[By the by. A non-profit organization may put in a written request to use a given Disney Character for a non-profit organization. Any use not authorized in this manner is open to litigation non-profit or not.]]]
They tend not to, however, as it makes them look mean and vindictive, which is not an image Disney wants to perpetuate.
** Phil D. **
“There isn’t time to tell you all that you need to know.” – Jon Auer
True, Disney tucked it’s mouse tail betwixt it’s legs and bowed to Mr. Tattoo and agreed to pay his legal fees and an undisclosed amount.
On the very few worldwide policies of which we are co-signers we conform to some other rules and regulations and the other co-signers conform to some of ours. But the general rule of thumb is that most people in most other countries remain untouchable lest we spend zillions to save our work, which…well mine included…is not likely to make enough monetary compensation in another country to garner spending that much money.
My Tattoo designs and Photoshop work, Jon’s Drawings, Karens Gargoyles, and everybody elses stuff is not likely to make some guy, in lets say Istanbul, a ton of money. Fortunately to the commercial artists in the crowd, the people that we sell our work to and release rights to…are on their own anyway to fight copyright infringement. (A good benefit culled from giving up the rights).
“Copyright arises automatically as soon as some aspect of a protectable work has been fixed in a tangible medium (such as an internet server). Notice is not required; registration is required only if legal action is warranted and the work originates in the U.S. (Apologies to those abroad, but this is hereafter presumed.)”
and…
"Web artists have asked if it is OK to base a graphic on another’s work. The safe answer is “No!” The real question is not whether one is liable but whether one is likely to be sued. Those who use a relatively small amount of another’s work – if it is not copied in detail or is altered to the point that it cannot be recognized – are not apt to be. Yet, this is a litigious society, and it is much smarter to work from scratch (or, for example, to use clip art sold for that purpose)! Even things posted on web sites as being in the public domain may not be. Commercial products, in contrast, should be accompanied by a warranty.
In no event, echoing what has already been cautioned, should anyone use another’s text or graphics for commercial purposes without express permission! Any use that generates income directly or interferes with a copyright holder’s potential income dramatically increases the chance of suit. Such use is also more apt to be regarded as willful – again, increasing potential statutory damages from $200 to as much as $100,000!"
Another quaint little item, since copyright language on the internet is SO clear is:
Wow, so let me get this straight… you’re an arrogant bastart, totally clueless, untalented as an artist, but you’re stupid as well? Why am I not surprised?
When I said the torso sucked, I wasn’t talking about the shape of the model. I was talking about the skill of the drawing, which was about the same as what I was doing in 4th grade.
As for your comments about my weight… heh. I don’t care what you think. I had a kid, and at the moment I’m heavy, but so? I spent years with a 34-22-36 105lb figure as a topless dancer, and I made BANK off my body. So basically, I don’t care if you think I need to get in shape now. I agree, actually. You aren’t going to hurt my feelings. I am not a “fat person” but rather a “thin person who is temporarily fat” and I know what I’ll look like when I am back in shape.
Sadly, I doubt that losing or gaining weight would do much for you. You can’t correct for genetic ugliness.
adding text to stock photos is not the same as being an artist [and as others have said, having permission to use an image is not the same has having permission to alter it, especially not to alter and then SELL it)
Dude. Learn to use thumbnails. Your site isn’t good enough to justify the 5 minute load time. [speaking of thumbnails, I need to find the large versions of my art… it’s on a disk somewhere. The links are dead.]
Ok, so let me get this straight not only are you less then desirable in looks (In fact I saw an episode of cops where they made a female officer up as a hooker by messing her hair, browning her teeth and smearing her lipstick that looked superior…) judging from that ghastly grimacing look at a rather fish like face portrait…(not torso…God knows we wouldn’t want to see that!)
Oh I see…So you were a stripper that once she got a man self admittedly let her body go to shit…LOL what a loser! “thin person who is temporarily fat”…heheheheh…I think you mean you know what you’ll look like IF you back into shape.(And that would certainly be open for debate) Besides losing weight would simply remove some of that fat from your jowls…but alas wont help the pathetic bone structure underneath…I’m sorry…I think even Photoshop can’t help you there.
5 Minutes of load time…hmmmm you should get off whatever hokey internet server your with and pick up some speed. If it’s AOL then that tells the story right there. If it’s a local provider you may want to make sure they have a 56k v.90 line. Then make sure that you have actually enabled v.90 with an init string. Additionally you may want to raise your fifo buffers in the port settings section of your modem in control panel…Oh yeah…you may also want to check to see if you have parity between the maximum speed settings in your dialer modem settings and your modem control panel settings. The default setting in both is 115200…a 56k modems correct setting in both is 57600.
By the by, as an obviously untrained artist, or one who simply knows nothing of the tools of digital art, I suppose you can be forgiven as to your ignorance. You say simply adding text to a photo is unartistic. Obviously multi-scripted additions of various filters to simple black text to make the text see-through or appear as an oil slick, or as ice…or any number of other things is of course…simply adding text. I think that most guys that do movie poster images, and Madison Avenue ad campaigns might take some offense that text is not art…of course…er…um…look at the source.
I think that your carbon on scratch paper “poirtraits” were fine…at whatever age you rendered them. Most kids don’t do that well at that age.
[[5 Minutes of load time…hmmmm you should get off whatever hokey internet server your with and pick up some speed. If it’s AOL then that tells the story right there. If it’s a local provider you may want to make sure they have a 56k v.90 line. ]] Dickhead, to Opal
Now THIS is funny.
What, exactly, is the procedure for moving a thread to the BBQ Pit?
No, I was not a stripper “then I got a man”. I was married already (8 years this summer!). Way to jump to conclusions, idiot.
oooohhhh… adding filters. Duh. Anyone can do that. It isn’t art.
yeah, most of the pencil drawings on my art page were done in high school. Basically, most of my more recent and better stuff is too big for my old hand held scanner. What is on that page is the stuff I could put on a photocopier and reduce to under 4 inches wide so I could scan it. I now have a flatbed scanner, so I should be able to rescan the originals of that stuff, and hopefully scan in some of the smaller color stuff. I have a digital camera which I am going to use to photograph the larger pieces.
I don’t think you are in a position to call anyone unattractive. Really. As for my bone structure, I’m fine. Oh, here is my torso.
No, I’m not on AOL. Trust me, I probably know more about setting up a good modem connection than you do, and if I don’t my husband does. I have an x2 v90 modem, I have the proper modem string, I am connecting to a v90 number for my ISP. I typically connect around 46-49, never 56, but we’re getting a cable modem at the end of April so I’m not worried about it.
Lastly, I am not an “untrained” artist. I have a college art education, and a 4.0 gpa for 3 years of college. The samples I’ve compared to your work, which were far better than your work, represent my oldest and smallest drawings by neccessity of the moment. You don’t want me to compare my newer things against yours, it would make you look too bad.
I am jumping in a little bit late here, but I have to agree with a very small part of The Artist’s post.
I have always respected and accepted a persons right to look anyway they choose. You should see the way my kids dress and do their hair, makeup, piercing, etc. Hell, you should see ME when I wear my Army fatigue pants, a hot pink tank top, ponytail, and no makeup or when I put on my favorite, torn up baggy shorts, especially when I don’t shave my legs for 3 days - NOT PRETTY! In fact, it is rather gruesome.
However, even though I can look away (and usually do) and no matter how strongly I feel that a person can look how they want, I am ashamed to admit that I do think a few unkind thoughts when I see someone like Artist described.
Who can honestly say that they feel absolutely nothing when they see a big, hairy, white plumbers crack or the tall, geeky looking person with highwater pants and socks that don’t match or the woman who thinks she is a babe with lipstick on her teeth, camel-lip jeans and has a dirty bra strap hanging out her sleeve, or the pink haired teenager with the pierced nose and dresses like Marilyn Manson, and yes, even the overweight woman stuffed into spandex that is too sizes too small.
Those thoughts are unfair and mean, but I bet that most of us have them when we first see a person who looks less than what we may think is normal.
No there was your torso…without a face I might add…
And I’m sorry for being a jerk, I didn’t start out by refering to anyone as an Eddie Munster…or lessee…Opal quote “as a face, it sucks. As a torso it sucks. I’ve seen abysmal crap get published before. It doesn’t make the picture suck any less.” or yet another…“you’re an arrogant bastart, totally clueless, untalented as an artist, but you’re stupid as well?” LOL…but I’m the dick?..
Anyway you don’t know much if you went with an x2 modem to start with …less and less providers are even offer x2 connections…thus US Robotics jumping on the v.90 bandwagon because of the approximately 130 to 1 x2 lines vs 56 Flex lines. This coming fall they will give up the x2 completely. Cable’s good as long as you don’t mind going with witchever isp your caqble company has a deal with. You wont be able to choose your isp, just like you aren’t able to choose your cable co. You might want to look at ADSL…that way you get similar downloads and can still choose your isp.
Thanks Diane… I still defend anyones right to do what they want…and when they want. At the same time I also defend the rights of others to comment as they choose. I have decided to try my best to only flame at those that choose to flame on me first. Please accept my apologies as I apologized to Jon…
=)
You can fool ALL of the computers some of the time…
Obviously from her pics, Opal is just as pretty as she was when she was thinner.
Although I think your drawings are nice and I shamefully admit that I do THINK rude things when I see an overweight person in spandex, I think you are hitting below the belt when you resort to cheap shots to a persons appearance, especially when they are unfounded.
