Respecting artists rights
Sorry to get all wordy this week folks, but I just saw this, and it made my blood boil a bit. You can follow the link to read the letter on his DA page and show some love, but the short version goes like this.
devduck01 is leaving DA. Artist devduck01 during a forum conversation, was informed by a follower that once he posted something to the web, like an Original Character (OC), he did not own then anymore... And that he should be FLATTERED that someone else would want to use said character in their art...
Yeah, a couple things with that...(iām reposting my reply here)
āI too just recently discovered your work, but you have my immediate support. People like that either lack the capacity to grasp or give no credence to the concept of intellectual property (probably because they have never had an original thought in their lives). Obviously, for those with any functioning brain cells (or those like me who just barely function) not only do you own anything you actually create and bother to sign your name to, but DA has rules about it, and so does the government of most any place you may live. Now, of course, there is such a thing as parody and satire... but given the conversation at hand, I doubt this individual truly grasps either... The internet has made it so easy for people to (harmlessly, in most cases) parody or copy the work of artists using corporate owned properties, that people forget that when you steal from the little guy, you're stealing from someone who can't afford the loss... No one can question that Disney own's Mickey Mouse, so no one really takes it to seriously when they see fanart of Mickey and Donald DPing Minnie in a truck stop bathroom (some things can never be unseen...). But take an individual artist's Original Character out of context and use them in a way the creator would not approve of, and people may think the original artist gave their blessing... That's not fare, that not right, and what can you do about it? To some up, as an artist with quite a lot of OC's that I plan to feature in comics/art work to someday make a living on (I hope), you are NOT taking this or yourself too seriously in this respect. And this individual (maybe I've been a bit harsh) at very least violated the common courtesy we artist types show each other by not ripping each other off/pissing each other off by disrespecting each others Intellectual Property! I truly hope you persevere over this situation and continue to provide your adoring fans with the art they love (from the artist it SHOULD be coming from), but what ever venue you display your work, you have my respect and I wish you the best! ā
