2008 Woodie Awards
Internet regulations should be beefed up to protect artists
By: Rachel Lebo
Issue date: 4/26/07 Section: Opinion/Editorial
- Page 1 of 2 next >
The Internet is a dangerous place. Young children can fall victim to sexual predators, virus-laden e-mails can cripple a computer - or an entire network - and artists who publish their work online can have the fruits of their labor stolen and claimed by someone else.
For artists, the Internet can be a tricky place to maneuver - especially when art, whatever it may be, is taken. Copyright issues are confusing. Generally, once an idea has been put into physical form in a fixed medium, like sheet music, written down or drawn, the original artist is entitled to control exclusively the idea he or she has created. Copyrights don't always have to be officially registered, but some of them should be.
An instance in which an official copyright would have been helpful was when web comic artist David "Schmorky" Kelly was informed one of his drawings was used in a painting by post-pop artist Todd Goldman, owner of the David & Goliath clothing company.
Goldman didn't just use Kelly's idea for the painting; he used the exact character and frame in which a small squirrel was praying "Dear God, Make Everyone Die."
There are only minor differences in Kelly's original work and Goldman's modified version. For his painting, Goldman added the word "please" and a light bulb, removed a bow from the squirrel's head and colored the picture. Compared side by side, the two pictures are almost identical.
The fiasco which emerged from Kelly's discovery of the unauthorized use of his art wasn't worldwide news, but Goldman's public relations agent issued a formal statement. Goldman also gave Kelly an official apology, and a news article published in the Las Vegas Sun talked about the online attack on Goldman that ensued.
The online attack the news article refers to was and still is big news. Bloggers, online artists, web comic artists and amateur artists are crying out in a ridiculous over-the-top way. Some are telling Kelly to sue Goldman for every penny he is worth and others are berating Goldman more seriously than Kelly is. They need to put away their keyboards and step away from their computers for just one minute to think about what happened.
For artists, the Internet can be a tricky place to maneuver - especially when art, whatever it may be, is taken. Copyright issues are confusing. Generally, once an idea has been put into physical form in a fixed medium, like sheet music, written down or drawn, the original artist is entitled to control exclusively the idea he or she has created. Copyrights don't always have to be officially registered, but some of them should be.
An instance in which an official copyright would have been helpful was when web comic artist David "Schmorky" Kelly was informed one of his drawings was used in a painting by post-pop artist Todd Goldman, owner of the David & Goliath clothing company.
Goldman didn't just use Kelly's idea for the painting; he used the exact character and frame in which a small squirrel was praying "Dear God, Make Everyone Die."
There are only minor differences in Kelly's original work and Goldman's modified version. For his painting, Goldman added the word "please" and a light bulb, removed a bow from the squirrel's head and colored the picture. Compared side by side, the two pictures are almost identical.
The fiasco which emerged from Kelly's discovery of the unauthorized use of his art wasn't worldwide news, but Goldman's public relations agent issued a formal statement. Goldman also gave Kelly an official apology, and a news article published in the Las Vegas Sun talked about the online attack on Goldman that ensued.
The online attack the news article refers to was and still is big news. Bloggers, online artists, web comic artists and amateur artists are crying out in a ridiculous over-the-top way. Some are telling Kelly to sue Goldman for every penny he is worth and others are berating Goldman more seriously than Kelly is. They need to put away their keyboards and step away from their computers for just one minute to think about what happened.
Be the first to comment on this story