If you currently (or plan to) sell fan art at a show, online, or as one-of-a-kind original commissions, you must watch this video. Josh Wattles is the advisor in chief to DeviantART and is a funny lawyer (imagine that) who describes the nature of fandom candidly-both its benefits to the copyright holder and the problems. This video is a real world, straight-shootin’ explanation of copyright law given at San Diego Comic Con earlier this year. No? You have almost no rights to create such works not for a profit, either.No? You have no legal right to profit from work featuring characters without permission from copyright holder.I was scolded for having a (not for sale) image of Harley Quinn on my commission sign as an example!įan art and copyright infringement might seem complicated, but really it isn’t: One show I exhibited at had such a strict “No Fan Art” policy that convention staff members actually policed the alley throughout the show. you can only bring 10 copies of any print featuring copyrighted characters.) only 30% of your prints can feature copyrighted characters) or, they’ve limited the amount of an item featuring fan art that you can sell (i.e. Some Anime Shows have begun limiting the amount of fan art you can bring: either only a certain percentage of the kinds of items you sell can be fan art (i.e. If I’m not making a profit from my fan art, it is legal to draw someone else’s characters. If I only sell fan art at conventions, and not online or in stores, it is okay.Since everyone does it, copyright holders must not care.One-of-a-kind, original drawings and paintings are legal.Perhaps you’ve heard some of the following myths: There is a lot of myth that clouds the truth of fan art in regards to what you can and cannot be sued for. When it comes to fan art: What is legal, and what is not? Surely Marvel owns the right to Captain America, we think, even if that sweet girl sitting at the booth was the one to knit the mittens.īut the question is: Does Marvel really care? And by “fan art” I mean merchandise featuring characters the artist does not own: prints, buttons, tee shirts, key chains, hats, tote bags-I even saw Captain American mittens at the last show I attended.Īnd if you count the amount of artists who offer one-of-a-kind, original commission sketches of copyrighted characters, the percentage shoots way higher. If you’ve ever been to an Artist’s Alley at a comic convention, the thought, Can this be legal? has surely jumped into your head.Įasily half the artists exhibiting at any mainstream Comic Con or Anime Show make and sell fan art.
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