This journal entry is to inform some individuals in regards to a certain part of the copyright laws that I've noticed some people are unaware of and that is the fan character or fan-fiction. Often times we see writers and artists create characters or stories based around the world of a favorite series, which is fine. Though I've noticed some lay claim to said fandom(i.e. claiming copyright to there contribution to the pre-existing story), which is where the information is needed. In most if not all series regardless of genre or medium the intellectual property not only covers the creations of the writer of said world, but also fan characters and fan-fiction set there in. I'm pointing this out so as to prevent the possible hardships a Doujinka may face since they could in the end have their work legally "stolen" by the copyright holder(true unlikely, but possible). I do feel this is important information and should be passed on to as many as possible, so please post this in your journals.

P.S. I am aware that most artists and writers will not steal from their fans, but it has happened in the past and let's face it history repeats itself.

Sorry for not getting back with people on this on Friday, but we're two short of the desired volunteers and I thought I would give it a couple more days. Anyhow I figure I'll get the password info out sometime tonight to those who are interested in council positions. Along with the account info I'll start working on a schedule on checking the account, so for the one's who are interested please send the additional info of which days are best for you to check the account(thus why I'd like at least seven council members so each can just take one day of the week to check the account so as to keep the individual burden low).

Members:

Sorry to everyone for the short absence. Things have been somewhat hectic for me the past few weeks. That is why I'm going to set up the council a little earlier than I initially planned. For any current members who wish to be apart of the council and assist in updating the page as well as the other matters we are trying to help correct on dA please send a note to this account. I already choose three of the fifteen and those positions still stand for those three members if they still want/can help.

There are other issues that will be brought up later this week and we should hopefully have at least half of the council decided by Friday.

Members:

As we are all aware the art thieves on dA don't just steal from dArtists, but from individuals personal galleries as well.

The first and foremost thing to do if you find someone who may have done this, remember don't accuse the poster after all it can in some cases be the artist themselves. Instead look at the gallery and ask questions in order to verify who they are. For example one possible violator that was recently brought to our attention, had an art piece with Japanese, but has no translation on the post. In this case they were asked what the Kanji says. Your average art thief isn't likely to transfer all of the data to their post here, so this can work to our advantage to some extent.

Members:

Copied and pasted from 's journal after Daisumaru sent it to me and I felt this was another of those Artist matters we should try to correct.


If you haven't read through this yet, then you should.

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Every day, there are more and more Craigs List posts seeking “artists” for everything from auto graphics to comic books to corporate logo designs. More people are finding themselves in need of some form of illustrative service.

But what they’re NOT doing, unfortunately, is realizing how rare someone with these particular talents can be.

To those who are “seeking artists”, let me ask you; How many people do you know, personally, with the talent and skill to perform the services you need? A dozen? Five? One? …none?

More than likely, you don’t know any. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be posting on craigslist to find them.

And this is not really a surprise.

In this country, there are almost twice as many neurosurgeons as there are professional illustrators. There are eleven times as many certified mechanics. There are SEVENTY times as many people in the IT field.

So, given that they are less rare, and therefore less in demand, would it make sense to ask your mechanic to work on your car for free? Would you look him in the eye, with a straight face, and tell him that his compensation would be the ability to have his work shown to others as you drive down the street?

Would you offer a neurosurgeon the “opportunity” to add your name to his resume as payment for removing that pesky tumor? (Maybe you could offer him “a few bucks” for “materials”. What a deal!)

Would you be able to seriously even CONSIDER offering your web hosting service the chance to have people see their work, by viewing your website, as their payment for hosting you?

If you answered “yes” to ANY of the above, you’re obviously insane. If you answered “no”, then kudos to you for living in the real world.

But then tell me… why would you think it is okay to live out the same, delusional, ridiculous fantasy when seeking someone whose abilities are even less in supply than these folks?

Graphic artists, illustrators, painters, etc., are skilled tradesmen. As such, to consider them as, or deal with them as, anything less than professionals fully deserving of your respect is both insulting and a bad reflection on you as a sane, reasonable person. In short, it makes you look like a twit.

A few things you need to know;

1. It is not a “great opportunity” for an artist to have his work seen on your car/’zine/website/bedroom wall, etc. It IS a “great opportunity” for YOU to have their work there.

2. It is not clever to seek a “student” or “beginner” in an attempt to get work for free. It’s ignorant and insulting. They may be “students”, but that does not mean they don’t deserve to be paid for their hard work. You were a “student” once, too. Would you have taken that job at McDonalds with no pay, because you were learning essential job skills for the real world? Yes, your proposition it JUST as stupid.

3. The chance to have their name on something that is going to be seen by other people, whether it’s one or one million, is NOT a valid enticement. Neither is the right to add that work to their “portfolio”. They get to do those things ANYWAY, after being paid as they should. It’s not compensation. It’s their right, and it’s a given.

4. Stop thinking that you’re giving them some great chance to work. Once they skip over your silly ad, as they should, the next ad is usually for someone who lives in the real world, and as such, will pay them. There are far more jobs needing these skills than there are people who possess these skills.

5. Students DO need “experience”. But they do NOT need to get it by giving their work away. In fact, this does not even offer them the experience they need. Anyone who will not/can not pay them is obviously the type of person or business they should be ashamed to have on their resume anyway. Do you think professional contractors list the “experience” they got while nailing down a loose step at their grandmother’s house when they were seventeen?

If you your company or gig was worth listing as desired experience, it would be able to pay for the services it received. The only experience they will get doing free work for you is a lesson learned in what kinds of scrubs they should not lower themselves to deal with.

6. (This one is FOR the artists out there, please pay attention.) Some will ask you to “submit work for consideration”. They may even be posing as some sort of “contest”. These are almost always scams. They will take the work submitted by many artists seeking to win the “contest”, or be “chosen” for the gig, and find what they like most. They will then usually have someone who works for them, or someone who works incredibly cheap because they have no originality or talent of their own, reproduce that same work, or even just make slight modifications to it, and claim it as their own. You will NOT be paid, you will NOT win the contest. The only people who win, here, are the underhanded folks who run these ads. This is speculative, or “spec”, work. It’s risky at best, and a complete scam at worst. I urge you to avoid it, completely. For more information on this subject, please visit [link].

So to artists/designers/illustrators looking for work, do everyone a favor, ESPECIALLY yourselves, and avoid people who do not intend to pay you. Whether they are “spec” gigs, or just some guy who wants a free mural on his living room walls. They need you. You do NOT need them. Say NO to free art.

And for those who are looking for someone to do work for free…please wake up and join the real world. The only thing you’re accomplishing is to insult those with the skills you need. Get a clue.

If you agree with the above important information, please pass it along. The more people know, the faster we can correct