Jump to content

Original Artwork


Cornerstone4

Recommended Posts

This subject came up in another thread...but was starting to derail the original topic, so I wanted to make it a thread of its' own.

 

What does the term "Original Artwork" mean? Both to you personally, and legally as well.

 

I've seen the subject come up, and I've seen arguments on both sides. I know there are a few coin designs that have been challenged in the past by potential legal action, and I thought this may be a good topic to discuss...not only to help others thinking about coins, but to see what you expect when someone sells you an "original."

 

I know certain areas of this subject are highly charged...so let's try to keep this discussion civil.

Link to comment

I've not much experience with geocoins, but have a friend who recently was sued for using someone else's artwork.

 

I would think an original work would be something created entirely by hand and without using someone else's artwork. That doesn't mean that someone else's artwork couldn't influence your creativity.

Link to comment

Depends on what you are asked to design - some work is more 'original' than others so-to-speak. Some designs are requested to be 'inspired by' or of a certain style, while others are entirely original, and from your own initial artwork.

 

Basically - if you take something, rework it, and redraw it, its your own art.

If you send something directly with no changes, its borderline. I've never gotten into serious originality debates, it would be easy to - there are many instances of coins reflecting/being inspired by things in life...

 

FSM's coin (The FSM), GeoJellies (Jelly Belly), Lady Luck (Vargas etc), ANY Jeep coin (Um, Daimler Chrysler), Blah blah blah - edit requested, DaVinci set (Vitruvian Man) the list can go on and on, and on, and on.... Almost impossible to name em all.

 

But... frankly, I think its a bunk question in a sense. Some coins are entirely original from square one, MANY MANY are comprised of elements found online, or inspired by. IMO, nothing wrong with it, as long as the creator puts their own spin on the topic.

 

Particularly when you design for someone else - you do what you are hired to do. Geocoins are a tough thing to judge 'original' vs well.. not. Theres alot of both out there.

Edited by CinemaBoxers
Link to comment

I've not much experience with geocoins, but have a friend who recently was sued for using someone else's artwork.

 

I would think an original work would be something created entirely by hand and without using someone else's artwork. That doesn't mean that someone else's artwork couldn't influence your creativity.

 

I agree.

 

I had posted in the other thread before I deleted my comment this observation:

 

I had read somewhere, that if you took a picture of the Mona Lisa, you could sell that photo without fear of copyright issues, since that photo would be considered your original work. The photo is your medium.

 

I'm not sure this is correct though...but I'm pretty sure that is the way I read it.

 

Everyone is influenced by the things they experience every day.

Link to comment

Yes.. basically - if you redraw a popular work of art, its your art. Its considered original if you changed it.

 

Again... fine line - large grey area.

 

I generally don't worry about what other people do.. if I dont like the coin, I wont buy it. I've seen some blatant copies - I've BOUGHT some - but, frankly - it all comes down to liking the coin.

Link to comment

 

However, maybe the sticking point is in how the design is presented in the first place...

 

 

Not really tho - I don't think it matters to most coiners. I mean, we buy what we like. If we don't like it, we don't buy it. A design is a design - many use outright clip art - many are inspired by, many are 100% original, if I like a coin, it doesn't matter to me.

 

:anitongue:

Link to comment

I'm not talking about any specific coin. But I wonder this...could you get into to legal trouble by copying someone else's work?

 

I see the point about only buying the coins you like, but when we are designing coins or selling coins, what kind of responsibility do we have to honor copyrights?

Link to comment
I'm not talking about any specific coin. But I wonder this...could you get into to legal trouble by copying someone else's work?

 

I see the point about only buying the coins you like, but when we are designing coins or selling coins, what kind of responsibility do we have to honor copyrights?

 

Basically - Unless you PRINTED the art ON a coin, it would likely be a tough battle to enforce a copyright.

Too many coins would be open for lawsuits if a wide margin was left open. (Including but not limited to some I mentioned above!)

 

A safe bet would be to consider what you are putting on a coin, and try and make changes - if its 'inspired by' - make it your own by changing things up a little. :anitongue:

Link to comment

I'm in the beginning stages of designing a coin at the moment. I wanted to include the logo of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan. However, I've learned that NATO has a copyright on that logo and is generally loathe to let people use their stuff!

 

So, rather than get my heinie sued, I thought I'd rethink the design. :anitongue:

Link to comment

This thread does not have to be about a particular coin. I have tons of questions about what I can and cannot do on a coin. And I've been doing this a few years. Imagine how a newbie might feel!

 

This is a place to ask questions and share information. Lets do that and not focus on one coin.

Link to comment

Let's be clear that this thread is NOT going to be about specific coins, artists, etc.

 

Please - let's not have anybody loose their posting rights by making this personal.

 

Talk in generals and everybody will stay happy.

 

And don't forget to go out and place/find some coins this weekend.

 

Wow.. I don't like getting my hackles up much but... guess what.. Shame on you FSM... You know damned well what this thread is about from the thread it originated from... and by letting it run you are condoning singling coins and people out. You know very well it's a personal attack on a very specific coin. If this had been an original post not spun off of another I'd have kept my mouth shut.. You do what you feel is right though.

I am sorry to disagree with your view on this. This thread is 100% on topic and a valid thread about coins. If you choose to make it about one coin, that is not something someone can help but yourself. No one here is calling anyone out, except for you with your language that I am not sure is permitted in the GC forums.

 

This thread has merit.

Link to comment

Basically - Unless you PRINTED the art ON a coin, it would likely be a tough battle to enforce a copyright.

Too many coins would be open for lawsuits if a wide margin was left open. (Including but not limited to some I mentioned above!)

 

A safe bet would be to consider what you are putting on a coin, and try and make changes - if its 'inspired by' - make it your own by changing things up a little. :anitongue:

So as an artist, where do you draw the line when desiging a coin? At what point is it OK to call it your own?

Link to comment

It would seem to me that copyrights and trademarks still need to be respected. If you draw your own rendition of the golden arches (McDonalds), then you could rightfully be sued, even if you re-drew the arches. Copyright and trademark infringement does not require an EXACT likeness. In my hometown of Portland, OR, a coffee shop got sued by "Federal Express" because the name of the shop was "Federal Expresso". Federal Express won.

 

Use your own work and there won't be any questions, right?

Link to comment

I'm not talking about any specific coin. But I wonder this...could you get into to legal trouble by copying someone else's work?

 

I see the point about only buying the coins you like, but when we are designing coins or selling coins, what kind of responsibility do we have to honor copyrights?

 

While I am by far not an expert on copyright laws, there is some good information out there on the Internet. Here is a link to a site that seems to have reputable information. http://www.arsny.com/basics.html As stated on the site they get most of their info from the US Copyright Office. (Enough of an authority for me)

 

I do know from experience that some things are copyrighted and trademarked even if you take a picture of them. For example, I cannot take a picture of my Corvette and put it on shirts and sell them, say on CafePress. (I just wanted them to make one for me, not to sell to others!) GM owns the shape of the Corvette, and even though I own that particular car, I still cannot make money from the image of it.

 

My opinion is that as long as the similarity is recognizable, it's not "original". That is my opinion though, and may not be the legal last word!

 

--- John (Mr. Anthus)

Link to comment

Let's be clear that this thread is NOT going to be about specific coins, artists, etc.

 

Please - let's not have anybody loose their posting rights by making this personal.

 

Talk in generals and everybody will stay happy.

 

And don't forget to go out and place/find some coins this weekend.

 

Wow.. I don't like getting my hackles up much but... guess what.. Shame on you FSM... You know damned well what this thread is about from the thread it originated from... and by letting it run you are condoning singling coins and people out. You know very well it's a personal attack on a very specific coin. If this had been an original post not spun off of another I'd have kept my mouth shut.. You do what you feel is right though.

 

I'll address this post for the group as I am not beyond reproach. Yes, I am aware of the thread that spun this thread off - it was my suggestion to do so. This is how general discussions occur - a specific situation occurs that spurs a larger discussion. This thread will not turn into an attack on anybody.

 

As we've stated before, Eartha and I have jobs and lives outside of these forums, so if we don't jump on things the minute they are posted, be patient. The community does a good job of reporting posts that are not in line with the guidelines and we will react to those.

 

There are plenty of people who will not know anything about where this thread came from (until it was brought up) as not everybody reads every thread and makes those connections.

 

This question comes up every so often and it's a good discussion for opinions and for "newbies" to get information from.

 

Back on topic now, thank you.

Link to comment
Basically - Unless you PRINTED the art ON a coin, it would likely be a tough battle to enforce a copyright.

Too many coins would be open for lawsuits if a wide margin was left open.

 

Basically, as someone who has to deal with contracts, copyrights and licensing in the design field, both as a designer and as an art director I would say that this is not true. And I fear that stating that will encourage others to look the other way when copying artwork.

 

Basically, what constitutes original artwork and copyright protection not so hard to enforce. The reason it doesn't happen very often is that it is virtually impossible keep up on all artwork being produced. Unless it is forwarded to someones attention it rarely gets noticed the original owner (subsequent copyright owners)

 

So basically, for anyone hiding behind the assumption that it is tough to enforce is a weak and misguided notion.

 

If someone's artwork is copied overseas, however, they basically have little chance of getting a penny.

 

Edited to add: For anyone in general who might have a question about copyright infringement. It's not ok, to automatically assume that if you alter something a little that it is now your own.

Edited by avroair
Link to comment

 

Wow.. I don't like getting my hackles up much but... guess what.. Shame on you FSM... You know damned well what this thread is about from the thread it originated from... and by letting it run you are condoning singling coins and people out. You know very well it's a personal attack on a very specific coin. If this had been an original post not spun off of another I'd have kept my mouth shut.. You do what you feel is right though.

 

Wow!

 

Sorry, gang, but I had to run visit a customer before they closed...so I've been away for a bit...

 

So, to answer your accusation 57, this thread was not spun to attack a single coin. Yes, my responses were triggered by posts regarding a single coin, but I'm NOT trying to single that coin out.

 

I've seen lot's of coins that infringe upon copyrights over the years as well...and I know a few have been hampered with legal problems. I have seen a few coins with Disney characters, and I know Disney is fierce about protecting their content.

 

We have had this discussion in years past, but it has been a long time, and there are many new players in the game. My intention was to bring this subject up, to have folks keep in mind that there are potential problems if you use copyrighted images.

 

I'd appreciate you chekcing with me first offline before you accuse me of something, or insinuate that I have an ulterior motive when in fact I don't....

 

Thank you.

Link to comment

I've designed a few coins and have a few more on the way relatively soon. I don't do it for money but have got some free coins out of the deal for using as traders and gifts. I don't consider myself an artist because I ain't one. I have made use of clipart that is either owned by me (purchased collections) or from the public domain.

 

So since I can't draw a lick do you feel that I should not be putting forth any designs? I can't afford to pay an artist for each design idea. I do have the training and skills on a number of graphics packages so I've been doing these on my own...with the help of clipart in some cases. A lot of times I will use clipart as the base and then manipulate it and use only pieces here and there. I love making fun coins hoping that others will enjoy them too. So, I'm a bit afraid to ask but am I out of line by wanting to design coins without any drawing skills?

Link to comment

I'm in the beginning stages of designing a coin at the moment. I wanted to include the logo of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan. However, I've learned that NATO has a copyright on that logo and is generally loathe to let people use their stuff!

 

So, rather than get my heinie sued, I thought I'd rethink the design. :anitongue:

 

Thank you for posting this.

 

This is the exact reason I started this thread, and was the exact subject line I was pursuing in my original posts in the other thread.

Link to comment

I've designed a few coins and have a few more on the way relatively soon. I don't do it for money but have got some free coins out of the deal for using as traders and gifts. I don't consider myself an artist because I ain't one. I have made use of clipart that is either owned by me (purchased collections) or from the public domain.

 

So since I can't draw a lick do you feel that I should not be putting forth any designs? I can't afford to pay an artist for each design idea. I do have the training and skills on a number of graphics packages so I've been doing these on my own...with the help of clipart in some cases. A lot of times I will use clipart as the base and then manipulate it and use only pieces here and there. I love making fun coins hoping that others will enjoy them too. So, I'm a bit afraid to ask but am I out of line by wanting to design coins without any drawing skills?

 

You are absolutely within your rights, and I see nothing wrong with it. Especially, since you said you purchased the clip art, it is your to use as you see fit. (Unless of course there were specific restrictions placed when you made the purchase.)

 

This thread is not here to critique anyone's artistic ability. I saw what I thought was a potential copyright infringement, and thought this subject merited a discussion. If I remember correctly, production on a coin was stopped a while back because of infringement of a professional sports team logo. There was another coin that I'm not sure was ever completed because it was copied from a famous design from an artist. The designer of the coin did not hide the fact that it was derived from that artists' work, in fact, the coin was a sort of tribute to the work. However, unless I am mistaken, there were some issues that had to be addressed at the time.

Link to comment

Yes, I am aware of the thread that spun this thread off -

 

Yes, this thread was started because I was asked to remove my posts from another thread. I deleted both of those posts, so unless you saw them originally, you wouldn't know what the tone of those posts were, or what they actually contained.

 

Let me summarize it by saying this: Yes, my posts were in response to a specific coin...however, my posts in that other thread were never about THAT specific coin. I started off by raising a general question about the legality of using the images of others...and I continued that them here. (Well, actually, since I deleted my posts in the other thread, I just started a specific thread here.)

 

Since one poster in this topic has already shared a problem they had, I'm sure this thread has raised awareness for some that are only reading and not posting...and that is a good thing.

Link to comment

I think the important thing to remember is that most people are not in the loop about the efforts of how most coin designs were created. This means that most people do not know the angles the coin creator has covered such as modifying the art beyond a copyrighted image laws. Nor do they know if permissions were granted or license agreements issued for copied art. They might also think that just because an image is on the web that the image was taken from there instead of taking into consideration about the paper and media research done off line through archives and libraries of items that are not copyrighted.

 

We as a community could go on all day about what we think is right and wrong on specific coins, but unless we know the working details of how the coin came to be created, we have no merits to speak of what coins are legal and what coins are not, or where the images were taken from, or if the makers have permissions.

 

In other words, you have to have the facts before taking a negative view in public about others people's coin designs.

 

I agree that this thread is merited and can be a good discussion without making assumptions about specific coins that the assumer has no knowledge of its legal details.

 

I agree with FSM, go out this weekend and get some coins in caches. I have had 300 coins traveling in the wild for a year now. Some of you need to catch up.

Link to comment

Ok.. I'll concede the point that this thread has merit, and that copyrights should be honored. And yes having knowledge of what should be allowed is always a good thing. Personal attacks on anyone isn't what these forums are about though, no matter how you spin or twist it around to suit your needs. I've said all I'm gonna.

 

I'm really confused. I don't see any personal attacks in this thread?

Link to comment

Ok.. I'll concede the point that this thread has merit, and that copyrights should be honored. And yes having knowledge of what should be allowed is always a good thing. Personal attacks on anyone isn't what these forums are about though, no matter how you spin or twist it around to suit your needs. I've said all I'm gonna.

 

I'm really confused. I don't see any personal attacks in this thread?

 

There aren't any. Just a discussion.

Link to comment

The wife and I have worked up several ideas for a series of 5 coins, maybe more later, based on a real life product. However, because of lack of artistic ability, lack of money, selling them, and questions about copyright we've held off. I could sketch an idea on paper for them and scan but the copyright makes me wonder even though it would be different yet familiar. Shame.

Link to comment

My opinion and study.

As an artist.

My Original work is work that I created,drew or used some type of medium to create an image,idea or concept.

 

Original recreations are those pieces that were inspired by others work but redrawn by me in say an art class or just sitting here or from someone elses ideas.

 

Now AP Artist Proofs are the property of the artist and signed and numbered as such.

Copies or prints of the same are also usually numbered.

To reproduce these you have to obtain permission from the Artist.

But after so many years that ends if the Artist has died unless it is stated otherwise and still kept up to date.

 

If I rember correctly on patents as well as copyrighted and trademark materials 9 specific things have to be different or changed.

 

You could use a Ford and a Chevy here as an example.

If you examine the patents closely 9+ things about the 2 are different.

But they are really the same thing.

An Internal combustion driven 4 wheeled way to get around.

 

Artwork by any other name is still artwork.

Link to comment

I agree with FSM, go out this weekend and get some coins in caches. I have had 300 coins traveling in the wild for a year now. Some of you need to catch up.

 

Now, this is a thread that should be started. I agree with C&P and FSM....go out this weekend and place some geocoins (activated and Unactivated) in caches. 700 in the wild and growing here.......anyone wanna catch up?

Link to comment

I agree with FSM, go out this weekend and get some coins in caches. I have had 300 coins traveling in the wild for a year now. Some of you need to catch up.

 

Now, this is a thread that should be started. I agree with C&P and FSM....go out this weekend and place some geocoins (activated and Unactivated) in caches. 700 in the wild and growing here.......anyone wanna catch up?

 

Well considering we are supposed to get 6 to 10 inches of snow tomorrow I think I'll pass on going out this weekend! :anitongue:

Link to comment

I agree with FSM, go out this weekend and get some coins in caches. I have had 300 coins traveling in the wild for a year now. Some of you need to catch up.

 

Now, this is a thread that should be started. I agree with C&P and FSM....go out this weekend and place some geocoins (activated and Unactivated) in caches. 700 in the wild and growing here.......anyone wanna catch up?

NO! :anitongue: I cant part with my beautiful coins! Only the ugly ones get sent out travelling, the beautiful ones stay with me and get polished and admired. If you want more people to set their coins free - make 'em ugly, and able to withstand the elements!! <_<:unsure:

 

As for original artwork...where do you stop? Or start? Some coins I really love have things like Aztec Calendars, kokopelli, the Rainbow Serpent, laptops, Celtic knots, Eyptian Ankhs, cats, dogs, Carousel Horses, Earth Turtles and Loggerhead Turtles. All these things have been done before...but its what a true artist can DO with the original that I think makes it special.

 

Some hand-drawn true 'originals' leave me cold, I'm sorry to say. But beauty, and art, is in the eye of the beholder.

Link to comment

photo copyright -the sydney opera house owns ALL the commercial photo rights to the foreshore area!

 

"Original Artwork" = I drew it badly or pasted the collage together and the mint artist cleaned it up :)

 

PS don't forget the sculptor either. I reallylike 3D coins - they are special because the sculpture didn't exist before the chinese artisan made it; there was just a posed photo

Edited by forthferalz
Link to comment

What does the term "Original Artwork" mean? Both to you personally, and legally as well.

 

As a professional artist and AD, there are enormous differences between copyright infringement and trademark infringement, but it all comes down to the same thing in the end. If you come up with something that is reconizable as something that's already been done then maybe you need to keep thinking of ideas. Copyright requires a number or percentage of changes to be made to be legal. Ethically, it's your responsibility to come up with your own idea. Can I change Mickey's ears from round to square and call it my own? Well it could be argued (and probably has), but the fact is (and everybody knows it) that it wasn't my original idea.

 

It's too easy to come up with something new to bother stealing someone else's livelyhood. There is just too much potential to do something great, new and original to bother. If you need help, ask. So many people offer their help here so many times a day that I find it hard to believe one of them wouldn't help you out. In the end you'll be proud of something that is truly "yours" and you'll never spend unrecoverable hours defending your idea while you could be out caching! :laughing:

Edited by fox-and-the-hound
Link to comment

Lot's of good input here.

 

Another thing prospective coin designers should keep in mind is that getting approval from Groundspeak on your coin design does not mean you are free from legal challenges.

 

I don't know this for sure, but I assume the design review process at Groundspeak is just to assure "family friendliness" issues, among other criteria that I may not be aware of.

 

It is still the coin makers responsibility to make sure they have the rights to the artwork they are using if it isn't original.

 

 

On a sub-topic: Do any of you that have knowledge in this area have an idea whether or not it makes a difference if the coins are minted and intended for trade-only or not? If you are not selling them, do you have any more latitude, or do all the same regulations apply?

Link to comment

Orginal Artwork is a legally mushy concept.

For one thing I can visualize art in my minds eye but getting down on paper is difficult. My orginal artwork has to be expressed indirectly. I can get a sketch to get the gist, then someone much better at art can help me flesh it out.

 

The concept is my orginal idea. the orginal artwork though can be traced to my sketch and the artist. Then the die is another thing again.

 

If I modify Micky that's not "orginal" if I draw a mouse using my own ideas on what a mouse should look like and others think that it looks like Micky. Well that may not be 'legaly' orginal but it most certainly is.

 

If I parody Mickey mouse as Nicky Mouse and everone recognized that it's a Mickey deravative, it's both orginal and legal. There's some irony for you.

 

For my purposes orginal is what I create as my own work for my own purposes where I'm not actually tryign to copy something else. I may very well draw a mermaid that looks like all the other mermaids and someone may think it looks like theirs, but because it's my own orginal work. It's my mermaid. What I'm not going to do is run a search for all known mermaids so I can be sure that I'm doing mine differently. It really defeats the purpose if you can't express your own ideas.

 

The other day my son had a paper. He wrote the entire thing off the top of his head, cited himself as the source and the teacher ran it throug the plagerism checker the schools use nowdays. 30% plagerized by formula. Of course that's all bunk, it's 100% orginal but as it happens with 6 billion people on earth 30% have had a similar expression in common. The point being orginal to you isn't always new orginal and yet it's ok.

Link to comment

Ethically, it's your responsibility to come up with your own idea. Can I change Mickey's ears from round to square and call it my own? Well it could be argued (and probably has), but the fact is (and everybody knows it) that it wasn't my original idea.

 

blockhead.jpg

 

These will soon be available in Antique Bronze, Satin Gold, Polished Yttrium, Galvanized Molybdenum, and an exclusive three-tone Artist Edition fused with radioactive materials that you can only get by e-mailing 'fox-and-the-hound' (who inspired it) and using the code-phrase "China Syndrome".

 

Hurry...while supplies last. These will not be minted again.

Link to comment

...On a sub-topic: Do any of you that have knowledge in this area have an idea whether or not it makes a difference if the coins are minted and intended for trade-only or not? If you are not selling them, do you have any more latitude, or do all the same regulations apply?

 

Non commercial purposes do have a differenet rule applied to them than commercial. That may not be so much now with the DMCA laws. But I do know that I used a well recognized character for a poker chip. The owner (of the chip maker) stopped the order to verify the purpose of the poker chip. When they learned that it was non commercial and would not be sold they Ok'd the run. While they didn't take time to cite the laws they were working to comply with, I have to assume they knew more than I did.

 

Edit: To clarify the owner being discussed.

Edited by Renegade Knight
Link to comment

Ethically, it's your responsibility to come up with your own idea. Can I change Mickey's ears from round to square and call it my own? Well it could be argued (and probably has), but the fact is (and everybody knows it) that it wasn't my original idea.

 

blockhead.jpg

 

These will soon be available in Antique Bronze, Satin Gold, Polished Yttrium, Galvanized Molybdenum, and an exclusive three-tone Artist Edition fused with radioactive materials that you can only get by e-mailing 'fox-and-the-hound' (who inspired it) and using the code-phrase "China Syndrome".

 

Hurry...while supplies last. These will not be minted again.

 

What does the back look like? :laughing:

 

To address the OP: I only have time to worry about what I'm doing right and wrong, so I'll leave the legal issues up to each "artist/designer" whatever you choose to call yourself for your own designs because in the end, each of us is responsible for what we do/don't do.

 

My only issue with the geocoin artwork is that I have seen with my own eyes some "artists/designers" ridiculing others for using clipart/art when they have so clearly used it themselves and claimed originality on all their stuff and stated they don't use it. Not one person here is original in what they do in the big scheme of things. Every shape possible has been done. I will use myself as an example as not to put anyone else on the spot; turtles, frogs, they aren't orignal but how one chooses to incorporate other elements to make it their own is the originality.

 

If there is a question about artwork you intend to copy or tweak a bit, get permission or do your research, it's that simple.

Link to comment

...On a sub-topic: Do any of you that have knowledge in this area have an idea whether or not it makes a difference if the coins are minted and intended for trade-only or not? If you are not selling them, do you have any more latitude, or do all the same regulations apply?

 

Non commercial purposes do have a differenet rule applied to them than commercial. That may not be so much now with the DMCA laws. But I do know that I used a well recognized character for a poker chip. The owner stopped the order to verify the purpose of the poker chip. When they learned that it was non commercial and would not be sold they Ok'd the run. While they didn't take time to cite the laws they were working to comply with, I have to assume they knew more than I did.

 

This has always been my understanding as well. Take as an example the Groundspeak logo - you get automatic approval to use it in limited quantities for NON COMMERCIAL uses, but if you want to use it on something sold you'll likely be told no or be met with a lot of restrictions.

 

NOTE: This is used for the purposes of providing an example only. I am not a lawyer, nor do I play one on tv or in these forums. I am not spekaing on behalf of Groundspeak, simply using their logo for illustrative purposes.

I am simple carbs at best that has access to a few more forum buttons that the average poster here.

 

Is my coin "unique artwork"? Nope. I pulled the image from the FSM site, although I did contact the owner for permission to do so. I never claimed it to be original, just my coin. Could I have drawn my own FSM? Sure, but with so many good ones out there it made more sense to use one and secure permission to do so since my art skills are poor. I think I called this out in my sales thread so nobody would think I came up with the idea or art.

Link to comment

Not sure I should get in this but....To me original art work is my pencil drawing. My idea of something. I always scan it into my email so its date and time stamped. Then I send that to coin makers and they tell me if they will use it. From there it goes to art and I always get email questions from them,on colors and changes. When doing the pirate map there was no worry on copyrights. On the geocache coffee I tried to make it look like a companies....but different enough to pass as my own idea. Just my feeling,hope Iam ok in my thinking.

Link to comment

Are we to the point now that when a new coin comes out with all the info about metals and such, it is going to have to also have a line about the artist. I don't care for people using someone else's artwork and pretending it is their own. There have been several issues with this recently, and it is nothing short of frauding the community. Whatever happened to just being able to trust the other person because this was a hobby? I miss that part probably most of all with coins.

Link to comment

Ethically, it's your responsibility to come up with your own idea. Can I change Mickey's ears from round to square and call it my own? Well it could be argued (and probably has), but the fact is (and everybody knows it) that it wasn't my original idea.

 

blockhead.jpg

 

These will soon be available in Antique Bronze, Satin Gold, Polished Yttrium, Galvanized Molybdenum, and an exclusive three-tone Artist Edition fused with radioactive materials that you can only get by e-mailing 'fox-and-the-hound' (who inspired it) and using the code-phrase "China Syndrome".

 

Hurry...while supplies last. These will not be minted again.

 

:D:laughing::P

 

You bad! :D

Link to comment

Can anyone with some trademark knowledge pipe up please? It's my understanding that while copyright law protects anything created original from the moment of creation Trademarks actually cover things like "likenesses". As in if I use the golden arches even without the word McDonald's then I'm breaking a law because their likeness or recognizability is being compromised.

Link to comment

Sometimes, you may think you have an original concept but you find out later that someone else has also used that concept. I am currently working on my personal coin and I had this concept in 2006 (yeah, I'm slow) and just recently, I saw a pin on ebay with a similar idea!

 

Oh and one more thing. . .when I was thinking of ideas for my geojelly flavors; I went on the internet, just to see if anything would come up and to my surprise, one of the flavors I came up with was an actual candy that was very poplular in the 50's and another one of my flavors was a popular topic of physics controversy! Who knew? (Well, definitely not me!)

 

Good grief, how can anyone be truly original?

Link to comment

...It's my understanding that while copyright law protects anything created original from the moment of creation Trademarks actually cover things like "likenesses"....

That's a good question.

 

This site does work to protect it's logo and things they consider too similar. The 2005 and 2006 Idaho coins for example. They were not allowed to be trackable because the back of the coin was considered too similar to the site logo. That got in the way of some legwork I had done to have the only 2006 Trackable IGO coins.

Edited by Renegade Knight
Link to comment
..Edited to add: For anyone in general who might have a question about copyright infringement. It's not ok, to automatically assume that if you alter something a little that it is now your own.

 

thank you!

 

there was a pretty famous case, well at least in groups of photographers, of a shot this guy did of a bunch of puppies all lined up.

 

a sculptor made a piece from that photo of a bunch of puppies all lined up. the photographer sued and won. the design was based on the photo, even though it was "changed."

 

so if you want to make a coin from someone's photo, be sure to get permission first, even if you plan on making changes.

 

nothing makes photographers testy more than finding work that is based on their image with no permission granted.

 

lara

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/redshoesgirl/

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...