WoW webcomics, and the legality of their stores.
Posted: Wed Aug 25, 2010 1:45 pm
As I'm sure a lot of you have noticed, there are quite a few online comics out there based on World of Warcraft, and most of them are quite good. I follow a few regularly, for the interesting storylines, characters, and humour.
However, I've been noticing a trend among a lot of them, the addition of stores to their websites, where the artists sell prints, comic collections, or even collectables based on their works. However, as their art is based off of someone else's (namely Blizzard's) copywrited ideas, I think these stores are asking for trouble.
Besides, as a fan artist in a different medium, I don't think it's fair. I write fan fiction, written literary works have their own characters and storylines, but are based in worlds that are other people's. Like fan comics, I consider fan fiction to have just as much artistic value as the originals on which they are based. However, as a fan fiction writer, I have accepted one rather glaring reality. If I ever tried to sell a fan fiction story, if I made so much as a penny off it, I'd probably have Blizzard's lawyers crashing down my door to sue me for every last penny my poor, broke, student butt has. Fan fiction writers cannot make money off their works, no matter how original or thought-provoking their works may be.
But visual artists seemingly have no problem peddling their works online, with not a worry in the world that they are breaking copywrite law just as much as fan fiction writers, if not more so. Just why is it that they can escape the threat of lawsuits just because of a different choice in artistic medium?
If any webcomic artists are reading this, I think they should be very careful as to what they're doing. Sure, continue to create, continue to share your art with the world, even use your "fame" as a fan artist to peddle your original works. But don't charge money for fan works. Don't sell products based on Blizzard's copywrited ideas. It's only a matter of time until they catch on, and when that happens, I'm afraid that many creative, original works may be purged from the internet.
To make things fair to other fans, and to protect your own asses, I humbly suggest that fan artists of all mediums keep things strictly amateur.
However, I've been noticing a trend among a lot of them, the addition of stores to their websites, where the artists sell prints, comic collections, or even collectables based on their works. However, as their art is based off of someone else's (namely Blizzard's) copywrited ideas, I think these stores are asking for trouble.
Besides, as a fan artist in a different medium, I don't think it's fair. I write fan fiction, written literary works have their own characters and storylines, but are based in worlds that are other people's. Like fan comics, I consider fan fiction to have just as much artistic value as the originals on which they are based. However, as a fan fiction writer, I have accepted one rather glaring reality. If I ever tried to sell a fan fiction story, if I made so much as a penny off it, I'd probably have Blizzard's lawyers crashing down my door to sue me for every last penny my poor, broke, student butt has. Fan fiction writers cannot make money off their works, no matter how original or thought-provoking their works may be.
But visual artists seemingly have no problem peddling their works online, with not a worry in the world that they are breaking copywrite law just as much as fan fiction writers, if not more so. Just why is it that they can escape the threat of lawsuits just because of a different choice in artistic medium?
If any webcomic artists are reading this, I think they should be very careful as to what they're doing. Sure, continue to create, continue to share your art with the world, even use your "fame" as a fan artist to peddle your original works. But don't charge money for fan works. Don't sell products based on Blizzard's copywrited ideas. It's only a matter of time until they catch on, and when that happens, I'm afraid that many creative, original works may be purged from the internet.
To make things fair to other fans, and to protect your own asses, I humbly suggest that fan artists of all mediums keep things strictly amateur.