Posted

Feb 9th 2005

Mood

Blank

Music

The Weekenders on TV

I find I am checking this place less and less lately. There are still artists here whose work I enjoy, but so many have departed it's just kind of sad. Also, I just can't get behind the way some of my good friends have been treated here. I especially can't get behind the idea that some of the admins seem a little unclear on the idea of how copyright works.

Let's backtrack a little. Everyone here knows I work in comics. Well, once upon a time, comic artists did not get to own their creations. They did what is known as "work-for-hire", and thus, all the work they did was owned by the company or studio they did the work for. Huge moneymakers like Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, The Hulk, Spider-Man, etc., ended up generating vast fortunes for their respective companies, while the original creators were often forgotten. Many died completely penniless. Many were unable to afford medical care in their old age. A couple were so bad off in their declining years, they committed suicide. A lot of them weren't even credited on the work they created until decades later, after they were already gone. These guys were the pioneers, the people who had the ideas, the people who made the four-color entertainment field what it is today. And they lost all the rights to their ideas, their concepts, their dreams and creations. Because of this, copyright is something I deeply, passionately believe in. I cannot ever give complete support to any company, business, or website that does not share my belief that an artist/writer/photographer/etc. should completely control their copyright, 100%. My company, Radio Comix was built on the principle of creators owning their creations 100%. Needless to say, it's something I have very strong feelings about.

Which brings me to now. I've moved my photos over to FurAffinity.net. After careful reading of the TOS there, I feel confident that my work is still 100% my own and I can safely have it up there. I've deleted my photos from my gallery here. Sure, they're just pictures of my cats, but they are just that- mine. I took them, I edited them, they are my work. I don't feel 100% confident about having them hosted here, when the idea of what copyright entails seems to be somewhat nebulous here. If this makes me some kind of "troublemaker" and I get banned, so be it. I just can't support that kind of thing.

To the artists who are still here who I like, if I'm still allowed to be here later, I'll continue to view, watch and fav your work. If not, well, it was fun while it lasted. People can read about my comic making exploits at my LJ at http://www.livejournal.com/users/doronjosama. And I have the same username as here over on FA. Thanks for all the watches, faves and comments. Take care, y'all!