FanimeCon 2026 Forums

FanimeCon Events and Discussionmentarianism => Live Programming and Events => Topic started by: yuuki on March 10, 2013, 04:43:26 PM

Title: I have a question for the Artist Alley ::copyrights::
Post by: yuuki on March 10, 2013, 04:43:26 PM
I understand what fanime is all about~And I love fanime~<3
and I'm about to become a vendor this year~


My friend designed some fanart from my little pony,they are awesome~ ;D
I was wondering if you need copyrights approval from companies to sell fanart in the artist alley~?

Please help me~ Q w Q
Title: It's your artwork, it belongs to you!
Post by: Hachimitsu on March 10, 2013, 07:17:48 PM
i don't think you need approval from them.
I saw alot of people selling fan artworks from pokemon, sailor moon, Sao, naruto.. etc..etc..etc...

however if you plan to sell them on AA, your going to need to bring your friend with you.

I don't know if artist alley can allow agents to sell other peoples works for them if they are not present.
Title: Re: I have a question for the Artist Alley ::copyrights::
Post by: yuuki on March 10, 2013, 08:24:14 PM
Awesome~Thank you~that helps me in relief~ >w<

Of course she's coming along as a helper.
But as the leader,my group gives me ideas,and I credit them for the design they allow me to use~
Title: Re: It's your artwork, it belongs to you!
Post by: chibimonster on March 10, 2013, 09:52:48 PM
Quote from: Hachimitsu-ink on March 10, 2013, 07:17:48 PM
i don't think you need approval from them.
I saw alot of people selling fan artworks from pokemon, sailor moon, Sao, naruto.. etc..etc..etc...

however if you plan to sell them on AA, your going to need to bring your friend with you.

I don't know if artist alley can allow agents to sell other peoples works for them if they are not present.

@Yuuki: Proxy selling, which is sending someone in your place to sell your art, is not allowed. However, selling collaborative works, such as anthologies, that contain input from many people is allowed even if all the creators aren't there (assuming you, the seller, also contributed). So in the hypothetical situation that your friend wasn't coming along, you could still sell things that you worked together on because you did part of the work.

Fanime doesn't require you to get a license for your fanart (licensed material belongs in the dealers hall), but please note that unlicensed fanart is a legal gray area at best. Therefore there's some stuff that you should not do (Disney fanart prints, for example, because Disney is rabid about copyright protection). Also you can't do the following: use official logos, use any other official images (screencapping Naruto's face from the anime and putting it on a button, for example), or trace any official images. Also note that fanime AA staff recommends that fanart clearly be in your own art style. They do portfolio reviews as part of the table approval process to enforce this.
Title: Re: I have a question for the Artist Alley ::copyrights::
Post by: eralston on March 10, 2013, 10:25:55 PM
For information about copyrights and how they relate to the anime industry and conventions I would recommend reading the ANN series about it here (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2013-02-15/). A good summary of the article is:

Quotethe depiction of the characters and any subsequent sale of anything depicting them is a violation of copyright and actionable. This is not often pursued as there are both public relations (PR) reasons and economical reasons to consider with the sale of such items. Although fanart is an unlicensed third party product and is often sold for profit in fan markets, through Deviant Art, or at artist alley's at anime conventions the general profit on these is limited. Suffice to say the average fanartist is not making a living off of selling drawings of someone else's characters. For this reason it would generally be bad PR for a company to sue a fanartist or try to shut down artist alley as it would look like a clampdown on your primary consumer base over something that is (relatively) harmless.


I would also read up on the recent Funimation lawsuit summarized here (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2013-03-04/funimation-sues-animeland-staff-over-counterfeit-items)
Title: Re: I have a question for the Artist Alley ::copyrights::
Post by: Oniko on March 10, 2013, 11:12:34 PM
I honestly think of it as dont ask dont tell >_>;;;

Also Chibimonster about your comment on collaboration I'm not sure it's right.  I was part of the Anime Angels book going around last year and we were asked to take it down due to (as far as I was told by staff) proxy.  Not all 60 artists from the book were present so we couldnt sell it.
Title: Re: I have a question for the Artist Alley ::copyrights::
Post by: ewu on March 11, 2013, 01:02:27 AM
Quote from: Oniko on March 10, 2013, 11:12:34 PM
Also Chibimonster about your comment on collaboration I'm not sure it's right.  I was part of the Anime Angels book going around last year and we were asked to take it down due to (as far as I was told by staff) proxy.  Not all 60 artists from the book were present so we couldnt sell it.

We are revisiting the rules regarding collaborations. Our intent is for collaborations to permitted but not proxy selling. Where that line is is will be addressed in the agreement that we are still tweeking.

Thanks