Browncoat HQ?
POSTED BY: SerenityNow
UPDATED: Sunday, February 22, 2004 06:04
VIEWED: 19403
PAGE 7 of 8
Originally posted by rklenseth:
Making costumes copying off of clothing in the show isn't copyright infringment.
Technically, it is. It's called a "derivative work". To some degree, since the costumes are just regular clothes, you're a lot safer reproducing them than, say, a Star Fleet uniform, but since you're combining a bunch of materials to express something that is a copyrighted expression, you're in more dangerous territory. If you're selling stuff explicitly to help other people infringe, then all the moreso (this is called 'contributory infringement', and is sometimes prosecuted with more frequency than direct infringement).
So they aren't using money, it is free advertisement for the show (means they are making money without losing a cent), and until they begin to market such merchandise themselves I don't think anyone will have a problem.
A common mistake. Just because they're not losing money doesn't mean the studios and etc won't come after you. In point of fact, when you use their names and trademarks on your own goods (in this case, "Firefly"), you are infringing unless you have permission. With copyrights, they can let you infringe and lose nothing... but with trademarks if they don't make reasonable attempts to protect their marks, they lose them. Thus, if it's too easy to find you making "Firefly" patches, then they're legally obliged to sue you, or risk losing their rights to the name "Firefly". None of us wants to see that happen.
Paramount is notorious for this... they go after all kinds of prop makers who replicate things seen on Star Trek, even if they have no plans of ever selling those things themselves. Guy I met sold a toy gun "as seen on Star Trek" and got a threatening letter for it. Turns out the gun was a toy manufactured by someone else and used as a prop in DS9, and Paramount had no rights to it whatsoever. Upon hearing that, they backed off... but at no point did they ever plan on selling that rifle themselves, and they were still quite eager to go after this guy.
As long as you stop they will forgive you on that matter.
Usually. They're not required to even send the letter though. They could just send you a summons to appear in court without prior warning. It's unusual, but it can happen. Which is why I recommend making people working on such things less visible. The studios may or may not care about what you're doing, but there's no sense putting it in their face to find out.
Hell, even talking about the show off the official board is copyright infringment.
That's not true. Discussions of a copyrighted work or trademarked item is fair use. So long as you don't take more than is necessary to have the discussion, you're pretty safe. You can't put entire episodes online for 'discussion' purposes, for example, but you can quote lines pretty freely.
You see there is a fine line and if you cross it then they will let you know nicely that you have and ask you to step back over.
Probably... but why help them find people to ask?
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Well, we can always ask permission. Send a letter or e-mail over to Universal and see how they respond back.
Oh, and play Cantr II at www.cantr.net.
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Jeff, I noticed your email is an @cox.net. I figure you must be in the southwest. I'm in Phoenix, where y'all from.
~*
"Well, I've been sane awhile now but change is good."-Wash
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Quote:
Originally posted by Starhand:
Jeff, I noticed your email is an @cox.net. I figure you must be in the southwest. I'm in Phoenix, where y'all from.
~*
"Well, I've been sane awhile now but change is good."-Wash
I believe there is already a thread on this
Anyways, I am from the wilderness of Upstate New York within the Hudson Valley and near the capitol of Albany. To be exact I live in a village called West Sand Lake which is either part of the towns of Sand Lake or Averill Park which is in Rensselaer County.
Oh, and play Cantr II at www.cantr.net.
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Quote:
Originally posted by rklenseth:Quote:
Originally posted by Starhand:
Jeff, I noticed your email is an @cox.net. I figure you must be in the southwest. I'm in Phoenix, where y'all from.
~*
"Well, I've been sane awhile now but change is good."-Wash
I believe there is already a thread on this
Anyways, I am from the wilderness of Upstate New York within the Hudson Valley and near the capitol of Albany. To be exact I live in a village called West Sand Lake which is either part of the towns of Sand Lake or Averill Park which is in Rensselaer County.
Oh, and play Cantr II at www.cantr.net.
... And I am from Tulsa, OK...
Hey, Rklenseth any idea which thread is the, "Where y'all from?" thread? I'd like to look at it.
"Have no place I can be since I found Serenity..."
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Quote:
Originally posted by hoghug:Quote:
Originally posted by rklenseth:Quote:
Originally posted by Starhand:
Jeff, I noticed your email is an @cox.net. I figure you must be in the southwest. I'm in Phoenix, where y'all from.
~*
"Well, I've been sane awhile now but change is good."-Wash
I believe there is already a thread on this
Anyways, I am from the wilderness of Upstate New York within the Hudson Valley and near the capitol of Albany. To be exact I live in a village called West Sand Lake which is either part of the towns of Sand Lake or Averill Park which is in Rensselaer County.
Oh, and play Cantr II at www.cantr.net.
... And I am from Tulsa, OK...
Hey, Rklenseth any idea which thread is the, "Where y'all from?" thread? I'd like to look at it.
"Have no place I can be since I found Serenity..."
Howdy HogHug,
Tulsa OK? Wow, Cox has a bit bigger range than I thought.
The thread you're asking about is titled "where yall from?" and it's over in the archived thread area. I thought I'd copied it, the url, so I could paste it in here for you but it looks like I lost it. Anyway it's easy to find and it goes back to August of last year, lots of people responded to it.
~*
"Well, I've been sane awhile now but change is good."-Wash
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Guys, we totally need a directory.
http://dryope.typepad.com/superfly/
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A place to identify groups and individuals in the same area would be great. Especially in the more out of the way places like Australia.
I'm in Sydney/ Australia Does anyone organise shindigs here?
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Yeah I think this should definately be made to have coverage of browncoats all over the world. It would also be useful for people wanting to travel to the states for when the movie opens.
www.summer-glau.com
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Due to this thread and the "Browncoat HQ" thread created on the OB, Browncoats.com has been revived.
We have spent the last few days talking to the original editors.
There are still sections without an editor so now we are looking for new editors :)
If anyone wants to be involved, send me an email.
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