Latest Copyright News
Published by Matt Glover June 1st, 2007 in Copyright and LegalitiesMy apologies for no Friday Feature Artist this week. Deadlines have once again limited the blogging…which is probably a good thing given that my car has packed it in and is costing a fortune to fix!
Anyway, copyright has been in the news this week in Australia as one of our top cartoonists received a ‘cease and decist’ letter from the owners of Tintin. Bill Leak has been portraying the leader of the Australian Labour Party, Keving Rudd, as the comic book hero as a form of satire. Rudd is fine with it. The Tintin folk are furious!
Australian Copyright law has recently been amended to allow for satire and parody, ensuring that cartoonists, and political commentators of all types, can speak their massages into the public realm without fear of prosecution. It will be interesting to see how Leak, and the Australian cartoon industry responds.
Read the full article here: Satire: With Apogies to Herge
Hi Matt, I read his cartoons every day, have done for years and have always “Got” the humour, regardless of the subject…I have never once given thought to him stepping on the toes of anyone other than the subject he is taking down a few notches until reading your article!
I don’t know what the right answer is as it may open huge cans of worms, but this is just a simple cartoon not a major motion picture with no credits…So maybe within that, lies the answer…
I’ve recently had my knuckles rapped for attempting to use my satirical cartoon of VW Campers as a design for a T-Shirt. Apparently VW USA Inc consider even a cartoon likeness (no logos or anything like that) as intellectual property theft!
Link to the cartoon: http://clangnuts.blogspot.com/2007/06/vw-campervan-cartoon.html
Still, I suppose it’s a compliment if they think it’s that good a likeness