Tag: Copyright Zone

  • The Copyright Zone

    The Copyright Zone

    Copyright Zone

    I just finished reading the second edition of Edward Greenberg and Jack Reznicki’s book “The Copyright Zone” and anyone that creates original content (comics, art, etc.) should check out this book.  Available at Amazon.    Ed is a NYC attorney who has been working with photographers and illustrators for 30 years to protect their intellectual property rights.  Jack is a NYC based commercial photographer with a list of national clients.

    Anyone who has ever posted any creative work online is prone to having your work used without your permission.  Even with all the URL’s and email plastered over my work, I have found my own cartoons cropped to remove my contact info and someone else’s URL.  Thankfully I have just enough readers who point me in the right direction in those rare cases.  See my FAQ section for image usage that Ed would probably cringe at. 🙂

    Making sure artists get proper credit has been a passion of mine on social media.  Guess it comes from having a father and grandfather who were attorneys and my dad was involved in one of the most cited First Amendment cases to go before the Supreme Court.

    Back to the book.  Here is what I liked:

    • Humor – Nothing is more drab than the law.  But Ed and Jack use language that is “dumbed down” (in a good way) and play off each other in a brotherly back and forth.
    • Complete Step by Step:  Never copyrighted your work?  They walk you through every step you need, whether it has already been published on your website or is coming right out of your camera/work area.
    • Examples:  Multiple examples of real life cases Ed has been involved in.  Make the right moves regarding copyright and you are set.  Do nothing and suffer the consequences.

    From the perspective of a online cartoon distributor and promoter of other’s work on social media (using links of course) I would love to know more as to what is the right and wrong thing to do from a legal standpoint.  If Ed is amiable and I can figure out a way to get a hold of him, maybe I can gather a list of questions my fellow cartoonists have that might not be answered in the book specific to the work we do.

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    Charity Challenge Week 2 Results

    Thanks again for supporting the charity challenge and spreading the message.  Full Details Here.

    Cartoonist using “Bearman” in their cartoons ($10 each):

    Blog about the Challenge ($5 each):

    New Google Plus Followers ($1 each)

    • 365 (wow)!!

    Week 2 Grand Total of $425 and running total of 1025!!

    Let me know if I missed anyone.