a little mini problem i am haveing...(if amber is reading this please look here)

Zerkothki · May 09, 2007, 03:19:54 AM

i know being "new" might not be a good idea to post but i have a problem in the world of furcadia which is the comic's world's base there is a deram guild i wish to join with only a minor problem... my charecter has some relations to this comic and the dream owner wants proof of amber letting me use this succabis charecter and a warp aci freind before i can actually roleplay with it so if anyone knows amber or is associated with the comic please let her know it would mean very much to me if she posted saying that i may use this charecter as my own... thank you

Netami · May 09, 2007, 04:20:52 AM

In before the scathing remarks of the uncaring!

King Of Hearts · May 09, 2007, 04:26:42 AM

You might want to just... e-mail her... or better yet PM her since she does post in the forms.

llearch n'n'daCorna · May 09, 2007, 04:48:27 AM

... and wait for a response, since she -does- have a few other things on her plate, what with 5 updates (at 6-10 hours each) a week and stuff...

Zerkothki · May 09, 2007, 04:50:26 AM

good point i guss i am a little abscent minded to have not have thought of that before... thanks!

llearch n'n'daCorna · May 09, 2007, 05:29:13 AM

No worries. :-]

Fuyudenki · May 09, 2007, 11:55:05 AM

My advice, just to be on the safe side, would be to make up a new character who doesn't tread on any copyright restrictions, as I see no reason for Amber to let you use an actual DMFA character, and a fan-made character based in the DMFA universe might very probably clash with the universe of the RP you intend to join.

If it were me, I know I would definitely say "no, you may not use my character!" but it's not me, so you never know.

rabid_fox · May 09, 2007, 11:56:31 AM

If you wait until fifty years after Amber dies, the works become public domain. Yes, patience rewards the...patient.

Tapewolf · May 09, 2007, 12:04:23 PM

Quote from: Fuyudenki on May 09, 2007, 11:55:05 AM
If it were me, I know I would definitely say "no, you may not use my character!" but it's not me, so you never know.

Firstly, I'm not sure they were asking to use a DMFA character - I think they were thinking more of using the DMFA concepts, although as you say that would probably clash.

Secondly, if they are thinking to poach a DMFA character, that's probably a bad idea because many DMFA characters were Furcadia characters in the first place. Hence not all of them are actually owned by Amber anyway...

Quote from: rabid_fox on May 09, 2007, 11:56:31 AM

If you wait until fifty years after Amber dies, the works become public domain. Yes, patience rewards the...patient.

Copyright was originally 20 years after creation or something. Then around 1976 it was 50 years after death, then 70 and now 90 in some parts of the world. Unless Disney and co. have a sudden change of heart, stuff created today is unlikely to enter the public domain. Ever.

But that, I think, is a rant for another thread.

[Damn, the forum engine has got itself in a mess again]

rabid_fox · May 09, 2007, 12:05:23 PM

Hmm. Some kind of Time-Sprout (not wanting to plagarise Mr. Rankin by accident here) is required then.

Amber Williams · May 09, 2007, 12:23:34 PM

I do not own the copyright to Succubi/Incubi. It is a concept, and one that is about as copyrightable as me owning the rights to a red fox with blonde hair or a particular hairstyle or a particular species. The only thing I do have ownership over is the individual characters themselves.

I might be more known in the furry community for creating the Cubi trend, but I am definately not the owner and sole vote on who can/cannot be one if they want their character to do so. The same goes for Warp Aci. Yes, they are a race I made up, and yes, I might get a little hurt feelings if someone was to gank the concept and put it into a multi-million dollar best seller novel, but I'm far from going to wail down the doors if someone wants to say they have a Cubi character with a pet Warp Aci in a RP.

Cliffnote Version:
If you want to make an original Cubi character, by all means. You shouldn't need my permission over something like that.

However, if you are particularly wanting to play as an actual DMFA character (Aaryanna, Fa'Lina, Mab,Dan, etc) then there might be a problem.

llearch n'n'daCorna · May 09, 2007, 12:34:59 PM

ISTR that Cliff Notes version being said before. Several times. :-/

Regal · May 09, 2007, 01:08:26 PM

Does this mean I have to stop writing the novel I was working on, "Harry Warp Aci and the Cubi's Stone"?

Amber Williams · May 09, 2007, 01:16:44 PM

Quote from: llearch n'n'daCorna on May 09, 2007, 12:34:59 PM
ISTR that Cliff Notes version being said before. Several times. :-/

I get this question (in regards if its ok to use the Cubi concept) quite a bit in email. While I do appreciate that people are being considerate and want to be polite, its a bit misguided.

I think its about time to do a Question from the Readers on it soon.

Zedd · May 09, 2007, 01:56:49 PM

And rember..Dont get a big head about it kiddies or you'll shoot your eye out

Zerkothki · May 09, 2007, 03:50:55 PM

yes yes thank you very much amber i apriciate you clearing that up

Ralanost · May 09, 2007, 04:43:22 PM

I'm not really one to talk, but ya know...

Kaelin yFiae · May 09, 2007, 05:48:03 PM

Howdy!

I'm the owner of the guild that was unwilling to let Zerkothki play a DMFA based character without proof of permission. (Which he/she obviously has now XD). I just wanted to say thank you for clearing this up for us.

I'm not very familiar with the DMFA comic, granted I do pop by once in a while to read it, and I enjoy it. I wasn't sure if the succubi used in DMFA were a very world-specific breed of succubi or the generalized style that's floatin' around mythology. That's why I was iffy about allowing it. I see now that that's not a problem.

Thanks for clearin' it up so fast!

llearch n'n'daCorna · May 09, 2007, 06:28:43 PM

We're good like that. :-]

Thank -you- for dropping by and letting us know.

Quote from: Ralanost on May 09, 2007, 04:43:22 PM

Well.. if you insist...

RJ · May 09, 2007, 08:00:11 PM

RJ likes the civility.

Though a bit of drama would have been awesome...

superluser · May 09, 2007, 08:15:43 PM

Quote from: rabid_fox on May 09, 2007, 11:56:31 AMIf you wait until fifty years after Amber dies, the works become public domain. Yes, patience rewards the...patient.

As TW pointed out, it's life plus 70 for most of the Western World (I think Australia is a notable exception to this). That includes the UK. I don't know how UK laws work with the Isle of Man, but be aware that it's probably life plus 70 where you live.

Quote from: Amber Williams on May 09, 2007, 12:23:34 PMIt is a concept, and one that is about as copyrightable as me owning the rights to a red fox with blonde hair or a particular hairstyle or a particular species.

In the US, there is a doctrine called the idea/expression dichotomy. It basically states that ideas are not copyrightable, but that expressions of those ideas are. It's kind of murky territory as to what constitutes an idea or an expression of that idea, but remember the controversy surrounding ``The Wind Done Gone.'' The book used the characters and settings from from Gone With the Wind. I don't think that there was any doubt that the characters and settings were expressions, copyrighted by Margaret Mitchell (what saved it was that it was a parody, which is protected fair use). On the other side, you have things like Antz/A Bug's Life or Shark Tale/Finding Nemo.

Given the amount of copyright harmonization, I think this distinction is valid in other jurisdictions.

I (or google) can come up with court cases, if you're sufficiently bored.

Azraelle · May 10, 2007, 01:53:27 AM

Perhaps you could put up a section on the website for a Frequently Asked (or Annoying) Questions? But then, that would sorta go against the Questions from the Readers episodes, which I do love dearly.

Prof B Hunnydew · May 11, 2007, 05:23:34 PM

This idea will maybe mean more work for Amber, but a Q and A page on the comic site maybe should have a "Question from readers" archive.

Or Is there a chapter in archives for them?

PBH

superluser · May 12, 2007, 12:44:20 AM

Quote from: Prof B Hunnydew on May 11, 2007, 05:23:34 PMOr Is there a chapter in archives for them?

You know, this gives me an idea...

Quick! To the Wiku-Wiki! Ehhh, maybe later.

AndersW · May 12, 2007, 09:57:20 AM

Zedd · May 12, 2007, 12:37:55 PM

Dang Anders....

llearch n'n'daCorna · May 12, 2007, 02:28:34 PM

... You have no life. :-]

(*makes a note of the list for later use*)

superluser · May 12, 2007, 05:18:25 PM

Quote from: llearch n'n'daCorna on May 12, 2007, 02:28:34 PM... You have no life. :-]

It wouldn't be that difficult. Just get GQview, and use the scroll wheel. I can go through 12 in a single flick, and all you have to do is look for white space.

llearch n'n'daCorna · May 12, 2007, 06:11:07 PM

Actually...

grep -h -B1 Questions Chapter_??.txt | grep '.1' | awk -F: '{print $2}' | awk -F. '{print $1}' will print the list, as it happens.

I get only 24 responses, though, as #132 is "Question" singular, and 533 because it's the only one that has an extra line before the "Questions" header...

*cough*

AndersW · May 13, 2007, 12:28:01 PM

It only took me 15-20 minutes to go through the entire archive and type the post with all the links.

a little mini problem i am haveing...(if amber is reading this please look here)

Zerkothki

Netami

King Of Hearts

Zerkothki

Fuyudenki

Regal

Zerkothki

Ralanost

Kaelin yFiae

Azraelle