Official Off-Topic Thread 2014

[Ymedron]

So does that mean the UK folks can freely steal your stuff while a non-UK citizen can still be persecuted for doing the same thing?
And what the hell can one even do about this?

[Tourist]

Ok, I just dug through a bunch of UK law.  The most relevant bits are here:

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/lbill/2012-2013/0089/2013089.65-69.html#r005  or search that page for 116A which is the relevant section.  Or just search for the phrase orphan works.

It sounds nice on the surface.  If you can't find the copyright owner "after a diligent search" then the UK government can license the work on a non-exclusive basis, essentially treating it as public domain.  Do what you want with it (if you are in the UK).  One problem is that the Berne Convention says copyright is automatic upon creation.  If it's not yours, tough, it won't be out of copyright for 5 generations or so.  This gets around that.

So yeah, it authorizes UK folks to copy and profit from your stuff if the copyright owner can't be found "after a diligent search."  The specific regulations aren't detailed yet, that will take a few months. 

This would pretty much apply by default for pictures uploaded to image hosts, or fiction that you post anonymously, or even an old web page at the internet archive that points to an abandoned email address.  Possibly abandonware too.

It's open for abuse, since stripping ownership info from a digital work is trivial.  You can't tell when things were added to the web, so it becomes retroactive by default.  It adds a layer of legal protection to UK companies that rip people off.  Maybe the detailed regulations will sort all of this out, but right now this is a mess.

What can you do?  Tell people about it.  Don't panic, and don't cause panic.  Just mention it and link to the relevant articles.  If you want to avoid your stuff getting ripped off, don't post it to the web, same as always. 

[Ymedron]

Hrm, I guess posting small resolution images so they are useless to rip off is what's the best solution. Hrm.

I told my animation teacher of it, at least. <lC

[Tourist]

The Register posted a follow-up article with some more explanation on the UK law, for those that are interested:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/05/03/instagram_act_explained/

I don't have much more to say on this.

[0xDB]

A simple thing everyone of us can do right away is to not upload anonymously to image hosts anymore but to use a dedicated account. That way, a "diligent search" for the copyright owner can be as simple as checking who uploaded the image.

Another thing you could do is to put your e-mail address and/or website in the bottom of each image you upload, along with a date next to it.

Of course that doesn't help with older works which were already uploaded anonymously.

In the case of older works though, maybe a reverse image search could help determining the source of an anonymously uploaded piece by pointing to a forum, website or blog post where it was originally shared.

In all honesty though, before I'd worry about anyone stealing my stuff, I'd worry about creating something worth stealing first. 

[Ai]

There doesn't seem to be any good analysis (eg. Groklaw-style) of this bill online

One common factor that wasn't mentioned here is the idea that this will make money for the UK government
("...payment would be taken and the money set aside for copyright owners that reveal themselves down the track.") and/or unrelated third parties setting themselves up as 'orphaned-works licensers'.
link commenting on recent updates/proposed updates in orphaned-works policies in UK, US, EU and AUS.[url]

Also, apparently 'diligent search' has a specific established legal meaning.

In all honesty though, before I'd worry about anyone stealing my stuff, I'd worry about creating something worth stealing first. 

As artists, we are obligated to doubt our own doubts about the quality of our work

[Mathias]

Got a question . . .

For those that do, when digital drawing/painting in grayscale, but planning to end with a full color image - what is your strategy for transitioning from grays to colors? When, during the drawing process, and how do you cross over into color?

[Ymedron]

Regarding the coloring methods:
1. Turn grayscale into multiply
2. Turn color layer into color-mode
3. Recolor grayscale into a purple/blue hue, and multiply
4. Overlay instead of multiply

If I'm working in this way, I either complete the grayscale first or do the purple-layer after putting the color layer in. The first method puts main focus onto getting lighting information correct, but leaves out considerations of contrast, hue and how that changes what the shading looks like. The second method is more annoying to work with, since you need to turn off the color layer to be able to pick the true shading color to work with.

And regarding the copyright law:
The concern comes from someone simply editing the owner's name out, acting in bad faith. But I suppose then you'll have to contact the copyright protection agency of your country... :l

[Seiseki]

https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/color-attack-left-vs-right/id619462073?mt=8

Hm, after reading a bit in 'Drawing with the right side of the brain' isn't this app a bit of the opposite? By focusing on text and not color.

[Ymedron]

Wonder if it has language settings - it's really easy for a non-native speaker while really hard for a native one. Maybe because the concepts aren't as married to one another?