EA carpet bombs Etsy fan art

[Paladin Anderson]

Now, to be clear. Fan art is legal to produce and sell as long as it is reasonably different from the source material. The wording is pretty vague and open to interpretation but, generally speaking, if it's your own art work then you're fine. Further, quotes can be placed on items and sold as much as you want. You can't copyright quotes. Since it's so vague, even copyright nazis like Disney send warnings before they send lawyers.

Well, now that we have that all set up. Let's get to the meat of the matter. EA, apparently, heard about Etsy. A site where art and crafts are sold. To celebrate the up coming Mass Effect 3 game, they went onto Etsy and did a search for Mass Effect. They then demanded Etsy take down every single item. It didn't matter the content, subject, legal or not, if it was a button that said "Mass Effect sux", if it had the tag Mass Effect it was demanded to be removed. Proving... yet again... if there's a chance to be douche bags, EA is there.

As Etsy becomes more popular, more companies are doing this. Just recently, CBS carpet bombed anything to do with The Office. A friend of ours found this out when their item, a button that said "That's what she said" was a fatality in said carpet bombing. Further, the Etsy lawyer was extremely rude to her when she attempted to dispute it. Even though it says IN the Etsy guidelines that quotes are legal.

Fox did the same last month for anything to do with Futurama.

 

[The Preened Mr. Fust]

It is behaviors like this that add far too much fuel to the Copyright war fire.

But sense is ever the mercurial thing, ready to exit through a nearby window at any given moment.

 

[TimeLord]

That's weird since a quick search gives me 26 items all with Mass Effect branding.

http://www.etsy.com/search/handmade?search_submit=&q=Mass+effect&view_type=gallery&ship_to=US

 

[Paladin Anderson]

That's weird since a quick search gives me 28 items all with Mass Effect branding.

http://www.etsy.com/search/handmade?search_submit=&q=Mass+effect&view_type=gallery&ship_to=US

Those are new items put up after the carpet bomb. All that was left when it initially happened was two VERY badly drawn Krogan portraits. Etsy threatens that anyone re-posting removed items will have their account banned.

Before all of this there was several pages of mass effect items.

 

[Vault101]

a garrus salad plate?.....

hell yes

 

[evilneko]

I smell business opportunity.

Anyone want to start up a new site with the same biz model and a promise to treat artists better? >:3

 

[Paladin Anderson]

I smell business opportunity.

Anyone want to start up a new site with the same biz model and a promise to treat artists better? >:3

If you start one let me know. I put up all my Etsy stuff on there

Personally, I'm trying to get out of fan art. I've contacted several web comics and offered to do merchandise for them and give them 40% of the profits after material and posting costs. So far only had two takers though. Which baffles me because there's no cost to them. Posting and materials are all on me. If nothing sells it's me that's out of money.

 

[Dandark]

Yet another reason to not like EA. Although I can hardly blame them for this since they probably feel they are missing out on profit since they haven't yet finished their brand of Garrus salad plates.

 

[FamoFunk]

Do we have a source?

I love Etsy and Folksy (It's like a UK version, just not as good) I've brought a lot of cool gaming things off there that you could never find in the UK.

 

[Sandytimeman]

See I don't agree with these actions at ALL. Which makes my anti-SOPA/PIPA stance seem justified and makes me feel even more justified in my EA boycott until they change their data mining policy on Origin.

Some works of fanfiction or fanart are original enough that they should be encouraged and produce money for the artist. I'll leave an example here:

http://ppg.snafu-comics.com/ (a series that basically combines the universes of Nicktoons and Cartoon Networks old line up of original content)

 

[ShindoL Shill]

wait, "That's what she said."?
thats... just... no. its like saying i have to credit "Hello" as a Thomas Edison quote when i greet someone.

 

[Callate]

Gee, and they wonder why we won't give them a law like SOPA to abuse...

 

[Something Amyss]

Now, to be clear. Fan art is legal to produce and sell as long as it is reasonably different from the source material.

Errr....

Most fan art counts as "derivative work," and as such distribution rights fall to the original copyright holder. Fan art sites tend not to be shut down on good will, largely because they're usually not for profit.

Etsy products that count as derivative works really have no right to sell and their sellers have no right to complain when they're shut down.

EA games oficially didnt support sopa and then act like its passed and is now law got to love it

Too bad this has nothing to do with SOPA.

 

[danyy2009]

I just went to this site, searched for mass effect, and they still sell there mass effect items, for example :
http://www.etsy.com/listing/91040382/mass-effect-3-video-game-10-inch-resin?ref=sr_gallery_10&sref=&ga_search_submit=&ga_search_query=mass+effect&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_spelling_corrected=mass+efefct&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_facet=handmade

same with futurama:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/90752886/futurama-bender-decal-robot-macbook-pro?ref=sr_gallery_4&sref=&ga_search_submit=&ga_ref=auto&ga_search_query=futurama&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_facet=handmade

I dont like EA policies ither, but i have to call BS on this one.

 

[Elementary - Dear Watson]

How is 'that's what she said' a trademark of the office? People were using it back at sschool long before even the original british version was conceived

 

[Rodrigo Girao]

I'll say it again: the copyright tyranny will only get worse until copyright is ABOLISHED.

 

[Baneat]

But why? Keeping people interested in the franchise by letting them make and buy stuff can't harm you.

 

[kortin]

But why? Keeping people interested in the franchise by letting them make and buy stuff can't harm you.

Because, *gasp* They don't get any of the money! D:

God damn money.

 

[Baneat]

But why? Keeping people interested in the franchise by letting them make and buy stuff can't harm you.

Because, *gasp* They don't get any of the money! D:

God damn money.

Oh they will, in increased fanbase-stickingpower.

You're a brony, I don't need to tell you that banning customs and art and commissions etc. would be good for Hasbro.