Fox Copyrights Jayne's Hat

[Mid Boss]

Apparently Fox has recently copyrighted Jayne's (Firefly) infamous hand knitted orange hat after finally realizing, 10 years after the fact, they can sell them to fans. A BIT slow but, hey, these are the people who canceled the series. We're not exactly talking about the world's greatest thinkers here.

But we are, apparently, talking about some of the world's biggest ass holes. Because now they're sending lawyers after anyone who has been making them by hand these past 10 years and getting them shut down. Proving that EA isn't the only company out there that would happily throw their fans under the bus to make a buck.

Update! http://www.thinkgeek.com/blog/2013/04/jayne-hat-proceeds-to-cant-sto.html

Apparently Thinkgeek, who started selling the hats which made Fox get the copyright to begin with, was so appalled at Fox's handling of the copyright and bullying of fans that they are now donating all proceeds of the hat sales to charity. Furthermore, they will be discontinuing the hat after their current stock is sold out which will, hopefully, end Fox's witch hunt since there will no longer be a product for them to profit from. While a great move, those who had their Etsy shops closed down over this will never be able to get their shop opened again, or open a new one, without taking Fox to court and forcing them to retract their claim against their shop. That's how Etsy works apparently.

 

[Vegosiux]

Wait, since when have copyrights/patents been effective ex post facto?

Someone should be calling bullshit on this. I mean, someone with clout.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Heh, don't patents only last 20 years? If so, almost half gone already.

I sorta like the idea of waiting until lots of people are violating your IP, then suing everyone without warning, though.

 

[Mid Boss]

Wait, since when have copyrights/patents been effective ex post facto?

Someone should be calling bullshit on this. I mean, someone with clout.

When you have lots of money and an army of lawyers then copyright and trademark laws become.... flexible.... For example, NBC owns a trade mark on the phrase "That's what she said"

 

[Vegosiux]

Heh, don't patents only last 20 years? If so, almost half gone already.

I sorta like the idea of waiting until lots of people are violating your IP, then suing everyone without warning, though.

Oh I see, I seem to have missed a comma somewhere and understood it as if Fox only copyrighted the thing now. Right, this makes more sense, while still not being any less exasperating.

 

[Mid Boss]

Heh, don't patents only last 20 years? If so, almost half gone already.

I sorta like the idea of waiting until lots of people are violating your IP, then suing everyone without warning, though.

Oh I see, I seem to have missed a comma somewhere and understood it as if Fox only copyrighted the thing now. Right, this makes more sense, while still not being any less exasperating.

No you were right. Fox copyrighted it only a month or two ago.

 

[Berithil]

Wait, since when have copyrights/patents been effective ex post facto?

Someone should be calling bullshit on this. I mean, someone with clout.

That's what I was thinking. I didn't know they could do this.

Either way, this is still douchebaggerry on a massive scale, effectively a "screw you" to the fans.

 

[Esotera]

Why on earth would you want to enforce copyright on a knitted hat? It's not like they're selling the product so it's not in competition.

Wait, since when have copyrights/patents been effective ex post facto?

Someone should be calling bullshit on this. I mean, someone with clout.

You automatically get copyright on anything you create, so they've arguably had it on all the props in Firefly. They've just chosen not to enforce it as it is clearly ridiculous...

 

[Muspelheim]

"If you want an image of the future of copyright law, picture an exquisitively designed and shined shoe, stamping on a human face.

Forever."

Alright, that maybe is taking it too far, but I'd never liked the idea that you can copyright such a thing as a knitted hat. That's ridiculous, and it'd almost be fun if these wankers didn't go out of their way to sabotage people's economy over it.

I'd like to pretend it's the result of a hissy fit because they didn't think of it first.

 

[Albino Boo]

"If you want an image of the future of copyright law, picture an exquisitively designed and shined shoe, stamping on a human face.

Forever."

Alright, that maybe is taking it too far, but I'd never liked the idea that you can copyright such a thing as a knitted hat. That's ridiculous, and it'd almost be fun if these wankers didn't go out of their way to sabotage people's economy over it.

I'd like to pretend it's the result of a hissy fit because they didn't think of it first.

So if you come up with new design of knitted hat that is popular, without copyright, what is to stop some guy in China making 3 million of them and getting rich of the back of your design? If every time you come with a design someone else gets rich, how long do you think you will keep making new hat designs?

Heh, don't patents only last 20 years? If so, almost half gone already.

I sorta like the idea of waiting until lots of people are violating your IP, then suing everyone without warning, though.

Patens last 20 years, but copyright in the case of work for hire piece like this last 95 years after its first public appearance.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

Just looking at that picture, how is the design in any way novel? Is it because they used orange yarn? Because I'm pretty sure that's a traditional Finnish hat right there.

Spoiler: In fact, after googling, I've even found the name:

It's called a Lapp.

Edit:

Spoiler: There's also a similar tradition in Peru.

 

[EHKOS]

WHAT. WHAT! Doesn't Heavy have one of those? I'd like to see VALVe knock them on their asses. They know we love Firefly. AND THEY STILL WON'T BRING IT BACK. ARGH. This. My jimmies. Oh dear Daystar my jimmies. How rustled thou art. What doth fist upon Fox's face break...

...I think I broke.

 

[BlackStar42]

Man copyrights that hat, people know he's not afraid of anything.

 

[idarkphoenixi]

Can you really copyright a hat though? As in, the hat is a specific piece of intellectual property?

I imagine this could be easily be stepped around though by simply not calling it "Jayne's hat". Unless they literally put copyright claims on a particular colour scheme...

Next they'll be suing anyone who trying selling brown coats. Because reasons.

 

[Entitled]

So if you come up with new design of knitted hat that is popular, without copyright, what is to stop some guy in China making 3 million of them and getting rich of the back of your design? If every time you come with a design someone else gets rich, how long do you think you will keep making new hat designs?

Not sure if sarcastic or copynazi apologist.

In either case, here is a straight answer: Forever. The history of pre-copyright humankind, is a history of various fancy hat designs.

Copyright didn't cause creativity. The idea that copyright encourages productivity MIGHT make a certain amount of sense in some limited cases, like with blockbuster movie and AAA game industries, but not even that is proven.

Any creativity that can be done in a single person's free time, has been done for millenia before IP laws, and the only thing that the IP laws do for them, is LIMIT whether or not you are allowed to do a creative work.

 

[Mid Boss]

I keep seeing people commenting on this Jayne's hat copyright deal saying they can't do that, it wont hold up in court, etc etc etc but who would have the balls and the money to go to court with them over it to prove it? So they'll keep the copyright only because they have so much money and lawyers no one in their right mind would argue with them over it and Fox isn't the only one doing this! NBC has a trademark on the phrase "That's what she said"! The system is so freaking broken and skewed for the rich and powerful that it's ridiculous.

 

[MagratheanCookie]

I wonder if they will force the removal of approximately 45 different Jayne hat knit patterns. No, that is not an exaggeration. Albeit, a few of the 45 patterns are unusual adaptations of the Jayne hat, including two adapted for cats!

Even if they do go that far, its absurdly easy to figure out a pattern or adapt dozens of other similar hat patterns. A rather silly copyright claim.

 

[Frission]

Pfff. I've seen hats like that before Firefly. You can't copyright something you didn't invent.

... right?

 

[BlackStar42]

Pfff. I saw hats like that before Firefly. You can't copyright something you didn't invent.

... right?

With enough money and lawyers, apparently you can. Too bad you can't torrent a hat.

 

[Mid Boss]

Update! http://www.thinkgeek.com/blog/2013/04/jayne-hat-proceeds-to-cant-sto.html

Apparently Thinkgeek, who started selling the hats which made Fox get the copyright to begin with, was so appalled at Fox's handling of the copyright and bullying of fans that they are now donating all proceeds of the hat sales to charity. Furthermore, they will be discontinuing the hat after their current stock is sold out which will, hopefully, end Fox's witch hunt since there will no longer be a product for them to profit from. While a great move, those who had their Etsy shops closed down over this will never be able to get their shop opened again, or open a new one, without taking Fox to court and forcing them to retract their claim against their shop. That's how Etsy works apparently.