Marvel and DC's lawyers comin after U!

[Jokoso]

Maybe even George Lucas, course he can't really move anymore...

Anyways...I keep seein' people doin commission work and stuff of characters that aren't necessarily their own... How is this possible that these people haven't had their lives ruined by publishers finding out?

I realize that everyone has probably been drawin these characters for most of their lives but never for money.... I am sorry if this question has already been answered but I am courious as somebody how would love to cash in on this 2 if I were more talented...and attractive...;onei;

[bushiboy]

Well, i'm really not sure how the laws go on this one, but I assume if a guy gives you $50 and says "Draw me a sexy Catwoman" it's fine, but if you drew a sexy Catwoman, made 50 prints of it, and sold them you'd be screwed. It's like, I don't think Shaquille O'Niel has to pay DC royalties for having a Superman Tattoo on his arm, or the artist who did it had to get permission.

[Inkthinker]

One image is an original work of art. Selling your work of art is legal, selling prints of that work is not.

[Chris Piers]

I'm pretty sure the companies could go after you but it's just not worth their time and effort for each single commission. Unless it was being sold for a ridiculous amount of money.

[Kaligula]

Like Chris said, going after small guys like us just isn't worth their time. If you were making enough money to actually hurt their sales, then it might be a problem, but doing a drawing of Batman and selling it on Ebay really isn't hurting anybody. Plus, you drawing their characters is only better for DC and Marvel because it spreads the visibility of their properties, and ultimately equals more cash for them.

[Juan]

Originally posted by Kaligula
Like Chris said, going after small guys like us just isn't worth their time. If you were making enough money to actually hurt their sales, then it might be a problem, but doing a drawing of Batman and selling it on Ebay really isn't hurting anybody. Plus, you drawing their characters is only better for DC and Marvel because it spreads the visibility of their properties, and ultimately equals more cash for them.

wOrd - thats how I look at it too, but then again I've probably made 50 prints of my Supergirl piece and sold them through eBay, but they don't seem to care. Only once have I ever received a notice from DC/Time Warner and it was for a Supergirl "drawing" that I had up for sale. After that I've never received another.

Chaos comics used to be the one company that would hound people on eBay for using their characters. But now that they are gone, people are back to drawing those characters left and right because they make big bucks on there.

-Juan

[Justice41]

Chaos is gone? Since when? They did hound me once because I got 300 bucks for a Lady Death painting, then turned around and offered me a gig to do some (the word escapes me) paintings before acceptance or without contract. I have a Penciled 30"x 20" Lady death drawing sitting here that I was re-drawing some features so they wouldn't come after me if I sold it on eBay. But if their gone, it's gonna be finished and posted for sale then. Thanks for the info.;dvl;

[Jokoso]

So its as simply as keeping the price under the $250 mark?If so where do I sign on ebay!