Posted by Magus 23 at 208.213.219.34 on August 17, 2001 at 09:00:09:
Dear View Askew:
It has come to my attention that several 'net sites have started using the fan poster I
created a while back to promote the upcoming J&SBSB film. I first noticed this on
the Internet Movie Database, then on the DC-101 premiere contest website
(mentioned on the News Askew site), and now at Movietickets.com. And while I
would initially suspect that any promotion is good (and I'm certainly proud that they
thought it was professional enough to be a real studio poster), I realize that you
may have concerns that it is being passed off as your authorized material -- in
effect, that through my work, I am "speaking" for View Askew when in fact I have
no connection with the company. Or that its existence may detract from actual sales
of the real one-sheet poster.
In every case where I have seen such use (with the exception of the News Askew
site, which I explicitly gave permission to use the poster) I have notified those in
charge about the error. I cetainly have not attempted to raise copyright concerns,
since, though I may have a claim based on my original contribution to the work, I
do not own (nor do I claim to own) the material on which it is based (namely, any
copyrighted material of View Askew, Unversal, Gramercy, Miramax, Dimension,
etc.). At no point have I ever attempted to make money off of its creation; all work
done to create the poster was done with the full understanding that it was at my
own expense, with no intention of financial remuneration.
I just wanted to get a feel for your thoughts on the matter. Should I more
aggressively pursue the removal of the material in question? Or are you okay with
it? Hell, do you want the original electronic files for your own reproduction?
I sincerely hope that this is not of serious concern to you, and that the poster is
taken in the spirit with which it was intended -- namely, a sincere appreciation from
a devoted fan (with too much time on his hands). But if this is not the case, please
let me know and I will take whatever action you deem appropriate.
Thank you for your attention.
Sincerely,
Bill Coughlan
w_coughlan@yahoo.com