Intellectual Property (IP), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Open Movements (OM) : IP-Transformative Entrepreneurs or IP Law Infringers and Scofflaws? Observations from Steel City Con 2018

Sunday, April 22, 2018

IP-Transformative Entrepreneurs or IP Law Infringers and Scofflaws? Observations from Steel City Con 2018

IP-Transformative Entrepreneurs or IP Law Infringers and Scofflaws?

Observations from Steel City Con 2018

Kip Currier: Last weekend at Pittsburgh's Steel City Con 2018, I observed and spoke with a number of sellers/vendors. These vendors, as I see it, primarily fall into 2 different categories, in terms of what they're selling.

Category #1: Unaltered Goods.

Sellers of sold-as-is comic books, action figures, toys, games, autographed celebrity photos, etc. Items whose original form has not been materially altered (transformed) from the time they were created by the original publisher, manufacturer, or company. [Other than perhaps having been previously read (in the case of comic books) or played with (e.g. action figures, toys, and games)].

Examples:

Licensed Negan-carrying "Lucille" Bats from The Walking Dead
James "Kip" Currier (c) 2018

Lost in Space DIY plastic kit
James "Kip" Currier (c) 2018

Rainbow (or Arc-en-ciel, en francais) Batman action figures
(...Curious to know the idea/motivation behind this incarnation of The Caped Crusader!)
James "Kip" Currier (c) 2018

Seller with miscellaneous goods for sale...and 2 Jeannies
James "Kip" Currier (c) 2018

Category #2: Altered Goods (--not to be confused with recently-released Netflix Sci-Fi show Altered Carbon)

Sellers of goods that incorporate, build upon, mashup (combine), transform, and/or some would say appropriate aspects of existing Intellectual Property, such as well-known trademarked logos, designs, characters, devices, etc.

The ongoing issue for consideration-- depending on where you fall on the "fan culture", "transformativeness", "IP infringement" spectrum--is whether you think the folks in Category 2 are:

Intellectual Property-Transformative Entrepreneurs?
Intellectual Property Law Infringers and Scofflaws?
Something else?

Last year I wrote about and included photos of some sellers, who I'd spoken with at Steel City Con 2017:

Some examples of works that I observed being sold at the Con veer closer to (and step over?) the edge of infringement than others that can make stronger arguments for "transformativeness". Cristine Cordero's Heroes and Heels is a good example of the latter. Cristine told me that she uses actual comic book-clipped images to bring one-of-a-kind "custom created comic book shoes" to life...and her customers' feet.

At the 2017 Steel City Con, I spoke with a seller named Jim Radeshak, who was back this year. He runs Feisty Goblin Crafts and make "Handmade Comic Book Art Items" that he sell at Conventions and on Etsy. Radeshak's business card cheekily declares that he is "Cutting up comics to make yours more valuable!" He explained that he cuts out images from comic books and free Previews of comic books. Then affixes those images to ceramic coasters, via a process of lacquer application and "baking":

Coasters made by Jim Radeshak's Feisty Goblin Crafts
James "Kip" Currier (c) 2018

More Feisty Goblin Crafts' Coasters
James "Kip" Currier (c) 2018

I also spoke briefly with Michael Fulton. He bills himself as The Wandmaker and makes "Original Hand-crafted Wands" of all shapes and sizes. The spitting image of Eddie Redmayne's Newt Scamander (J.K. Rowling's literary and cinematic protagonist in 2016's fantasy film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them), the wand-and-magic-suitcase-in-hands would-be wizard dashed from behind his wands-covered vending table to conjure up a photo:

Wandmaker, Michael Fulton, as J.K. Rowling's Newt Scamander
James "Kip" Currier (c) 2018

This clever T-shirt business, called Cleveland Sleeves, "mashes up" brands, such as Star Wars characters with famous sports teams. Like this one that amalgamates the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team with a Star Wars Stormtrooper mask:

In this photo, the Cleveland Sleeves salesperson on the left sports a T-shirt that displays Pittsburgh in the recognizable block-y font from the first Superman franchise film series:

Cleveland Sleeves T-shirts and vendors
James "Kip" Currier (c) 2018

This T-shirt that mashes up the Pittsburgh Steelers football theme with a Stormtrooper will be loved by my university-attending nephew--who is a die-hard fan of both franchises:

In a post about Steel City Con last week, I included this creative Wrestling Art example:
An artist (or artists) has taken iconic comic book covers from, say, Marvel and DC Comics and substituted and/or added in wrestling celebrities for the original comic book characters...Mick Foley standing in for Spider-Man. Becky Lynch swapping out She-Hulk:

Some vendors also make bespoke costume apparel and gear. Like this guy, seen talking with a Star Wars fan about special ordering some accessories: