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I’ve seen tons and tons of fanart on the internet and sometimes they’re being sold as prints. My question: is this acceptable? Is it legal? Here two examples:
http://instagr.am/p/MS_MiHP5-2/
http://wakkawa.blogspot.co.nz/2012/06/princess-posters.html
With both the cases the…
I’m sure there are legalities surrounding use of characters (especially Disney characters), but for the major company (eg. Disney), they’ll only really take action if a significant amount of money is being made. Then they’d probably issue a cease and desist notice. It doesn’t 100% stop the artist from drawing (or even selling) artwork with their characters, but it will limit them and keep them under a close eye.
I think for me I’m not disturbed so much by artists selling prints of their stylized versions of others’ characters as much as I worry about apparel and accessories with those designs. I guess from what I know there is a much bigger difference between using artwork for personal profit and using it for commercial profit.
I’ve created some artwork (such as this piece) intended for sale but in a quantity of one limited edition print worth about $100. I personally don’t feel the creators of MLP or Osamu Tezuka would be upset with my selling this print because of its monetary value and non-commercial use. I don’t make a habit of drawing others’ characters (it was for a themed show), but if I do, I don’t consider reselling prints (specifically prints) illegal. I could be wrong though, any other opinions on this?
