tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778276361957351199.post5905059952346818039..comments2024-02-29T14:12:01.955-05:00Comments on Flashback Universe Blog: Freedom Fighters Lost 100 PagerJim Shelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05006833955333061262noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778276361957351199.post-60265468851246154262013-07-10T08:01:49.924-04:002013-07-10T08:01:49.924-04:00@GACN - Chris, at the moment, Seth doesn't hav...@GACN - Chris, at the moment, Seth doesn't have any finished work with any independent publisher though I think he had an entry in at Zuda back in the day. On his site he has a number of sequential art pages, but to the best of my knowledge nothing from the Big 8. (Maybe we should call it the Indy 8?)Jim Shelleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05006833955333061262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778276361957351199.post-42934938925925065232013-07-10T07:59:41.548-04:002013-07-10T07:59:41.548-04:00@Cash_Gorman - thank you for the insight! It seems...@Cash_Gorman - thank you for the insight! It seems to more I learn about copyright and trademark, the more murky it seems to actually be.<br /><br />That's an interesting theory about the Arrow television show. It sure seems to have undercut whatever plans Dynamite had for their Arrow.Jim Shelleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05006833955333061262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778276361957351199.post-59054810297284374152013-07-08T18:11:02.353-04:002013-07-08T18:11:02.353-04:00Btw, I am in love with Seth Frail's style.
D...Btw, I am in love with Seth Frail's style. <br /><br />Does he have any pro credits among the Big 6 or 7 or 8. :-)GACNhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06721317665347150211noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778276361957351199.post-2437017474104135932013-07-08T18:08:48.770-04:002013-07-08T18:08:48.770-04:00I signed up for THE OWL series because he is one o...I signed up for THE OWL series because he is one of my favorites from the Golden Age. <br /><br />The first issue was okay. Nothing critical to say about it. It gave a nod to the SUPERPOWERS stories (a series I stopped reading after #2 btw), but definitely goes its own way.<br /><br />As for Dynamite, I only read the main SHADOW book (which I really enjoy), Waid's Green Hornet (which I will stop once Waid once he leaves it), and followed MASKS (what a long story that could have been told in six or less issues), enjoying it enough to buy all eight issues. <br /><br />If I see The BAT or BLACK FURY in the quarter bins, then I'll try them, but neither of them, in this Dynamite incarnation, appeal to me.<br /><br />-ChrisGACNhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06721317665347150211noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778276361957351199.post-49320218285658555512013-07-08T10:05:17.401-04:002013-07-08T10:05:17.401-04:00As far as Black, DC, and Quality... it should be n...As far as Black, DC, and Quality... it should be noted, you CAN TRADEMARK public domain properties. So, depending on said date of the letter, DC could be in the right regarding the trademark. However, DC does not have the copyrights to the Quality characters beyond Plastic Man, Blackhawk and possibly Doll Man and Doll Girl. And, even those are limited as the copyrights to the Quality titles didn't get renewed until the post 1950 issues. Doll Girl, the one character never made use of other than establishing her death at some point in the past to give Darrell Dane some angst in Freedom Fighters, is the one Quality character they have the strongest claim to, all but one of her superhero appearances were renewed by DC.<br /><br />What's tricky is you cannot use your trademark though to block someone using public domain characters in ways that don't infringe on the trademark. Thus, even if DC does own the trademark to Phantom Lady, it shouldn't prevent Black from reprinting her stories or using her INSIDE the pages of Fem Force (and any appearances of her on the cover, make sure it's the Fox version ie blue and red outfit vs Quality's yellow and green). So, DC's letter was legally and literally in the right, but from accounts, it gives the impression of having more rights than they really had. Technically, DC's claims are further weakened by the massive re-designs of late. If they don't make use of the classic designs, the original likenesses will no longer be covered under their trademark claims. This includes the Quality, Fawcett AND Charlton characters which are all technically public domain.<br /><br />AC's understanding and use of copyrights and trademarks is a bit hard to pin down as they are often inconsistent in their use and statements. Although, if anyone had a right to contest Dynamite trademarking the Green Lama as a comic character, they did. They had been using and reprinting the character in Fem Force and their Golden-Age Men of Mystery books as well as having a two-part mini-series in the works.cash_gormanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12071052539938367439noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778276361957351199.post-5491884119540628252013-07-08T09:34:10.362-04:002013-07-08T09:34:10.362-04:00Trademarks only apply to titles and covers. And, t...Trademarks only apply to titles and covers. And, trademarking a comic does not necessarily conflict with trademarks on prose, film, music etc as long as the two are clearly separate. And, it means Dynamite has to make use of said trademarks. So, they almost had to do the Owl mini (and probably why the Green Lama, Black Terror and Zorro appeared in MASKS). Look for the others to appear prominently on the covers of the next SUPERPOWERS arc. In some ways, Dynamite has been very cagey in walking that line between copyright and trademark infringements.<br /><br />I personally believe that's why DC's tv version of Green Arrow is called "Arrow". With Dynamite pursuing a trademark of the Centaur character for the name "Arrow" and him being such a similar character, a television or film company might otherwise try to ride the coat-tails of a "Green Arrow" show with the Centaur character. Even the outfit of the tv version is similar to the Centaur character, only a dark green.<br /><br />For what it's worth, the Green Lama pulps are still under copyright by the estate of the author which limits a bit what Dynamite can do with the character (his golden-age comic appearances and presumably radio are public domain). I think that's why even though the Green Lama appearing in MASKS on the covers and adverting covered the trademarks, yet was not a significant presence in the book itself... the nature of the story prevents the magician and Raboy version of the character but make him too close to his pulpish roots and risk the further ire of the Kendall Foster estate which was already upset with Dynamite over their use of the character. The estate is already licensing new prose stories of the pulp version as well reprints, so Dynamite has to be as careful with him as they are with their Edgar Rice Burroughs knock-offs.cash_gormanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12071052539938367439noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778276361957351199.post-83165571206174827972013-07-06T15:25:32.154-04:002013-07-06T15:25:32.154-04:00I think Argosy has a superior claim to Green Lama....I think Argosy has a superior claim to Green Lama.-> Rayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01560887728240829164noreply@blogger.com