D&D General Plagiarised D&D art

[Scribe]

shrug. Cynicism is self-fulfilling prophecy.

Maybe, but I dont think any of us will be around to see who was right or wrong, unless we count getting turned into AI chat bots.

 

[Umbran]

Maybe, but I dont think any of us will be around to see who was right or wrong, unless we count getting turned into AI chat bots.

How are you sure we aren't all AI chatbots?
I mean, if the universe is really a simulation....

 

[Lanefan]

Someone creates art. The idea is that anyone that uses that creation needs to have the permission of the person that created it to use it. If they flat out reuse it, or modify it while using the core of it then it is wrong to use it without that permission.

However, there are some uses that are perfectly acceptable without permission. They generally (in the US) include criticism, commentary, reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.

You missed the best acceptable use: parody.

 

[Lanefan]

For writing and art, though, not so much. The remixing of generative AI do not leave us with the identity ethics issue. Here, is more simply a copyright issue. Holding the copyright to a work generally includes right to use that work to produce derivative works. So, if someone holds those rights, and wants to use generative AI to create a derivative work... I'm sorry, but that's okay.

Put another way, you're always allowed to plagiarize yourself.

Good thing, too, else 99% of what I've created in my life would violate my own copyright!

 

[Lanefan]

To make it clear, the Monster Manual art is the original. The DK contains lots of those "line art" images and it's pretty likely that most of them are traced in a similar way, but I haven't identified more D&D images as their source.

Here's a real long-shot idea: is there any chance the tracer misread the OGL and thought the 3e MM was open-source?

 

[Clint_L]

You missed the best acceptable use: parody.

Sadly, parody has its limits:

Mickey Mouse, Long a Symbol in Copyright Wars, to Enter Public Domain: ‘It’s Finally Happening’

Dan O’Neill was 53 years ahead of his time. In 1971, he launched a countercultural attack on Mickey Mouse. In his underground comic book, “Air Pirates Funnies,” the lovable mouse was seen smuggling drugs and performing oral sex on Minnie. As O’Neill had hoped, Disney sued him for copyright...

uk.news.yahoo.com

 

[Jack Daniel]

Yep. There's a long tradition of this in the hobby. If you think that's bad, you should read up on the early days of TSR's D&D art and the comic books they plagiarized from.

Ah, yes. Raging barbarian, Nick Fury.

 

[Clint_L]

Put another way, you're always allowed to plagiarize yourself.

Unless you're a student. Reusing previously assessed work is a big no-no.

Also, you actually can plagiarize yourself, if you've sold the rights to the work in question.

 

[Scribe]

How are you sure we aren't all AI chatbots?
I mean, if the universe is really a simulation....

Nothing pushes me towards the edge of the abyss of existential dread like that line of thought.

 

[ValamirCleaver]

Also, you actually can plagiarize yourself, if you've sold the rights to the work in question.

Under the leadership of Saul Zaentz, Fantasy Records sued John Fogerty for plagiarism, claiming the song "The Old Man Down The Road" was too derivative of the song "Run Through the Jungle". The case was litigated through a jury trial, and the jury found in Fogerty's favor, rejecting the claim of infringement. Eventually Fogerty was able to recoup attorneys' fees as the "the prevailing party" in a copyright action.

Flashback: John Fogerty Wins Rare Self-Plagiarism Suit in 1988

John Fogerty won a suit that said he'd stolen "Old Man Down the Road" from Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Run Through the Jungle" in 1988.

www.rollingstone.com

The Time John Fogerty Was Sued for Ripping Off John Fogerty

In 1993, former Creedence Clearwater Revival singer John Fogerty found himself at the center of a case being argued before the United States Supreme Court.

www.mentalfloss.com

The Old Man Down the Road - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Run Through the Jungle - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Fogerty v. Fantasy, Inc. - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/us-9th-circuit/1133181.html