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Legalities of Comic-convention fan art

This is a tremendous discussion of something that baffles me at every comic convention I attend: What are the legal parameters of selling art that features characters that you don’t have the proper licensing for?

Quick note: I keep seeing mistakes like this one in other sites that discuss this topic:*

It seemed to violate my understanding of copyright, but also everyone seems to be doing it.

Please don’t make this rookie mistake. Unless you’re talking about reproducing, say, a panel from a published comic, this isn’t a copyright issue. It’s an issue of trademark. Remember — copyright is the right to make a copy of a piece of art. If you draw a Captain America illustration, your issue is not one of copyright. Rather, you are entering the arena of trademark.

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by Brad Guigar on July 7, 2014
Posted In: Business
└ Tags: comic conventions, copyright, legal, trademark
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