Sweet *&?% Flaming *&!# ZAZZLE is at it again!!!!!!!!! by Stillshiny

GENERAL DISCUSSIONS

Sweet *&?% Flaming *&!# ZAZZLE is at it again!!!!!!!!!

POSTED BY: STILLSHINY
UPDATED: Thursday, July 7, 2005 05:45
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VIEWED: 1352
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Wednesday, July 6, 2005 1:06 PM

That's right it looks like they are shutting down my shop!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I did everything as by the book as possible. I never once used an image from the show. I used quotes only. The one last product I did had the word SERENITY in the Papyrus font. But now they are cracking down on CHARACTER NAMES.

Oh my freaking cow!

Here is the letter I got from Zazzle.

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It has come to our attention that a large number of the products in your Zazzle contributor gallery StillShiny’s Firefly Fan Shop may be in violation of the Zazzle.com User Agreement.

Specifically, many of your products contain copyright-protected images from the television show Firefly and from the movie Serenity. In addition, many of your products may be in violation of Joss Whedon’s rights of celebrity/publicity.

Zazzle believes strongly in the strict protection of an artist’s intellectual property rights in his or her artistic work, and takes instances of infringement of these rights on the Zazzle website very seriously. If our assessment of the situation is in error, or if you have some license to display and sell these products, please inform us of this fact within 48 hours. Otherwise, we will have no choice but to delete your contributor account, and all of its products.

We hope you will understand the necessity of our compliance with United States copyright and trademark laws. As a general guideline, Zazzle will not allow products with a copyrighted title, name, or image.

In addition, we cannot produce anything with:

-pictures or names of celebrities;

-names of characters from books, movies, or television shows;

-titles of movies, books, television shows, magazines, or products;

-images from movies or television shows.

For more information, please refer to the Zazzle.com User Agreement at http://www.zazzle.com/policy/user_agreement.asp. More information is also available from the United States Copyright Office at www.copyright.gov and from the United States Patent and Trademark Office at www.uspto.gov.

Thank you for using Zazzle.com. Again, we hope you will understand our actions. We look forward to seeing more of your products in the Zazzle galleries soon!

Best Regards,

Zazzle.com, Inc.

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I can't even think of a response. I can't help but think that Joss would probaly be cool with our shops. Heck I'd even buy the man a shirt. After all these shops have always been for the fans by the fans.

Somewhere, some suit with Blue Hands now wants to be making all the coin and so they are shutting down our shops.

I'm sorry, but it was the fan base & fan reaction & fan shops that helped make Firefly & Serenity what it is. Now someone (who is so not a Browncoat) wants to cash in on our Fandom.

And all I can think of is the scene of MAl watching the Alliance coming down in the beginning of Serenity.

Man this just sucks!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyway, it was great while it lasted.

Check out my shop! Firefly & LOST products.
http://www.zazzle.com/contributors/products/gallery/browse_results.asp
?cid=238187680745956238

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the road less traveled by and they CANCELLED MY FRIKKIN' SHOW. I totally shoulda took the road that had all those people on it. Damn." --Joss

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Wednesday, July 6, 2005 1:41 PM

CHRISISALL

So sorry to hear of your troubles. There should be copyright exceptions for fan-based products (and extremely small buisnesses).
Takes some of the fan-fun outta the deal.

Chrisisall

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Wednesday, July 6, 2005 1:42 PM

FREMDFIRMA

"We've done the impossible, and that makes us mighty..."

Zazzle wants to crap on us, we can crap right back.

Can you say Boycott?

Damned lot of browncoats about, and we dun take kindly to them kinda purplebelly tactics.

-F

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Wednesday, July 6, 2005 1:44 PM

STILLSHINY

I can't help but wonder what Joss would really have to say.

Check out my shop! Firefly & LOST products.
http://www.zazzle.com/contributors/products/gallery/browse_results.asp
?cid=238187680745956238

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the road less traveled by and they CANCELLED MY FRIKKIN' SHOW. I totally shoulda took the road that had all those people on it. Damn." --Joss

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Wednesday, July 6, 2005 2:20 PM

PERFESSERGEE

That's an interesting policy, given that titles (of movies, songs, books, whatever) cannot be copyrighted under US law and international agreements. I'm not sure about character names; I think that's a gray area under copyright, though they can be trademarked (I don't know what you do if your real name is Harry Potter).

I support the concept of copyright (I write music, how could I not?) but it looks like they are going well beyond legality. Perhaps that should be pointed out to them.

perfessergee

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Wednesday, July 6, 2005 3:23 PM

HELL'S KITTEN

Quote:
Originally posted by perfessergee:
I support the concept of copyright (I write music, how could I not?) but it looks like they are going well beyond legality. Perhaps that should be pointed out to them.

They're not really "going beyond legality" here. This is their site and service, and if they don't want to tread on questionable areas in order to protect their business, they have the right to disallow content as they see fit. It's not a democracy and it's not a matter of your rights, cuz y'ain't got none in this case.

If people still want a zazzle / cafepress "shop" with this kind of stuff, I suggest just open new ones after they close your old ones. Try naming the images or products something innocuous, staying away from key words like Firefly, Serenity, Whedon and the like; it'll slow down their key word searches and make it more difficult to find your stores. Not saying it'll solve the problem, but it'll sure keep 'em busy looking. I've had mine this way for quite a while and still haven't gotten nicked.

Cheers.

无党派人士

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Thursday, July 7, 2005 2:18 AM

STILLSHINY

Thought I'd show you the letter I wrote Zazzle.

This is a very sad turn of events. I must say I am very disappointed.
In the whole time I have had this shop I have NEVER used copywritten
artwork or images. Yes, I have referenced characters & quoted Joss
Whedon. Who I will add would be in absolute favor of this shop &
others like it. Firefly & Serenity are a TV show & a Movie that could
not have happened without one thing...FANS. The reason we have been
able to succesfully run our shops is because noone ever heard of
Firefly except the true FANS. And because of the FANS it has become
what it is. This was never an attempt to make cash off of Joss
Whedon's ideas, this has always been a means to spread the word about
Firefly and to celebrate the art that is Joss Whedon. It is only now
that the fan base has grown to the point that a major motion picture
is going to be released. And now someone, who would not have movie
without us and our little shops, is going to slap us in the face, so
that their CORPORATION can produce Firefly & Serenity products. To be
honest I think Joss Whedon himself would be very disappointed with the
way his fans are being treated. Our goal has always been to make
Firefly & Serenity products available to the fans, we made them for
ourslelves. Please, it's not like we went out & decided to take a
bunch of Star Wars pics & make shirts. We chose to use inspiration
from a show nobody heard of & nobody cared about & make products for
us. Especially because CORPORATIONS did not want to. We tried
appealing to the CORPORATE structure to have shirts & posters &
figures done, and noone would. We got responses back like, "Firefly is
simply not a well established show for us to consider liscensing
products at this time" So we were left to make our own, our own
figures, our own posters, and yes our own T-Shirts. I made Firefly
T-shirts because I wanted one, and I didn't have the resources &
technology to do so. Upon discovering your service we have had a great
relationship. We the FANS provide you with fan based ideas & designs &
we get our shirts. But now Firefly has grown, made our voices heard,
and now people are listening. And suddenly these CORPORATIONS are
going to take the ART & LOVE of Firefly & Serenity and turn it into
one thing CASH & COMMERCIAL. How sad to say they would have no product
without us.
I do not feel this is fair. I am very upset. I am even certain that
the basis of this is not from Zazzle. I do believe someone else is
forcing this decision to you. I sincerely hope that perhaps we could
continue to do business, if perhaps we could remove a few products,
those that are deemed in violation, though I repeat I have never use
images or artwork from the show. I really wish you didn't have to do
this. I look forward to your response.
Find a crew, Find a job, Keep flying...
-Rob aka (Still Shiny)

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the road less traveled by and they CANCELLED MY FRIKKIN' SHOW. I totally shoulda took the road that had all those people on it. Damn." --Joss

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Thursday, July 7, 2005 5:45 AM

WICCANSLYR

TCM had to deal with the same issue yesterday.

So my though is that this means that the folks at Universal have taken note of the goings on with the screenings and such and have cominced Standard Operating Proceedures that all studios have which pretty much amount to "screw the fanbase".

If life is what you make it I want Cheese Cake!

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