The definitive copyright thread

[sheridan]

It comes up on other threads every now and then, but I'd like to know just who are the current owners of various things that have come from the House of Tharg in the past 39 years.  I know nothing, what follows is purely guess work.

From what I can tell, just about everything that's been published in 2000AD is now copyright Rebellion, except for the following...

• Dan Dare - not having the recent DD collection I didn't get to read the copyright notice in the front, but I'm guessing Dan Dare (plus the Mekon) is going to be copyright of the Dan Dare Corporation, while the stories which ran in the first hundred and a bit progs are copyright of Rebellion (along with the new characters created for the Galaxy's Greatest)?
• The Stainless Steel Rat - I'd guess this is similar to DD, in that the characters and stories are copyright of the Estate of Harry Harrison, while the adaptation is copyright of Rebellion.
• Shaun of the Dead and that adaptation of the film with Ewan McGregor - anybody's guess!
• I'd heard about the potential controversy regarding Summer Magic, and possibly other work by Alan McKenzie, but don't know the reasoning behind it.

Outside of the pages of 2000AD itself I gather that only stories from Tornado, Starlord and Crisis which continued into 2000AD's hallowed pages had their IP transferred, while all other work remained with Egmont.  Where does this leave Future Shock style stories which were reprinted in 2000AD annuals?  The only story which 'transferred' to 2000ad was really the character Finn, and I suspect if Rebellion owned Third World War then it would have been reprinted by now.  The only Revolver stories I can remember transferring were completed in Crisis (Dare and Rogan Gosh?) so would still be with Egmont (or their respective creators?)

Something else I wonder is what happens with the co-produced and licenced work:

• DC Dredds: Judgement on Gotham, Legends of the Law, DC Judge Dredd, Lobo
• IDW: the Dredd volumes, Rogue Trooper, Anderson, Mars Attacks Judge Dredd, et al
• Games Workshop: Judge Dredd the boardgame, the RPG, the Rogue Trooper boardgame and Block/Mega Mania.  Who do the characters and locations produced for the RPG scenarios belong to?  Who owns the copyright of Sly Stallone and Sam Fox Blocks?
• Dredd the Card Game: the company that produced this went bust (apparently owing payment to the artists who provided card art?) so who does it all belong to now?
• Judge Dredd (the 1995 film) - who owns that exactly, and particulary the DC adaptation?
• Dredd (the 2012 film) - this should be easier to work out, as the Megazine runs stories based on this every year and a bit!
• Mongoose - D20-based Dredd and Slaine and Traveller-based Dredd and Strontium Dog RPGs.  This would have been simpler when they all had the same parent company, but I think I read that Mongoose was bought out by it's directors and went independent from Rebellion again?
• Tin Man Games - produce computer-gamebooks
• just for an attempt at completeness - how about that Mirror quiz book with a Dave Gibbons Mekon on the cover?

As should be obvious by now, I am not a copyright lawyer :-)

[JOE SOAP]

Judge Dredd (the 1995 film) - who owns that exactly, and particulary the DC adaptation?

The 1995 film is owned by Disney - their defunct production company Hollywood Pictures produced films aimed at an older audience. I presume DC own that particular comic adaptation.

Dredd (the 2012 film) - this should be easier to work out, as the Megazine runs stories based on this every year and a bit!]

DNA and IMGlobal own the film; the publishing rights presumably by Rebellion - with some possible caveats.

[Jim_Campbell]

   

• I'd heard about the potential controversy regarding Summer Magic, and possibly other work by Alan McKenzie, but don't know the reasoning behind it.

Alan McKenzie claims he never assigned the copyright on Summer Magic to 2000AD. Given that he was editing the comic, some people might assume that ensuring creators signed the right contracts might have been part of his job description and failure to ensure that he signed the same contracts that he was happy to see enforced on other creators makes him a bit of a cunt, but I couldn't possibly comment.

[maryanddavid]

I presume DC own that particular comic adaptation.

   
With the caveat, DC may own the story and art, but Rebellion own the main character, both sides would have to collaborate to reprint, not much appetite anywhere for it I suspect!

[sheridan]

I presume DC own that particular comic adaptation.

   
With the caveat, DC may own the story and art, but Rebellion own the main character, both sides would have to collaborate to reprint, not much appetite anywhere for it I suspect!

Which is a shame, because it was good King Carlos art which was let down by flat colouring.  Black and white or more modern colouring could do wonders for it.

[sheridan]

   

• I'd heard about the potential controversy regarding Summer Magic, and possibly other work by Alan McKenzie, but don't know the reasoning behind it.

Alan McKenzie claims he never assigned the copyright on Summer Magic to 2000AD. Given that he was editing the comic, some people might assume that ensuring creators signed the right contracts might have been part of his job description and failure to ensure that he signed the same contracts that he was happy to see enforced on other creators makes him a bit of a cunt, but I couldn't possibly comment.

That was the general impression I got - be interesting to find out if he paid himself work-for-hire rates or keep-the-copyright rates...

[maryanddavid]

Quote from: maryanddavid on Today at 12:25:38 am
Quote
I presume DC own that particular comic adaptation.
   
With the caveat, DC may own the story and art, but Rebellion own the main character, both sides would have to collaborate to reprint, not much appetite anywhere for it I suspect!
Which is a shame, because it was good King Carlos art which was let down by flat colouring.  Black and white or more modern colouring could do wonders for it.

Apologies, I was talking about the DC comic series. The 95 Film adaptation by Carlos, I would imagine that the Film Producers and Rebellion own it.

be interesting to find out if he paid himself work-for-hire rates or keep-the-copyright rates...

Interesting question.

[norton canes]

What about Metalzoic? DC copyright, presumably?

[Lobo Baggins]

There's the largely forgettable tie-in to SNES game Urban Strike, too - presumably owned by Electronic Arts.

[Lobo Baggins]

Oh, and Rick Random is presumably owned by whoever owns the rights to Detective Picture Library, although I suppose there's also the possibility it belongs to the estate of Harry Harrison.

[sheridan]

What about Metalzoic? DC copyright, presumably?

Good catch - one of my favourite stories and I complete forgot it!  Pat Mills blogged about it last year - looks like some sort of joint copyright between DC and Rebellion.

[sheridan]

There's the largely forgettable tie-in to SNES game Urban Strike, too - presumably owned by Electronic Arts.

Didn't 2000AD run a Rebellion-owned adaptation of a game soon after they took over?

[Steve Green]

I'd forgotten about Rick Random - googling the story, I thought it was reprint and the Ezquerra episode was just a redrawn lost part.

I didn't realise it was written by Steve Moore and this was a new story.

[Frank]

What about Metalzoic? DC copyright, presumably?

Good catch - one of my favourite stories and I complete forgot it!  Pat Mills blogged about it last year - looks like some sort of joint copyright between DC and Rebellion.

The joint venture Mills describes was Rebellion licensing the strip from DC and printing it up as a book, I think. In the same way they're licensing Monster and Misty from IPC.

I don't think Rebellion own Metalzoic at all. Every 2000ad episode ran with a disclaimer saying DC owned all trademarks and copyright, and that it was used with permission. They just serialized it, like the Megazine did with Preacher.

[I, Cosh]

Wasn't Pat trying to get a new edition of Metalzoic into print last year? Can't remember the details (because I operated on my own Brian.)