Who Owns The Stars And Stripes?

Dont bother answering, the title is merely retorical.

Tumblr

So i get home from my hometown only to find that i am being accused of being a theif (only two people has ever called me that with impunity, both times on the web).

The reason, a girl on Tumblr claims ownership of a picture from 1927.

Not even the studio who made the movie does anymore (as far as i can see copyrights has expired?) , but thats beside the point.

Reason for her claim is that she has made this almost a century old picture twitch a little bit ( a “Gif”).

So, out of an entire movie ( i think it is about 90 minutes long) from 1927 she “owns” the picture because it twitches???

I am threatened with losing my (Tumblr) account because of “copyright infringement” and my post is deleted simply because i didnt add her name to a picture taken by someone else a hundred years before she was born.

And this on Tumblr ( i have a good lust finding the real copyright holders lawyers to anything on her Tumblr and alert them  ), a place where people post pictures for no other reason than to post pictures all the time.

I have a hard time beliving any of them are under some permission by the owners.

Unless they are personal friends with Allyson Hannigan, owns a tardis and travels through time, owns a major studio or two that   made some movies like 20:th Century Fox or Warner Brothers and a couple of major record labels?

Do they?

“Transformative”

Now if i take a picture of Chaplin, (where copyrights have expired) and make it a bit bluer i might claim that it is transformed (i have done some work on it).

If someone else takes that (now bluer) picture and adds a red nose that could also be considered transformative.

Then i,who made it blue, can complain. Not owning the original picture i am  still the one making it bluer and the one adding the nose might be considered “steeling” the work of making it bluer.

In the rest of the world this is called being anal.

The crime commited by the thief Marcel

What i did was making a photo set of several pictures from the 1920´s to use to show people what one of my blogs was about (a picture of a gangster, one from a movie, a flapper, a dancer and so on).

These pictures i simply (and logically) took from the archive of said blog, without checking if any of their original posters had any strange and exotic demands on what you had to do before posting the material that isnt morally theirs anyway.

I didnt even react to the picture in question being a Gif made by anyone but simply saw it as a scene from the movie.

I was never contacted either until Tumblr themselves did so.

I am now waiting to see if i will be contacted by some American who owns the copyrights for the Latin alphabet for infringing on his rights by writing.

It is clear that i am a thief without morals or honour and should be ashamed for using Tumblr the way everybody else does (actually, i normally always post source).

In my country most “minor cases” as it is called does not exist.

We simply solve it by being adults instead.

A picture of Ivor Novello and June Tripp from Alfred Hitchcock´s “The Lodger: A Story Of The London Fog” that is pretty much identical to the one i write about, but not “twitching”. Let´s see if the Gestapo will be at my door for using it without writing that it was posted by: http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2012/aug/09/the-lodger-a-story-review …..who doesent own it either but simply wrote a review of the movie. Photograph: BFI

Rain

 

Photo set put together by: hiddlessiren

Crap Chic (Haute Merde?)

Vivienne Westwood at Paris fashion week S/S 2012

Re-enchanting the World: Art and Paganism

Re-enchanting the World: Art and Paganism.

“Platsar” Bingo?

Bingo Rimér har alltid framstått som intelligent och vältalig i mina ögon men nu hos Malou så vräker han ur sig att om man (som modell) inte “platsar” hos dom “etablerade” agenturerna så skall man plugga till ingenjör istället???

Ytterligare lite av detta Amerikanska , elitistiska dravel som färre och färre går på.

I Bingos värld antar jag att Arnold Swartzenegger är en av världens största skådespelare?

Arnold har varit en av de högst betalda i Hollywood och får väl ses som tämligen etablerad (han är själv en sådan som skulle kunna hjälpa eller själpa en karriär med ett “expertutlåtande”).

Samtidigt så var givetvis Vincent Van Gogh en världelös målare.

Han tjänade knappt en Gulden och jobbade bla som präst. Men som konstnär blev han aldrig etablerad (om Bingo råkar äga en Van Gogh så tar jag gärna skiten så den slipper ta upp plats i hans källarskrubb).

 

"Etablerad"

Icke "etablerad"

 

 

Vi lever i en värld där kändiskulten gör att de företag som är just “etablerade” kan avkräva folk allt möjligt och där normala regler för ett “jobb” inte längre gäller (och i visa fall är det i sanningens namn motiverat. Alla “jobb” är inte vanliga).

Att bli bedömd och få “Nej” ingår i jobbet för alla som sysslar med något konstnärligt vare sig det gäller auditions eller “go see´s” och det är nog alla med på.

Dock ger det samtidigt utrymme för “sågarna” att sänka folk eller stänga dörrar baserat på annat än kvaliteter i själva verksamheten.

Idag skulle tex Marilyn Monroe inte ha “platsat” på de flesta agenturer. Twiggy skulle möjligtvis det eftersom modellbranschen numer ägnar sig åt necrofili.

Det är kanske inte alltid så dramatiskt som att man vägrade ligga med regissören och därför inte fick en utlovad roll men det kan mycket väl vara så att andra “hållhakar” utöver vad verksmheten egentligen kräver finns på plats, allt för en möjlighet till “kändisskap” (let´s face it, idag finns det nog fler som vill bli “kända” än vad än vad det finns som vill bli bra) eller en möjlighet till utövande.

Kort sagt: Etablerad = bra.

Något som tyvärr verkligheten inte tycks hålla med om.

Vi lever också i en värld där “indie” verksamhet blir mer och mer utbredd.

Kort sagt, folk är bra på saker oavsett om dom “får” eller ej.

En gång i tiden ändrades Hollywoods studiesystem genom att skådespelare helt enkelt tröttnade.

Om de som är “etablerade” ihärdar i att tro att dom har något slags sista utslag vad som är “bra, säljbart” eller “gångbart” så kommer dom snart att inse att publik, designers, regisörer, omständigheter och tidsanda också vill ha ett ord med och kan ändra åsikt när som helst.

De “etablerade” brukar oftast svara med att försöka köpa upp. Alternativt så blir de “oetablerade” plötsligt “etablerade” och lika goda kålsupare (Punk och Hip Hop är väl goda exempel. Snart kommer det väl att krävas 50 uiversitetspoäng i “Hiphopologi” för att tas på allvar som rappare?).

Jag tycker att “Fair Faces” gör rätt.

Jag tror på “indie” och att göra själv.

Att visa att de etablerade inte nödvändigtvis “platsar” i ens vision och att ha lite integritet är säkert irrierande.

Att ha lite FAKTISK intresse i sin konstart i en värld där man ombeds att prostituera sig för en budget och en plats bland de “etablerade” är säkert störande med (och drev ut så fullkomligt oviktiga filmskapare som Wells och Chaplin ur USA).

Jag tror naturligtvis på att lyssna på de som är erfarna, ha lite ödmjukhet och inse när någon har hållit på längre.

Jag tror också att många är etablerade just för att dom är bra.

Dock tror jag även att många blev etablerade delvist för att dom sållade utlåtanden från “sågare”.

Rolling Stones blev inte de dom är genom att vara med i “Idol” och ta råd från Bard, en expert som själv började genom att mima över en leksassynth.

Kenneth Brannagh tog (och tar säkert) råd från Royal Shakespeare Company,RADA och liknande på långt större konstnärligt allvar än råd från någon producent som pungar ut pengar och kan öppna dörrar.

På något sätt är det nog bara att inse att de med konstnärliga yrken eller verksamheter går en balansgång mellan industri och konst och att resten är en fråga om prioritet.

SOPA, Cultural And Economical Suicide

I recently posted a picture of actor Steve Valentine in a kilt (not here, but on the web) where i remarked how i think he is an interesting and great actor.

One would THINK that that would be a compliment.

Instead, either he and/or his agent, the Scottish fashion people who´s show he was modelling in or the TV show he is in might be pissed that i “stole” a picture (despite that my commenting might make it pass as “fair use” ).

I linked and the only way to see the whole thing would be to click and go to the original page of the picture.

This was just a thumbnail.

So have i “stolen” from someone, or am i part of what keeps this industry afloat in the first place?

I would argue that this is just the casette tape argument regurgitated and enlarged.

They call it piracy, i call it free advertisement.

I call it commentary.

I call it cultural reaction.

In a sense a non proffessional part of the industry itself.

How many albums by artists you never heard of before have you bought because you heard them on a mixed tape somebody gave you?

How much of this “piracy” do you think actually serves to keep people, artists, products and concepts in the public mind?

What brings in more revenues, one picture stolen which makes people check out something they might not have heard of otherwise, or at least wearent interested in, or the corporations being the only ones talking about their products ,paying other corporations to spread the word?

Did casette tapes or video tapes hurt the record or movie industry?

 

The entertainment industry just dont understand what makes a fan.

They are just that, an industry.

They think people go to conventions wearing plastic pointy ears becase they watch Star Trek.

I would argue that they watch Star Trek because they wear pointy ears.

When something becomes, to a certain point, iconic it becomes part of culture, and that is what we are talking about isnt it, culture?

Popular culture. The question isnt whether the artist should get payed or not, it is whether they should remain artists, and thus add to culture, or become salesmen?

If they want fans they will have to let people be engaged, otherwise ,what they want is customers and they sell a product and it might as well be plastic buckets or toothpaste.

The best way to keep customers is to get people engaged, involved.

 

In the TV show “The Big Bang Theory” the character Sheldon is often wearing a Green Lantern T-shirt (which is probably product placement but thats beside the point for this argument).

To him Green Lantern is very obviously more than a product. It is a part of his world, the myths surrounding him and the culture of which he is a part.

In short, he is a fan.

It is part of his identity.

To simply passively buy “stuff” peddled to him would not get him interested.

In short, deny him fandom and lose a customer.

Springrolls dont need fans, neither do tires, but Stephen King, George Lucas or Bruce Springsteen are part of our times zeitgeist, not just products we bought.

Art, culture, part of our times.

If somebody copied this article and posted it somewhere else, possably commenting, agreeing, disagreeing with it, i would hope they would credit and maybe link, but i would also be glad that they thought it was relevant enough to even react to.

In all fairness, Stephen King, George Lucas and Bruce Springsteen make their living from what they do. I , in this case, dont.

Personally i think SOPA will bring down revenues for the entertainment industry.

It is simply bad business.

A failure to understand the target group.

And i havent even TOUCHED free speach or democracy.

But dont take my word for it, just wait and see.

 

Ps: I havent illustrated with any pictures and i will refrain from ending it with “May the force be with you” or

“Live long and prosper”. I dont want to end up in Guantanamo after all.

Easy instructions for boycotting GoDaddy over SOPA

Posted by Robert David Graham (@ErrataRob)

http://erratasec.blogspot.com/2011/12/easy-instructions-for-boycotting.html

SOPA is a horrible internet regulation law pushed by the copyright cartels that will destroy many of the freedoms on the Internet, such as the TOR project that anonymizes network traffic for activists in repressive countries.

Go Daddy supports SOPA. Therefore, if you care about Internet freedoms, you should probably move your accounts to another registrar. This link http://blog.jeffepstein.me/post/14629857835/a-step-by-step-guide-to-transfer-domains-out-of-godaddy describes how to do it in a painless manner. I’m moving my Go Daddy registrations to Network Solutions, where I already have an account.

Go Daddy has now officially dropped its support of SOPA. It isn’t against SOPA, it has no official opinion. But isn’t it Go Daddy’s original intent that matters? Go Daddy supported SOPA and that’s the kind of internet they would like to see. I think a boycott is in order even if they reversed course after finding out how unpopular their position was.

SOPA And The Entertainment Industry

Written by: Tina Houston

https://plus.google.com/u/0/111294639597754620168/posts

 

SOPA is the new internet censorship laws imposed by the entertainment industry to “protect” the entertainment industry. I am protesting by not buying cable or any kind of TV, Music of any kind, I will not be renting/buying movies or even go to the movie theater. I will not be referring, discussing in any way any performer of any kind with in the entertainment industry. If they want people to buy their shit they will have to get it to the public I will not be a participant in spreading word of mouth advertising in any way other than what I am freely allowed to share via the internet. So if they want word of mouth advertising they will get SOPA advertised and how they are screwing over the entire world. I have enough family, work, projects, and books to read and research to do to keep me entertained with out using ANY entertainment crap sold buy the entertainment industry.
The entertainment industry can kiss my lily white behind and go screw themselves. If I can’t access something in it’s entirety before I purchase it or share it with my friends so they can purchase it, then screw the person/s/corporation/business/who is selling it. I won’t even purchase a book if I can’t skim over the content and view some of it to even see if I want to read it, so why would I spend $24.00 or more on something I am not even sure if I am gonna like it? Screw you Entertainment industry you will get no word of mouth advertising from me. No one will hear a single word about anything put out from the Entertainment Industry. If it isn’t third party I will no longer share it. I will no longer like, +1, or anything that will promote something put out there by the entertainment industry if it is put on there by the artist or anyone who has explicit permission to promote it. This mouth will be absent of words when it comes to any product made with in the entertainment industry. Just want to make that clear. And If someone wants to talk about something I will hide the post, not read it, not view it, or just walk away from the conversation. I don’t even want to know what is new. I will NO LONGER spend a penny on Entertainment produced with in the Entertainment Industry.

Be a HERO and Help STOP SOPA Now!! I’ll tell you How! This Video that Must Be SHARED!

 

Go to http://onecandleinthedark.blogspot.com andhttp://www.cbsyousuck.com for thousands of pages of evidence and links to the original source research on the Internet Wayback Machine.

The Celeb Cult

There are those who love to dance.

They cant stop thinking of dancing.

There are those who want to sing.

They cant stop thinking of singing.

There are those who love to act.

They cant stop thinking of acting.

There are those who want to paint.

They cant stop thinking of painting.

And there are those who want to be famous.

They cant stop thinking about people thinking about them.