Forum Moderators: not2easy
Just a quicky but I suspect the answer might direct more to legal advice:
If I drew a picture of a character from a TV show etc. and wanted to sell that myself ( similar to a charicature ), would I run into copyright issues with the owners of the show, or as it is my own artwork would it be ok?
Just to throw a spanner in the works, what if I then also included a quote from the character?
Many Thanks
No idea who they are exactly, or what their standing is in the world. Nonetheless, the answers you seek appear to be addressed here. Hopefully, and at the very least, it might serve as a good starting point for further digging on your part.
Q: Do you have to request permission or otherwise contract with persons or corporations, (such as Star Trek), before rendering caricatures of them and selling them?
A: To answer your question specifically: someone else owns the rights to Star Trek, not you. Copyright law provides the creator, or their heirs, the rights to the work for 90 years (Bono Act). Any creations from those rights are call a derivative, and the rights to that derivative are STILL held by the copyright holder.In short, you cannot use the likeness or name of a person, living or (and, as is the case in most stated) dead without that person or heirs' permission.
This is an American perspective, thus if you are in a different country you will need to determine how the laws relate specifically to your own land.
Of course, for definitive answers, do seek out qualified legal counsel. In the meantime, I hope that helps a little.
Syzygy
