Left4Deadhead Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 I am fascinated with the artwork from the 2600 games, I have been since I was a child. Indy 500, Night Driver and Canyon Bomber are some of my favs. I remember Microsurgeon scared the heck out of me. Anyhow, I have a pool table in my house, and the theme of the pool room is the 80s. I've collected things from the 80s such as laserdiscs, albums, posters, an uncut sheet of garbage pail kids. I thought it would be cool to have a poster of Indy 500 or some other classic games. I see there are many images online which I could easily print, however I have no printer. Also too, I was wondering what the legality of printing these images is. Meaning, could I just take a file I obtain online, walk in to Wal-Mart and have them print it there? It checked Ebay and found almost nothing in regards to poster or prints of the artwork. It's a shame because I think the artwork on many of the carts are fabulous and should be seen. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Dart Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 I will be watching this thread... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donssword Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 I work in the Advertising/Design/Web field and can speak to a little of this. There is a wide range of laws/rules related to copyright for imagery. In general, all the artwork created for games was copyrighted, either legally thru copyright application, or informally just by having it professionally printed. The right thing to do would be to try and find the original copyright holder and license the artwork. But, that will likely not be easy to do, and would be cost prohibitive for the average fan who just wants to decorate his room. Be aware you may run into problems trying to create prints at Kinkos/Fed-Ex and Walmart--Kinkos in particular has strict rules about the reproduction of artwork to which you cannot prove copyright ownership. I even know of stories from illustrators who couldn't get Kinkos to reproduce their own artwork because it looked too professional, but I am sure you will find more smarter/cooler Kinkos associates than you will the silly ones. As a loose rule, if you can't find the original copyright holder, and you can't buy a reproduction of some sort, and you want to reproduce the artwork for personal use, just do it. The law is clear that you don't actually own the imagery, but as long as you are not reselling the art or making a profit from it no one is going to care or pursue you. Both the fine art industry and the music industry are full of instance of appropriation. In fine art, where only 1 or 2 pieces may be created, legal concerns are not too much of an issue, but in music we all know about the legal issues of music sampling that are so common. Jamie Hewlett, the creator of Tank Girl and the band Gorillaz, ran into an interesting issue with an artist who stole some of his imagery. Tehre is a link somewhere on the web, but I can't for the life of my find it. Basically, a painter/fine artist took significant pieces of Tank Girl artwork, reproduced them in his own paintings, and then resold them. If you saw them, you would think they were paintings by Jamie. HE eventually got the artist to stop. There may be folks here who are more familiar with image copyright thru their own experience, so don't regard my post as legal or the rule--in my career I am a middle man--I hire illustrators and photographers to license their artwork, and everyone has different restrictions and costs. I would love to hear from an actual artist/illustrator on their own opinions on this. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirage Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 In general, all the artwork created for games was copyrighted, either legally thru copyright application, or informally just by having it professionally printed. A work does not need to be printed, professionally or otherwise, to be copyrighted. Just wanted to point that out. Being printed has nothing to do with it. Depending on how large you want these prints to be, the easy way to do this is to just buy a decent all-in-one printer that has a scanner, scan them and print them. Done. Some of the newer all-in-ones actually print and scan pretty well considering the price. This is assuming you have the artwork to scan of course. It would be better to scan the boxes than the cart labels themselves of course, due to the larger original size. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Psionic Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 Unfortunately, the identities of the artists who did the artwork for the game boxes are unknown for the most part, so obtaining legal prints of anything (or simply permission to make them) will be difficult to say the least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Allan Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 Unfortunately, the identities of the artists who did the artwork for the game boxes are unknown for the most part, so obtaining legal prints of anything (or simply permission to make them) will be difficult to say the least. Actualing some of them are. You can actually prints from Steve Hendricks. http://allatariart.com/AllAtariArt.com/Welcome.html Allan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Psionic Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 Actualing some of them are. You can actually prints from Steve Hendricks. http://allatariart.com/AllAtariArt.com/Welcome.html Yes, some of them are, but most of them are not, which is why I said "for the most part". The majority of them are of unknown origin (and in saying that I refer not only to Atari but the other manufacturers as well.) Actualing... You can actually prints... You been sippin' Jim Beam at the keyboard again, Allan? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akator Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 Be aware you may run into problems trying to create prints at Kinkos/Fed-Ex and Walmart--Kinkos in particular has strict rules about the reproduction of artwork to which you cannot prove copyright ownership. I even know of stories from illustrators who couldn't get Kinkos to reproduce their own artwork because it looked too professional, but I am sure you will find more smarter/cooler Kinkos associates than you will the silly ones. I haven't been able to get my original work reproduced locally for at least a decade, even with proof that the work is mine. I have been told that the work was too professional, that I could never have possibly created it, printed documentation verifying it was my work could have been faked, even that my driver's license with my name didn't prove I was the person who created it. I've even had them deny printing photos for the same reasons. Once I was using a "self serve" kiosk at a Walgreens. The manager walked by and "confiscated" the prints. He tried taking the CD with my materials as well for "proof" of my supposed infringement. I gave him 5 seconds to give me back my copyrighted digital content before I called a lawyer. He begrudgingly gave me back the disk, kept the prints, and asked me to leave the store. I've found a few private shops that were willing to print my work, but all of them also stole IP from other sources and sold it as their own "original designs." I am unwilling to hand my files to someone who has no scruples about stealing/selling my IP, since that has already happened to me in the past. The solution? Buy your own printer. I'm not a lawyer, but I've had to hire them multiple times about these issues. Fair use allows "reasonable" duplication for personal use. Mass reproduction is not fair use, because there is no practical reason why one person would need a dozen copies of the same thing. If I'm doing a work by hand, not using mechanical reproduction, the resulting work is mine even if the source material was not. For example, if I do an oil painting of Batman, I own that painting and image even though Batman is copyrighted and trademarked by DC/Warner. I can sell that painting. A "one off" artistic work is allowed. As soon as it becomes mass or mechanical reproduction, it is a violation. Another exception is educational use, where within reason an instructor can reproduce images and other content for teaching purposes. An image can be "appropriated" for use in a lecture, or a few pages of a textbook can be copied for use in a handout. An entire textbook cannot legally be duplicated at once, even for educational use. It's a "gray area." So... if you're just making posters to put on your own walls, you have nothing to worry about. Scan the carts, enlarge them, and print them. But if you're making lots of them, for sale or even as gifts, that crosses the line into mass repros. If you are going to do that, it is best to make "all reasonable attempts" to contact the copyright owners before *assuming* that no one cares. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Allan Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 Actualing some of them are. You can actually prints from Steve Hendricks. http://allatariart.com/AllAtariArt.com/Welcome.html Yes, some of them are, but most of them are not, which is why I said "for the most part". The majority of them are of unknown origin (and in saying that I refer not only to Atari but the other manufacturers as well.) Actualing... You can actually prints... You been sippin' Jim Beam at the keyboard again, Allan? Cute. I obviously forgot the word 'buy'. I guess I can't type as fast as I think. Which is probably a good thing. Allan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Allan Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 Once I was using a "self serve" kiosk at a Walgreens. The manager walked by and "confiscated" the prints. He tried taking the CD with my materials as well for "proof" of my supposed infringement. I gave him 5 seconds to give me back my copyrighted digital content before I called a lawyer. He begrudgingly gave me back the disk, kept the prints, and asked me to leave the store. You should have sent a complaint letter to Walgreens corporate. A huge corporation like that would have no problem firing a jerk like that. Allan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Allan Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 Here's Hiro Kimura's site. http://www.hirostudio.com/HIROWEB/MENU.html Allan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Left4Deadhead Posted January 9, 2011 Author Share Posted January 9, 2011 Thanks guys. I figured as much. I didn't think it would be public domain. It kinda bugs me because I really love some of the artwork, and it's a shame that it will never been seen by a wide audience. I'll get a printer and do it on my own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirage Posted January 9, 2011 Share Posted January 9, 2011 It was already seen by a wide audience back when it was new, and many of us remember and admire it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donssword Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 A work does not need to be printed, professionally or otherwise, to be copyrighted. Just wanted to point that out. Being printed has nothing to do with it. Sorry, I was thinking logo trademarking. Recently had a discussion with a lawyer about that, and it led to me crossing my misinformation, or something like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retro Rogue Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 The right thing to do would be to try and find the original copyright holder and license the artwork. But, that will likely not be easy to do, and would be cost prohibitive for the average fan who just wants to decorate his room. In the case of 2600 box and label artwork, it's very simple to do - Atari Interactive. They own all the copyrighted consumer related artwork as we've had clarified on any related projects we've done with them. Anybody that's looking to do anything with that material would have to license it from them. What they don't own is the coin related artwork (side art, bezel art, etc.), that was owned by Midway (now Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment), and Atari's legal department has to get permission from them any time they're looking to do direct reproductions of that material in their projects. We had one project with them where we were shut down from using the original bezels because of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rik Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 I remember those various Atari posters for Centipede, Dig-Dug, etc, that the stores had.They were the big ones, about 2.5 by 4 feet i think, don't know exactly.Anyway just when the crash happened this one store had about 5 or 6 of those posters rolled up on a counter waiting to be thrown out.That was around the time of the crash.I keep asking myself WHY didn't i grab them? There were those Atari, Imagic, Intellivision, and ColecoVision kiosks sitting out back behind the various department stores, beside garbage bins waiting for the dump.What a chance to get that stuff right then!I just didn't think of as collectible back then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yuppicide Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 Nice website you showed us.. I'm going to pick up "Stepple Chase".. that's sure to be a rare variant. Unfortunately, the identities of the artists who did the artwork for the game boxes are unknown for the most part, so obtaining legal prints of anything (or simply permission to make them) will be difficult to say the least. Actualing some of them are. You can actually prints from Steve Hendricks. http://allatariart.c...om/Welcome.html Allan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirage Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 Yeah, anyone know what was up with the "banned" Haunted House artwork? Is it something to do with the woman looking like she was being chased, watched, or attacked? Especially back then, that doesn't seem all that out of place though.... ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Allan Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 Yeah, anyone know what was up with the "banned" Haunted House artwork? Is it something to do with the woman looking like she was being chased, watched, or attacked? Especially back then, that doesn't seem all that out of place though.... ? Look at WHERE the eys are in relationship to the woman. Allan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirage Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 Yeah, anyone know what was up with the "banned" Haunted House artwork? Is it something to do with the woman looking like she was being chased, watched, or attacked? Especially back then, that doesn't seem all that out of place though.... ? Look at WHERE the eys are in relationship to the woman. Allan LOL, OHHHH!!!! ha... I guess he could have placed those a little better. I love the artwork, but now I'll always notice that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trent Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 My personal favorite Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seanhq Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 Yeah, anyone know what was up with the "banned" Haunted House artwork? Is it something to do with the woman looking like she was being chased, watched, or attacked? Especially back then, that doesn't seem all that out of place though.... ? Look at WHERE the eys are in relationship to the woman. Allan Ha! I've never noticed that until you pointed it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donssword Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 Wow. allatariart.com is friggin amazing! Glad to see there is an opp for the artist to still pull some coin from the artwork. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psquare75 Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 Have any friends that work at Staples/Kinkos/etc? If not, make one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradjewell Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 (edited) My personal favorite that's great... here's some more... more fake boxes... Edited January 25, 2011 by bradjewell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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