Background:
This is based off a point OzoneOcean made in the "Would you whore out your comic for Jell-O" thread.

His note what that while he'd have no qualms doing advertising with his comic (such as for Jell-O) he wouldn't turn his comic into porn.

Well, if you've surfed the 'Net for any period of time, chances are at some point you've seen someone take a character from an existing series and done porn with it. If anyone's seen my "Skull Girl dresses up as Ruby Gloom" Halloween picture... let me tell you, I had the unfortunate experience of having to try to forget Ruby Gloom porn pictures which were brought up in the search for source material. Ruby Gloom by the way is a character for a children's show. That's Rule 34 for you.

And at another point, while searching for my character's names on Google (to see how well they were doing) I found a porn request for one of them in a forum.

That out of the way:

You find someone has taken your comic or some of its characters and has created porn with it: fan fiction, porno comic, photo manipulation or what have you. Said person does not claim ownership of the characters and does not make money off said work. You do not know who the person is. How do you react?

And then, what if these situations were applied:
A. The person has contact information.

B. The person takes paid commissions (you do not know if your work was one. Yes, this is a change to the original question).

C. The person takes paid commissions, and you find out your work was one, and the person who requested it was one of your fans.

D. Same as C, but the fan is probably your biggest and most vocal supporter.

And what the heck, I'll respond to my own situation first.

First, my initial reaction:
"Well, you know you've made it big when someone's doing porn of your work. I am mortified yet flattered."

Then I would attempt to figure out who the heck this person is. If I failed to find out, then I'd just monitor what's going on in case things started to go South (like claiming my work, making money off it, etc). Thus it leads to the next part:


A. The person has contact information.

My Creative Commons license allows for fan-work as long as there's a link back to my material. Let's assume the individual doesn't include the link.

"Greetings Porno-maker. The Creative Commons license for Super Temps only allows fan works as long as you link back to the original. Also I just want you to know right now I am *facepalming*. As much as it hurts me to say it, I have to stick by your freedom of speech -- but only if you're going to stick by mine. Put the proper ownership up as outlined by the Creative Commons and kindly include a note it hurts my brain,"

B. The person takes paid commissions (you do not know if your work was one. Yes, this is a change to the original question).

This is where I'd add: "Please note that the Creative Commons license forbids you to charge for any derived works; that includes commissions,"

C. The person takes paid commissions, and you find out your work was one, and the person who requested it was one of your fans.

Same, but I'm more mortified than before and my face falls against my keyboard. I quietly contact said fan and explain the Creative Commons and by paying someone to copy my work goes against it and impacts me financially.

D. Same as C, but the fan is probably your biggest and most vocal supporter.
Same response as for C, but depending on how much attention the porn got, I also include an update that has one of the victimized characters exclaim "I AM MORTIFIED!" and then explain how the Creative Commons license is to be used, and politely ask my fans to never buy any work except from me. And I don't do that kinda work, so just don't buy it. If you're getting it for free, I just don't want to know.

I'd feel famous/flattered. ^_^

Anything that is well-known has porn of it out there. Plain and simple. So, to have such done, I'd feel known. If I saw said porn, depending on what it depicted, it might make me a bit uncomfortable, but I'd still be flattered.

I would also like credit for my original characters, so if I could contact the artist, I would ask for that acknowledgment (if it wasn't there) and also thank them for the homage.



Afraid I don't know anything about that legal stuff you mentioned and am not likely to become legalistic unless it becomes an issue. (Commissioned fan art and parody are okay with me unless it becomes a business, and provided it is their artwork, not a picture I drew that was manipulated.) I like to have credit for my own creations, but to me, fan art is awesome in any format or interpretation. Heck, if my comic wasn't "T+" rated (and my mom didn't read it), I'd share such art with everyone officially.

For the first question: I wouldn't mind much unless there is a really weird pairing. I wouldn't be totally against it, but I just hate to see my characters acting out of character. I'd still feel kinda flattered that someone did fanart, even if it's porn.

But in any cases, I'd ask for credit if it isn't done yet. I wouldn't mind if someone made money on it for one only commission. But if I'd find out someones making money by doing many drawings of my characters, I'd be pretty pissed, especially if it's porn with a weird pairing, and if there's no credit.

Hey, it's free advertising, right? So, as long as they link back to the comic ...!
;-)

Seriously, I'm not sure. I don't think I would mind, but I can imagine circumstances in which I would. Whilst I don't object to most "mainstream" forms of porn, there are some rather more "specialised" varieties out there and if I found pictures of my characters indulging in those, I guess I'd find them as distasteful as I would if they involved any other characters. Then I might be tempted to ask the creator to take them down.

As for the other scenarios, I'm pretty sure I would object if the creator was making money out of it. If anyone's going to make money out of my characters, whether as porn or otherwise, it ought to be me!

What DAJB said.

Plus, if it were the really revolting sort of porn, I'd probably never be able to get the images out of head... it would taint my whole comic-making experience :O

Knowing what my comics will contain I can guess what fanporn will be done for it.

And I'm guessing it would be defined as child porn under British law since the most likely character involved would be 14...

Yaoi fangirls tend to gravitate towards the most androgenous (feminine) looking character. And despite the dude in question not being like that in terms of behaviour, he still fits the bill as a future fanon uke.

As for the seme, everybody's probably gonna be fair game. Even relatives.

But the law is pretty damn tight from what I've read. If you can't even show him walking in on somebody else in the middle of the "horizontal tango", I'm pretty sure torso shots and off panel goings on are definitely out of the question.

So if I found anyone doing that to that character, I'd probably end up in jail for looking at it if I go into a dispute about it. And if the artist and commissioner are UK residents, they too may go to jail for the fabrication of child porn.

Abt_Nihil
What DAJB said.

Plus, if it were the really revolting sort of porn, I'd probably never be able to get the images out of head... it would taint my whole comic-making experience :O

Bah, you make your own porn versions anyway! ;-)

Devon Legacy... I wonder why it HASN'T yet! 2 somewhat anime inspired girls and tentacle aliens everywhere! C'mon I made it so everyone would flock to make me porn!!!! Of course!

If someone else were to make porn out of Pinky TA I wouldn't mind, as long as they link back to the original and they weren't making money from it.

If they want to make money from it then they have to pay me.

I'd think that would totally awesome!

smkinoshita
The person takes paid commissions, and you find out your work was one, and the person who requested it was one of your fans.

I'd wonder why they didn't just commission me to draw it. Uh, depending on what the subject was, of course.

That would depend on the comic.

If it's Cubicle, I probably wouldn't mind so much, considering all the characters are consenting adults. Just so long as they mentioned where they got the characters from and aren't making a profit off of it.

If it's Negligence, I'd tell them to cease and desist immediately lest I pursue legal action or a bat to the face, as most of the characters there are very young kids and I know that shit's illegal.

Well of course with my comics, that whole "porn" part wouldn't matter much, but I actually have had my comics ("Big Fish Story" in particular) ripped off several times. Usually they're just posted for free in somebody's gallery, but a few times they've been posted as paid downloads, usually bundled with other pirated stuff, or used in promos for paysites. Oh, and some of my comics and pinup work have popped up for sale on Second Life-type sites. There's a lot of that going on. Basically, it's nothing to get too worked up over. I mean, yeah, the first time I found out about people selling my stuff I was pissed and went through all the hassle of getting it removed, but it was just a headache and more trouble than it was worth. You just can't be bothered trying to track down and deal with every sticky fingered bandit out there who's swiping your stuff; you'll go mad doing it.

I've just come to accept it as free advertising. I saw my "Big Fish Story" posted as a free download on one Japanese site with over 67,000 downloads. Wow. I'll take that. I think it's just the way things are now that you can expect people are going to rip you off, so accept it as a sign that you've actually achieved a little bit of success. Any band worth mentioning is going to have their stuff being posted illegally on Youtube, and any artist worth mentioning should expect to have people illegally posting their artwork somewhere. Once you've had it happen a few times, you'll get over it. It's not that big of a deal.

Answering the question(s) directly, if I did stumble onto something like that, and it was made clear that it was a paid commission (which it never is), and the artist had contact information, yes I would contact them and demand my fair share of the proceeds if it was a significant amount (but of course in reality there'd be no way for me to know this information). If it's just some piddly crap, I wouldn't waste my time with it.

I also have had fans do derivative works before, but they almost always ask me first. Like, one time somebody asked me for permission to draw one of my characters (Carmen) getting it on with a furry character, and I let him do that. But then he went on to actually make it into a full animated short later on and posted it on his site without telling me. I was more mortified by the awful quality of the animation than anything else!

Well...to tell you the truth I'm suprised in the course of CROSSOVERLORD no one did Dasien/Mindmistress slash fiction (is that the right term? Lesbian fan fiction?), as much as they fought.

I've done a few NSFW variations on my own site---not with Mindmistress, who's a modern Athena in many ways, and it just isn't her, but a villainness, Moodswing, at http://mindmistress.comicgenesis.com/moodval.htm and I did a SFW work version of a page here at http://mindmistress.comicgenesis.com/lost65.htm and a NSFW version at an additional click here at http://mindmistress.comicgenesis.com/lost65u.htm .

Like many, as long as they link to it, I don't have any real objections. It wouldn't be canon, for the Athena/connections would make it unadvisable, but short of that, no problem. ---Al

Al: There's a big difference between nudity and porn though (otherwise ALL of my comics would probably count as porn...) :D

Also, I wouldn't want to work at a place where nudity is, by itself, considered NSFW :3

Well, I'll admit that it will depend of the kind of porn that it is. Certainly I`ll be disturbed of seen porn of my characters that are underage, but for the most part I'll be flattered if.

Then again, if someone is making porn AND profiting with my comic, then I will have a problem with that.

Wow! A lot of people are pretty laid back about it! I'm honestly surprised, I figured a lot more people would object, especially if the pornographer was making money off it.

Well, it is still THEIR art, to be technical about it -- at least from what you've described. It sounds like fan art to me when you get right down to it, and people commission fan art from people at conventions and stuff a lot (although, I personally don't see the point of paying someone to draw someone else's characters).

Yes, it is intellectual property and all, but if I get a nod for the characters/ideas, I'd be flattered for an artist to take the time/effort to draw them even if it is out of character or odd/racy/"mature" (at least within reason). I'd rather see fan art done by fans rather than commissioned by a third party, but I would be honored that they would want a picture, and the artist certainly deserves compensation for their work.

El Cid's experiences are a different matter completely, which is someone profiting off of your ARTWORK rather than your ideas. The same would go for altered versions of someone else's work --like if someone photoshopped a comic page you made to make everyone naked or saying different things or tracing over it for their own comic. It's a whole different ballgame from selling original artwork based on someone else's ideas.

To be honest I'd rather a fan asked me directly or, like mentioned before, hand in their own stuff rather than have a third party do the work.

I'll probably do better anyway. I probably wouldn't even need to twist the character personalities for it. Even though I'll still be pretty annoyed about it.

But then again, I have nearly 30 watchers of Mahlaste alone and I still can't give them complete first pages!

And it's an 18 anyway. Might not be that graphic and stuff or the focus of everything, but there's going to be stuff relating to the plot. So just sit down and be patient.

I wouldnt know how to react to that. I'd most likely laugh it off? Maybe "facepalm" when I see one of my characters doing something totally out of character... like Claudita turning into Mistress Claudita (girl in my sig. And if anyone read my comics, you'd know she's the last girl to be called mistress / goddess / queen / ma'am / etc.) or something... dressed up in a leather suit and spanking some "slaves"... or something. lol!

Anyway...

It would be fine as long as:
- You acknowledge that that is not your character.
- You link my comic.
- You are not making money off of my work.

Man this thread gives me the lulz. lol!

Abt_Nihil
I wouldn't want to work at a place where nudity is, by itself, considered NSFW :3

Yay! Nude Fridays at your office, then?

DAJB

Abt_Nihil
I wouldn't want to work at a place where nudity is, by itself, considered NSFW :3

Yay! Nude Fridays at your office, then?

That's what I was thinking. ^_^

I wanna work at Abt Nihil's place, where "dress down" goes alll the way.
As long as there are lovely female hotties and it's not a festival of sausages...

Haha! :D

I meant nudity on screens, obviously :P I don't know about you two, but I don't wanna be naked while I'm working.

Okay, might depend on the type of work... :3

Wow. See my comic get 34'd? 63'd? Heh, tough call. xD I wouldn't doubt in my mind that it's bound to happen sooner or later.

Personally, I wouldn't mind at all if it's from fans - either artist, writer, or vocal supporter. Die-hard fans would scare me, though. xD But I also wouldn't mind a link-back to the comic either, or some kinda piece in the pie either (profits? :3). In the end, there's no such thing as bad publicity.

My only request? If it's gonna get drawn in porn, I don't want nothing poorly put together and drawn on MSPaint. xD I want professional artists. Someone who could mimic a Disney or legit manga/anime-style and make mine better. I'd totally appreciate that and thank them with something. xD

If my stuff became the basis of porn then I'll finally know I hit it big. Cause only the big stuff inspires such work.

Probably a moot point for me since I haven't worked on a comic in a while, although Bhag may see a revival at some point in the future, just not here. If I saw someone making porn using my characters I probably wouldn't really care that much. Even if they're charging for commissions, it's not cutting into my bottom line and it only raises awareness of whatever project I'm working on, so why should I pitch a fit over it? Honestly, if their work is good enough, I might even be willing to commission something. Despite any stigmas attached, it's good advertising and I suck at drawing porn.

I've had some really good (and famous) adult artists do fan pics, although they've always kept them clean (at worst, a semi-provocative pose and some camel toe). In all cases I've felt very flattered (and I plan on coloring them when I get the time--and I might post them in my forum, now that I'm thinking about it). If the characters were treated with the respect of a horny but loving fanboy, I wouldn't get upset, although I'd feel weird seeing any of my characters getting freaky (it'd be like watching some close friends or--even worse--family members). Rape, guro, and that sort of stuff would be something I'd have no interest in seeing, since I don't consider that respectful.

It'd be nice to be notified if someone was taking a commission for drawing one of my characters, but that'd be more for my own personal interest in what people want to see with my characters than for any kind of say in the matter. It also would be nice for the artist to include a URL to Fusion on the pic or at the very least a notice that the character is the Copyright of Essay Bee Comics.

Of course, I have a soft spot for parodies, since that's how I started, and I got a lot of good feedback and encouragement from those communities, which played a large part in getting Fusion off the ground. However, some folks pointed out pay sites that were using my parody work, which really annoys me--I did the work for free and someone else is getting money for it.

usedbooks
Well, it is still THEIR art, to be technical about it -- at least from what you've described. It sounds like fan art to me when you get right down to it, and people commission fan art from people at conventions and stuff a lot (although, I personally don't see the point of paying someone to draw someone else's characters).

Yes, it is intellectual property and all, but if I get a nod for the characters/ideas, I'd be flattered for an artist to take the time/effort to draw them even if it is out of character or odd/racy/"mature" (at least within reason). I'd rather see fan art done by fans rather than commissioned by a third party, but I would be honored that they would want a picture, and the artist certainly deserves compensation for their work.

El Cid's experiences are a different matter completely, which is someone profiting off of your ARTWORK rather than your ideas. The same would go for altered versions of someone else's work --like if someone photoshopped a comic page you made to make everyone naked or saying different things or tracing over it for their own comic. It's a whole different ballgame from selling original artwork based on someone else's ideas.

I have pretty much the same view on it. Fan arts and whole Rule 34 are their own thing. But taking somebody else's art and photoshoping it to the form of porn is plagiarism. If you wanna do porn, draw it yourself.

I think the funniest scenario to read about would be 'who should hook up with who' conversations from fangirls. It'd also drive the comic into teasing them with some initial relationship, then totally reverse it around, or better yet - keep it ambiguous.

At that point, I'd build a website and let the fans pour in like spades.

I'm gonna be honest, it's expected with the characters I have (two men who are BFFs in tight clothes who go on adventures with each other).

In fact, plenty of people have told me that Ex and Doug would make a great couple. One girl said they would make a good 'lemon' couple and I just laughed (for those of you who don't know, lemon is like hardcore yaoi stuff). Their size difference is apparently 'arousing' according to one spectator. And another said that if the both of them weren't gay for each other, she'd bust out the fanfiction.

And none of this bothers me. They're just fictional characters and I think it's silly to get all up in arms about fictional people. The only thing I would be opposed to is if they claimed my characters as their own. Granted, there ARE some types of...situations that I find to be rather distasteful and disturbing, but I'm not going to throw a hissy fit about it since there's really not much I can do other than try to avoid it.

TL;DR, I JUST SAID WHAT A LOT OF PEOPLE ALREADY SAID.

With disgust! I know about rule 34 and all that, but...seriously? Ewwwwww. For cryin' out loud, my characters are all undead! And not the pretty "pale guy in black clothes" kind of undead, I mean like "rotting corpse walking around" undead. I think it'd be safe to say that anyone who draws "Carnies" porn is more screwed up than I am.