Re: [Moderator Action] The Far Side copyright infringement

Hello Andrea,

I have removed the image from our site. Thank you for
the notice.

 _ Ian Jacobs, Head of W3C Communications

On Sat, 2007-03-03 at 00:30 +0000, Andrea wrote:
> March 2, 2007
>  
>  
> Steven R. Bratt, Ph.D.
> CEO, World Wide Web Consortium
> Massachusetts Institute of Technology
> 32 Vassar St.
> Room 32-G515
> Cambridge, MA 02139
>  
>  
>             Via E-mail: steve@w3.org
> 
>             Via E-mail: site-comments@w3.org
> 
>              
> 
>                                                 
> 
> Re:            Notice of Infringement of The Far Side® Cartoon:
> 
> http://www.w3.org/2005/Talks/0623-sb-IEEEStorConf/farside3.gif
>  
> Dear Dr. Bratt:
>  
> Creators Syndicate, an international newspaper syndicate, syndicates
> Gary Larson's The Far Side cartoons to foreign newspapers.  In
> addition we handle all reprint permissions requests for The Far Side
> following guidelines long established by Mr. Larson and his company
> FarWorks Inc. (copyright owner to all Far Side images).  In short, we
> approve or disapprove requests to reproduce Mr. Larson's cartoons, and
> carefully monitor the ways in which they appear. 
>  
> We are writing on behalf of FarWorks, Inc. and Gary Larson about your
> posting of one Far Side cartoon on your website
> http://www.w3.org/2005/Talks/0623-sb-IEEEStorConf/farside3.gif. While
> Mr. Larson is certainly flattered to know you are a fan of his work,
> we have to be concerned about any unauthorized use of The Far Side
> name and cartoons, especially when they appear online. 
>  
> FarWorks has a serious problem with unauthorized uses of The Far Side
> worldwide.  As a result, it does not allow online publication of works
> from The Far Side.  No matter how insignificant a few uses may seem,
> it still amounts to making versions of the cartoons available in
> digital form for anyone to download, which makes it virtually
> impossible for Mr. Larson to control future uses, something that is
> very important to him.  
>  
> Please read the letter from Mr. Larson below, and respect his wishes
> by removing the cartoon from your website.  Many thanks in advance for
> your cooperation. 
>  
>  
> Sincerely,
>  
>  
>  
> Andrea Fryrear
> Permissions Department
> Creators Syndicate
> 5777 W. Century Boulevard, Suite 700
> Los Angeles, CA 90045  
> Ph: (310) 337–7003
> Fax: (310) 337–7625
> E-Mail: afryrear@creators.com
> 
>  
> 
>  
> Enclosures: A note from Gary Larson
>  
> A note from Gary Larson
>  
> RE: Online Use of Far Side Cartoons
>  
> TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:
>  
> I'm walking a fine line here.
>  
> On the one hand, I confess to finding it quite flattering that some of
> my fans have created web sites displaying and / or distributing my
> work on the Internet. And, on the other, I'm struggling to find the
> words that convincingly but sensitively persuade these Far Side
> enthusiasts to "cease and desist" before they have to read these words
> from some lawyer.
>  
> What impact this unauthorized use has had (and is having) in tangible
> terms is, naturally, of great concern to my publishers and therefore
> to me -- but it's not the focus of this letter. My effort here is to
> try and speak to the intangible impact, the emotional cost to me,
> personally, of seeing my work collected, digitized, and offered up in
> cyberspace beyond my control.
>  
> Years ago I was having lunch one day with the cartoonist Richard
> Guindon, and the subject came up how neither one of us ever solicited
> or accepted ideas from others. But, until Richard summed it up quite
> neatly, I never really understood my own aversions to doing this:
> "It's like having someone else write in your diary," he said. And how
> true that statement rang with me. In effect, we drew cartoons that we
> hoped would be entertaining or, at the very least, not boring; but
> regardless, they would always come from an intensely personal, and
> therefore original perspective.
>  
> To attempt to be "funny" is a very scary, risk-laden proposition. (Ask
> any stand-up comic who has ever "bombed "on stage.) But if there was
> ever an axiom to follow in this business, it would be this: be honest
> to yourself and -- most important -- respect your audience.
>  
> So, in a nutshell (probably an unfortunate choice of words for me), I
> only ask that this respect be returned, and the way for anyone to do
> that is to please, please refrain from putting The Far Side out on the
> Internet. These cartoons are my "children," of sorts, and like a
> parent, I'm concerned about where they go at night without telling me.
> And, seeing them at someone's web site is like getting the call at
> 2:00 a.m. that goes, "Uh, Dad, you're not going to like this much, but
> guess where I am.
>  
> I hope my explanation helps you to understand the importance this has
> for me, personally, and why I'm making this request.
>  
> Please send my "kids" home. I'll be eternally grateful.
>  
> Most respectfully,
>  
> Gary Larson
>  
> 
-- 
Ian Jacobs (ij@w3.org)   http://www.w3.org/People/Jacobs
Tel:                     +1 718 260-9447