Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Memento Mori 175

Thorsten has been doing his art homework again and contacted Dan Lydersen about his Memento Mori painting shown at the Gallery 1988 art show -




Before that information was presented quite a few of us linkened the painting to the Linder Gallery and Capcom started an article on "Capcom's Lost Blog" to number the items like the Mysterious Masterpiece website has done with the Linder Gallery painting.

175 comments:

Zort70 said...

Good morning all.

ObFuSc8 said...

Hey there!

I have a couple questions out to Dan Lydersen as well and will post them when further through the exchange.

Jensen just posted the ABC vodcast, EW atricle and TV guide article at the G1988 blog.

Zort70 said...

ObFuSc8, I don't know if you saw the other comments section, but I just wanted to say many thanks for presenting the poster to Jensen.

I hope he didn't threaten to sue for copyright reasons !

ObFuSc8 said...

It was fun. Having all the Frames and clues on the poster was great -- ready made questions and talking points. Jensen liked it, a bit of closure for the last 4 months.

Martyn said...

Really liked this painting, the only one I felt was worth that much money. But it's kind of disappointing that it's an interpretation of another artists work. Was a lot more impressed when I thought it was an original piece of work. Still love it though, all the tiny little references and what he replaced in the original for the lost version adds a little something to it.

Glad I went to bed after my last comment, seems things got a little gruesome. Kind of sad really that people feel the need to ruin other peoples enjoyment. Sounds quite familiar.

@Comixguru...

If you can fit yourself inside a suitcase, I stop over at San Francisco so I can pick you up there. Not sure how to check you in, I'll go double check the baggage allowance.

@Anne...

Thanks for not throwing anything, still have a stab wound from a pencil thrown at me yesterday.

Lisa-Maladylis said...

here I am. Love that painting and it's amazing how similar they are to each other.

ChrisL said...

Morning all. I was out of circulation last night and looks like it was the best thing. Well handled Zort.

Very nice work by Thorsten and Capcom. Fascinating.

Drama said...

this is awesome. I got snowed out of the house in the carnage that happened in the south of England yesterday. I can't believe all the fun stuff you can miss in 24 hours...

andalone said...

The Barracks is now framed. I think it looks fantastic! I really get so excited as these prints come home from the framers!
link

ChrisL said...

Wow andalone, that looks fantastic. My Barracks is with the framer and I've gone for something similar to yours. Can't wait to get it back now.

andalone said...

@ChrisL - hard to tell from pic, but it is a light wood with a glaze similar in color to the barracks, then slight whitewash highlight.

andalone said...

The EW Video has so many LostArgers featured! AWESOME!

Amy Lynn said...

Good work Thorsten.

Amy Lynn said...

Andalone, makes me wish I had The Barracks.

thorsten said...

TVGuide.com: How do you feel about the intense fan reaction to the posters?

Cuse: […] I was in the middle of talking to a fan out front and the fan all of a sudden gasped and ran off to hug someone. She came back and said, "Excuse me, this is a person I've known online and have never met in person before." This is not just an event about coming here to see the Lost art, for a lot of fans, it's a chance to meet one another.

Zort70 said...

I remember seeing that on the live stream and I was nearly in tears of laughter !

Tess315 said...

andalone
That's beautiful. I could tell the wood was similar to the barracks. Didn't catch the white wash though.

Tess315 said...

capcom labeled that painting the night the 16th print dropped. It was great fun, it helped me stay awake while we waited and waited. I finally had to give up and go to bed 1:45 am is too early for me to buy a print. :)

Thanks again for giving me and Ginger something to do to pass the time. Oh and Thunderstorm who came by a little later. Sorry again that I got a little carried away. :)

Tess315 said...

Yeah that was funny. She also went out in the street when her name was called trying to get to Carlton. Carlton yelled "Don't get in the street!" I think she scared the poor man.

Tess315 said...

Well I guess that's enough posts in a row. :)

Drama said...

I just got my DD Jabberwock print, and ran it to the framers... I can't wait to see it - black backing and a dark grey frame is going to make that baby POP. I was telling the guy all about the Lost prints... he seemed interested. Always good to share the wealth!

Ellen said...

email...:)
xxoo

RobPerrin said...

I'm a couple of posts late, but if you're interested I've captured my thoughts on each of the 16 posters here: Posters ranked

ChrisL said...

Interesting stuff Rob.

Zort70 said...

Nice words Rob.

LotteryTicket said...

@Ben

Make sure you post pics of that bad boy!

Sandman90 said...

Ben - enjoyed your thoughts on the posters and agreed with a fair amount of what you had to say.

Sandman90 said...

I meant Rob not Ben.

Zort70 said...

ColdSoreSuperstar, can I trust you not to cause trouble with Edward again like last night ?

LotteryTicket said...

Yes, sorry about that Z.

Martyn said...

Ben, did you have the words covered or you leaving them visable? I'm torn by decision on whether to frame the picture or the poster, want to know what you went with. Gotta head down the framers to pick up my swan station so may take it down there to get done too.

Capcom said...

Thanks for the redirect, Zort, whew! And thanks for the mention. Glad that I was of help, Sayidsgirl! :-D

I was also a little disappointed at first that Memento Mori was a mirror of an original, but what the hay, it made for an interesting painting and discussion in the end. And then also I could stop wondering what the cloth is on the table, it might just be a copy of the cloth in the original and nothing more.

BTW, is it really OK for fans to make Lost art (with blatant Lost characters, images, etc.) and sell it without ABC's permission, or fear of lawsuit? Just asking.

Just Thinking said...

Actually, I love that the Lyderson Painting had the older one to connect to-finding connections in stories, pictures, histories is one of my favorite things.

I have DD's Jabberwock too- and for some reason both of my sons thought it might be too eerie and unwelcoming to hang in the entryway! I've been Lost too long, just looks like a normal evening to me :)

RobPerrin said...

Just Thinking - I tried for Jabberwock too but was a little too late. I picked up "please don't worry..." instead. I love the look of Jabberwock but agree it is a little eerie. Good thing about "please don't worry..." is that I can gift it to my 6-year old.

maven said...

Morning all after a worrisome night in the last post!

I for one love what Lyderson did with Bailly's painting (even though not totally original). His interpretation of all the objects is fascinating! And thanks for Capcom for providing a place to label all the items!

@andalone: Framing is great...the lighter wood works so well with that print!

@RobPerrin: Loves your take on the 16 posters and agree with you on many of them!

I remember Damon warning LT to get out of the street! She had no idea why she was summoned up front (she was talking someone in the parking lot who threatened to tow her car away)!

Drama said...

I LOVED Please don't worry, and was sad I didn't get one. That said, I might be getting a DD Tennenbaum print from my dad for christmas.

Martyn - I went for a thin border, leaving the text, number (182?/250) and signature visible. I've a couple of other prints where I've mounted them to hide the sig, and regretted it. If you have a nice print, people should be able to see that it's an original. It's costing me £70 to get framed though :(

LotteryTicket said...

Can't wait to see the Jabber framed Ben.

Martyn said...

Ben...

Yeah, i mean, I could get away with Jacob's cabin because it was printed on black paper so I could get away with keeping the eeryness of the print. But with Jabberwock, it's on white paper, which takes the eeryness away. I'm at a loss of what to do tbh. I have to wait until next month payday though, spent this months allocation on the Swan Station, looks fantastic in it's new frame, going to go hang it up to complete my LOST wall!

Drama said...

it should be back within 48 hours... I can't wait to hang it. I don;t know where though, as the girlfriend hates it...

LotteryTicket said...

Oh no! Why does she hate it?

Martyn said...

Oh, and my LOST Underground Fan Art Project poster has been dispatched so may arrive xmas eve but highly unlikely, probably next tuesday, so Zort, will send you some pictures when it arrives and I frame it up.

Is there a shorter name for this poster Zort, I can't type LOST Underground Fan Art Project everytime!

Martyn said...

She hates the Jabberwock???

ChrisL said...

Picking up my Walt's Kidnapping and Please don't worry... from the framers tomorrow. I've a feeling they're both going to be fabulous but I went with something really striking for Please don't worry... I'll post pics. On the wall by the 25th, my christmas present to myself!

LotteryTicket said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
ChrisL said...

LT, :-)

Martyn said...

Lol, great poem!

It is true, how can someone not like DD work? Even my sister who hates lost and this whole poster project looked at Jacob's Cabin and thought, that's nice!

Bare in mind, she's 16, likes HSM and is very materialistic. The smartest show she watches is Friends!

Martyn said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
LotteryTicket said...

A poem for Ben:

Coming back from the framer,
there is nothing lamer,
Then having a loved one not like your Danger

Amy Lynn said...

Apparently JJ Abrams is giving me a run for my money.

http://www.examiner.com/x-24882-JJ-Abrams-Examiner~y2009m12d22-LOST-Christmas-Carols-Smokey-the-Monster?cid=exrss-JJ-Abrams-Examiner&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

LotteryTicket said...

I think a cease and desist order to JJ is in order Amy Lynn!

Dan said...

@Capcom - no it's not ok. It's very likely trademark/trade dress/copyright infringement.

If Disney ever found out about these, they'd probably very quickly send a cease and desist letter, followed by the filing of a lawsuit for injunctive relief if the letter didn't get through. It doesn't matter if the artist says "This has nothing to do with LOST" if it so obviously does, or at the very least, could be confusingly similar to an average person. Even Daniel Danger said something on EB a few weeks ago that he'd be surprised if the Mouse didn't shut these projects down. Then again, there's a lot of stuff on Ebay (drawings of LOST characters, etc.) that seem to get by without any problems, so who knows; this may not be worth the company's time to fight.

I wonder what would happen though to posters already in the hands of customers. Would they have to be returned and destroyed (with proof of same) as part of a settlement agreement between the artist and Disney? I would not want to be in the artists' shoes at that point having to negotiate refunds with everyone.

Kelly said...

Don't worry, you still reign supreme. No one puts Amy Lynn's lyrics in the corner!

ObFuSc8 said...

Just so you guys are clear, we have yet another Imp on the board. LT did not post those comments above.

Martyn said...

really? So that poem wasn't really from her?

ObFuSc8 said...

Dan is right about the copyright stuff. Justins print is fine because there is no direct reference to LOST, just a plane breaking up. While Dusty's print is great it clearly has Charlie and is intended as a DS gig poster so as long as it is being sold and not given away ABC will not be OK with it, if they find out. Now when Adam Campbell first posted his stuff to Flickr it was just pics. It wasn't until later that he began selling the downloads and posters and I wonder if that was AFTER his involvement wirh the DCaaPB project.

ObFuSc8 said...

Nope. That poem was an Imp too.

Martyn said...

Oh. Haven't people got better things to do with their time than pretend to be someone else? It's obviously going to be a long and lonely xmas for that person if that's how they're spending their free time.

Zort70 said...

Now we have a Fake Lottery Ticket ?

I wonder some times what goes on in peoples minds.

You can tell as this person has a space between the words, the real one does not.

Zort70 said...

Whoever it is please change your name an especially your profile pic.

Martyn said...

Oh and if anyone wants me to make a free download available of my lame attempt at fan art, or if you want me to send you the original file, email me at mgraham(dot)0605328(at)googlemail(dot)com.

Here it is for reference: I Love You!

Brendan said...

I actaully thought that poem was pretty good!

thorsten said...

Okay, Mike Isaac. Just get lost.

Brendan said...

Is that directed at me?!

Dan said...

ob, I don't think Justin's print is fine. I believe a court would take into account a few things in terms of whether there would be a likelihood of confusion to people. Namely, the website DamonCarltonandMe is confusingly similar to DamonCarltonandaPolarBear. The title "System Failure" could lead to confusion. The fact that Justin's website appears to specifically be about Lost-inspired art would be confusing. I don't think there's any way around it.

Capcom said...

Thanks Dan. I agree about Justin's, there's just a plane, a land mass, and some hinted EMFs. But I worry about the ones sold that are much more specific. :-o

Space between the words? Maybe space between the ears. *rimshot* :-B

Zort70 said...

Brendan, I think that comment is aimed at anyone who is coming over here deliberately to cause trouble.

Capcom said...

Oops, didn't see your last post Dan. Well, I guess it's up to The Mouse then, ruh-roh.

Martyn said...

Wouldn't it only be an issue for the mouse if Justin and dustin are profiteering from these posters? The price is to make up for the cost of printing and stuff so that's no different to me printing mine on to canvas.

But I am not a legal person, more a wishful thinker!

Capcom said...

We need some reference to "fair usage" specifications maybe. Some light reading while at the dentist. :o)

ytimetravel said...

While the Mouse may have a legal right to try to stop artists' interpretations of the show, they may not win (there is the 1st Amendment) depending on the particular facts, and they might have better ways to spend their money than pursuing their own fans! But of course if someone is making a supreme killing off of LOST, financially, by selling merch to fans, then I can see why Mouse would be upset. But a few prints, a fan site, shouldn't send the cadres of lawyers out in rank and file. I hope.

Zort70 said...

Technically my "17th" poster is completely against copyright.

I know I didn't print and sell it, but even so I used images from a large range of sources.

ytimetravel said...

BTW, I love that Thorsten contacted Lydersen and figured out the inspiration for Memento Mori. It still smacks of Lost themes, and gives even more food for thought.

Capcom said...

On a sour Disney note, a few years ago I saw on the TV news that Eisner-era Disney was trying to make a day-care center take down some depictions of their classic cartoon characters from a cinderblock wall next to the playground. In the coverage the news station showed a video of the wall with images of Mickey, Donald, etc. painted it. I don't know what the final results were of Disney's efforts in that attempt.

Dan said...

Companies are very protective about their intellectual property. I wouldn't be surprised if they cared about these posters because it has the potential to dilute the value of "The Project."

Also, I'm not saying he's profiting from this, but by Justin offering a Swan poster as an incentive for people to buy "System Failure," a reasonable person would conclude there is an element of profit involved here.

I think the folks at EB were saying that the prices of these prints seemed exhorbitant if really just cost. Personally, I don't have a clue what it would cost to make these.

Finally, this sentence could pose some trouble: "I'm not in this to make a profit, just to pay for the cost of the printing, the website, and my design time."

If you're essentially charging for your time somewhere in the cost equation, it could be very difficult to argue that there's no profit involved. After all, who decides what one's time is worth? Only a customer.

Martyn said...

Wow, what an asshole to take legal action against a nursery!

Well, I hope Disney are smarter now to know that a little infringement is fine as long as no-one is profiteering from it. Otherwise, with TPTB from DCAAPB constantly checking in on here, Justin and Dusty's project would of been shut down long ago!

Zort70 said...

Martyn, it does make me wonder that if I posted the details of the project on the main blog page would someone in charge sit up and take note ?

Lisa-Maladylis said...

it doesn't take much for Disney to shut someone down. I don't know if anyone noticed a while back, I stopped carrying the Dharma Beer cozy's in my shop and the pins and mugs and such. It was they that shut me down. I got a ceast and desist letter from Disney. So yes, they can and will shut even the little folks down.

Martyn said...

Quite probably, yeah.

Well, all they need to do is make a new batch of posters that go on sale at the same time at $50 as always, give us three days prior to stare at and make our minds up, knowing full well we can only go for one, and then just sell them. They have seen that this project is successful and their is obviously a demand for more posters so just make them Disney and then we wouldn't have to make our own!

Martyn said...

@Lisa, that sucks. Especially as the beer cozy is awesome.

Lisa-Maladylis said...

specially since I had just bought 50 blank one's to print lol Oh well, no loss. I make so much junk that one or two missing things won't hurt at all. But I do like making the mugs and still have loads of them here. I'll have to redesign some and make something else

ytimetravel said...

It's a fact that Disney always wins its intellectual property suits. I haven't spent any time looking at Justin's site, but if he's clearly a fan doing limited fan appreciation art (and not passing himself off as related to Lost or sponsored by the Mouse), he may have a good defense. But if Disney wants to shut him down, the strength of his defense won't matter. I just hope that they will let some things slide that aren't interfering with their online store activities for the sake of the creative fans. The hub bub will die down in another 6-9 months (maybe).

Drama said...

dear Obfusc8... I've tried in about three posts, but every time I ask, a new post happens and the comment gets lost. Now that you bought Jacobs Cabin 1/300, what are you doing with your spare one? and would you like to sell it to someone who got none of the posters at all?

ChrisL said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
ChrisL said...

I've had some experience on both sides of the copyright infringement argument, none of it particularly pleasant. There are significant obvious differences between Justin's poster and Lisa's cozys, and Poster 17 for that matter. While Justin's poster doesn't appear to infringe any copyright as one can't copyright a picture of the sea and a plane and a land mass and the words System Failure per se, (unless the individual elements used were copyrighted images), I would doubt Disney would want to have a go at that. However, producing any product intended for sale featuring logos or artwork or names and likenesses that are copyrighted such as mugs or T shirts etc is a different thing entirely. Poster 17, although probably infringing copyright in it's use of the images has obviously not been produced for profit and actually maintains interest in the ARG, in the show and perpetuates continued interest, exactly what Disney want at this point.

The reality is though that whether something infringes or not, all a company such as Disney need to do is serve a cease and desist and threaten action and most people have no choice but to roll over. :-(

Dan said...

Don't forget, not all fans of Lost and the ARG would necessarily be in favor of the fan-art, because it could drive down the value of the legitimate posters bought through DCAAPB. And I'm not just talking about flippers; I'm talking about some real fans who probably spent what for them was a lot of money, but did so with the impression that the posters would rise in value over time. If everyone and their mother start selling other Lost-inspired posters, the superfans with legit posters would be just as upset at Disney for NOT enforcing its intellectual property rights against infringers.

thorsten said...

Dan, I am not sure that fan made posters can devaluate the 300 max prints by established silkscreen artists…

Spy Hill Skates said...

There's alot of legal speculation here, but no real world examples of Disney taking legal action against artists for posters, or shirts, or whatever. These skateboards were produced by companies about 20 years ago, and while some did get C&D letters, none of the companies were sued despite continuing forays into the gray area of "fair use."

Blind Lee

another Blind Lee

yet another Blind Lee

Not that it's all that relevant, but Blind is still in business, and Jason Lee is a big star.

Blind Lee

another Blind Lee

Blind Richter

101 Rodriguez

World Industries Colvin

World Industries Turner

There's many more examples, but you get the idea.

I don't see why ABC would go after fans of one of their shows, when the product does nothing to hurt them. They certainly could argue copyright infringement but it hardly seems worth the effort especially considering it would be attacking the core following that Lost has developed.

@ Dan: Do you have a bone to pick with someone here, or are you employed by Disney?

ChrisL said...

I don't know Dan, I would think that the value would remain due to the original 16 being a part of the genuine series and because of the artists involved. In fact there may be an argument to say that the more fan art that's out there the more precious the original art would become.

I didn't buy any of my posters with any consideration of future value and I'd guess the same could be said for most of us. For me it was purely about the show and being a part of that.

Unknown said...

fan art doesn't effect the value of the real stuff. please see Phish and all of their phan art, it doesnt effect the value of the commissioned pieces. in some cases it is valuable in it's own right. but the phish fans and phish seem to have some sort of middle ground, they make their phan art but dont use the word Phish.

in the end i personally dont "get" fan art.

ChrisL said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
ChrisL said...

Fan art doesn't do a lot for me either, I wouldn't particularly want to own it (unless it was especially staggering in it's artistic merit or creativity), but I love that people are involved enough in the show to be inspired to do stuff. Long may it continue, whether it be LOST or Phish or whatever.

LotteryTicket said...

Personal feelings aside, there isn't any debate on legality. Unless you consider their opinion valid, where can it go, if not to committee?

Dan said...

@SHS - no bone to pick and not employed by Disney (although I suppose that would be a fun job - hanging out on Lostargs all day). If I was employed by Disney, the fan art websites would already be down. Just playing devil's advocate.

@Chris - I agree that most people probably bought these because they could afford them and just liked them. I guess the point I was trying to make was that I'm sure there are some people who spent more on these than they would have liked in a perfect world, but were comforted by the fact that these would be the only pieces available and that would translate into them holding value. If some other amateur artists then came along and offered some really cool stuff for a fraction of the price, surely some people who would have otherwise bought the legit stuff from someone will say "Why should I buy "The Crash" on eBay at the market rate of $1,000 or whatever when I can have Justin's "System Failure" for relative pennies.

Also, if the rumors about a second series are true and people decide to in the meantime create posters based on WCMs from seasons 4-6 (presumably some of the ones to ultimately be part of The Project Vol. 2), I think Disney would not like that very much.

Perhaps it sounds like I'm projecting my own frustrations or something, but I'm not. Really just throwing out possibilities here.

Capcom said...

Lisa, couldn't you still put the plain bagua with nothing in the center on your items? Disney can't claim rights to a religious or philosophical symbol can they?

Spy, the instance that I cited was real, but as I said I don't know if Disney followed through in their action against the nursery to the point of making them paint over the Disney icons, or in charging them.

Up until now fan art (besides my own, haha) never moved me much either, but some of the things that have been envisioned by our friends this hiatus have been very nice.

Capcom said...

Legalities make me very nervous since studying environmental/conservation law..."ignorance of the law is no excuse" kept being repeated over and over, as to bag-limits, county and state line crossing, etc. I don't know if that covers every instance of law-breaking, but I don't much want to find out personally. :-o

Spy Hill Skates said...

Poster flipping is the only thing that has changed the values on the prints. By your reasoning the art that is given away for free, like Zort's, would harm the "legit" posters most of all. Why buy anything when there's free stuff available? I don't subscribe to that logic. We buy what we like, and value rides the ebb and flow of supply and demand. All collecting niches live by this basic principle of capitalism. Look at the charts on EB to see how posters rise and fall in value. When 2 or more people want something, the values go up. When there's no competition the values drop.

Zort70 said...

I've just posted the video from G4's Attack of the Show on the main page.

ChrisL said...

DD seems to confirm then on that video that it is Locke in the Jacob's Cabin piece?

Dan said...

@SHS - we can agree to disagree that free stuff harms the legit stuff at all. People buy bootleg DVDs on the street all the time. Peer to Peer file-sharing networks brought the music industry to its knees. But that stuff relates to substantially similar copies. This is something else. I don't think Zort's poster is a good example in this discussion - I think Justin & Dusty's are more relevant here.

Anyway, the part that we're harping on here (whether people other than the folks at Disney would have a problem with fan art)is really not the major issue. The main issue is whether Disney has a legal justification to pursue fan artists and whether they would prevail. I still think it's clear that the fan art at least in some way infringes some of the trademarks/trade dress/copyrights that Disney owns and if they knew those sites were up and selling these things (as Lisa has explained with her personal encounter with the Mouse), they'd probably be taking action.

LotteryTicket said...

the man at the cabin about to knock,

must surely be Locke

Unknown said...

if i were one of the people SELLING their fan art, i wouldn't be surprised to get some mail from Disney.

thorsten said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
ChrisL said...

Thorsten, thanks for making all of this clear. It's in particularly bad taste that anyone would attempt to pass themselves off as a valued member of this community especially when having been politely asked to refrain by the Blog admin. It's also a little, well... sad.

I would hope that Mike will consider putting his extensive literary talents to more constructive use.

Zort70 said...

I'm not going to remove the posts as they are not offensive or antagonising, but Mike I am asking again nicely please refrain from using anything other than your own account, and do not impersonate someone else.

Spy Hill Skates said...

@ Dan: I like playing devil's advocate too, and since you brought up the issue of cost being the factor that would dissuade people from buying the legit art, I don't see how you can not include free fan art in the discussion. Free is better than $40, and $40 is better than $1K, right? Also, the ongoing values of these prints is not an issue for the original seller, since all 16 prints sold out. The affect of peer-to-peer file sharing on the music industry, while totally unrelated, is arguably overstated by the music industry. There are several studies that show no evidence of decreased CD buying among frequent digital music consumers. The economy and competition from other media like video games are more likely the reason for slumping sales.

@ Edward: I also wouldn't be surprised if some fans got letters from Disney lawyers. Lawyers have to pay the bills too. ;-)

Justin said...

Hey guys! It's crazy reading the comments and hearing a debate going on about me lol.

Anyways, I thought I'd comment on it all. I think Dan has some valid points and I don't look at it as an attack or anything, he's just voicing his thoughts. I basically know that I'm taking a risk by doing this project. I know that I'm walking a fine line. In the early stages of getting this together, Dusty and I were working together, but I voiced my concerns about copyright infringement and that we needed to stay away from logos and copyrighted material. Since that time, I've stopped hearing from him and we've been doing our own things. I designed my site and poster with the whole copyright issue in mind but I still won't at all be surprised if I get shut down. I've tried to stay away from violating any copyright laws, but I'm sure if Disney/Abc decided to, they could have my ass in court. Even if they send me a cease and desist, I'll still be eating the costs of whatever prints I have left. Again, I know it's a risk.

I started this project for a few reasons. First off, DCAAPB and the show as well as everyone here, inspired me to do some art. They also inspired a lot of other artists to do the same. I wanted a place where we could continue to get together and share our art and have fun. Secondly, a lot of people were suggesting an art project like this for the fans. I thought it'd be fun, so I took the initiative. Thirdly, I had collected a lot of the freebies from the events and wanted to give back to the community and give some of these items away. I wanted to do all this in a fun way with puzzles, etc.

I've given Damon and Carlton copies of my print, Jensen's seen my print and knows about my site and I talked to Daniel Danger about what I'm doing and he's seen the site and print. I'm not trying to be sneaky with this. I'm hoping that they understand it's a fun fan project and don't shut me down. If they do shut me down, then they do.

And in case anyone's worried, they can't ask for the prints or to have them destroyed or anything. They can only ask me for the money. There's no risk to anyone that bought. Only to me.

ChrisL said...

Justin. I like the way that you've avoided using any copyrighted material yet still managed to produce something that works really well for the fans. That takes thought and ingenuity. You've done a great job with the site and the poster and I doubt anyone could suggest you've done anything 'sneaky' at all. Good luck with it, I look forward to seeing what comes next.

Justin said...

One more thing I want to point out. I will offer ALL art that I do as a free high resolution downloadable file on my site. I've stated that on the purchase page as well as the main site. I've also talked to people through email that let me know that they were debating if they could afford my print but they liked it. I assured them that a free downloadable version will be available very soon. I don't want anyone to feel obligated to purchase. I just thought some people would love to own a quality physical print.

Justin said...

Thanks Chris :)

And thanks to everyone for the support as well as the interesting discussion! I'm glad it's remained fairly civil so far.

thorsten said...

Great vid, Dana Vinson totally moved the island for me ;))

ColdSoreSuperstar said...

Hey Zort - it's the REAL CSS here, Mike.

Someone over on ExpressoBeans is posting under my name in an attempt to mess with me. If you click on the two different profiles, you can see that one is me, and another is an impostor that joined blogger in December of 09. That impostor also includes the CSS that posted above in this comment thread.

I've left y'all alone, but this person - although funny for a minute last night - is beginning to annoy me, as now y'all know my personal info and such, and I believe that writing something about the lost fan community and the poster connection could prove to be fruitful in the future. So if you see any disparaging comments in the future, be sure to check the profile and see when it was created. MINE was created in April of 2008.

Thanks, and sorry.

-CSS

P.S. - To the fake me...you were funny for a minute. Now you're pissing me off. Stop it.

Capcom said...

Justin, it was also weird to be talking about you without you here. :-) I like what you've done, and hope that you can continue without problems.

Why would a guy want to impersonate a woman here?????? :o) Lame.

ColdSoreSuperstar said...

Also, I didn't post as the Fake LottoTicket, or Edward. Only as myself.

I'd appreciate it if Thorston removed all of my name and contact info as well. The amount of people contacting me right now is getting annoying.

Thanks and sorry again. I'll stay off your boards.

maven said...

All this talk of copyright infringement and the Mouse makes me so nervous with my LOST quilt. I did put a disclaimer on my blog that this was made for my own use and was not intended for sale. My husband, who is in the legal field, made me do that! I don't think Darlton cares that much...they are so impressed with LOST Fan Art! It's guys in suits who make me nervous!

Zort70 said...

I think you will be ok with personal use Maven. I'd like to see Disney come and remove the quilt for crimes against Duvets :-)

Ellen B said...

Hello everyone. I've been away from here all day, getting ready for the holidays and stuff. Hope all is well with everyone. Best news is I got my poster #16. :)

ChrisL said...

Maven, your quilt is a one-off piece of great beauty. They wouldn't dare!

Night all. If anyone posts in the next 7 hours or so under my name, it won't be me because I'll be sleeping ;-)

ChrisL said...

Except for this final one to say YAY!!! to Ellen and her full set. FANTASTIC!

Night.

Ellen B said...

Yep, ChrisL!
<--- doing a happy dance!

Zort70 said...

Congrats Ellen, glad you got a full set.

We want to see them all framed in your own personal art gallery.

Ellen B said...

Zort, I have no idea where I'm going to put them all. First thing is to get them framed, or start getting them framed. I'm going to try to do a deal with a local framer.

Ellen B said...

Ooops, gotta run. Hubby is ready to go out, and so am I! I'll check back in later!

Justin said...

Nice job with the full set Ellen!

maven said...

Congrats to Ellen on another FULL SET!

Zort70 said...

Guess who I've just talked to on the phone, yes Tyson himself.

He has let me know of a couple of special prizes they are going to send for LostARGs to give away.

No details for the moment, but I'm so happy I got to speak with Tyson (Jensen).

kiwilostie said...

Cool. After Christmas Zort?

maven said...

OMG...that's just too fabulous! Show's how much they appreciate true fans! :) Can't wait for more surprises!

Capcom said...

Neat, Zort! And your site deserves the recognition after all of your hard work on LostARGs. :-)

Scoutpost said...

Haven't really caught up today...but do know enough to congratulat Ellen B for your full set! yay! And to be excited about the Tyson/Jensen swag- woo hoo!

Christmas is coming even though I'm not ready...so in case I don't make it here much over the next few days...

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and all around Happy Holidays to everyone! Be safe and hope you all have a wonderful time with family and friends! You guys are great!

futureself said...

Maven- I think your quilt is safe. After all it was signed by your constant ;)

Zort, brilliant news on the extra giveaway items :D After this, and seeing all the interviews with him, Jensen truly does seem like a stand up guy ;)

Spy Hill Skates said...

@ Zort: That's excellent. They picked the right people to arrange this Fan Appreciation ARG. Despite the occasional difficulties with ordering the prints, they've done a great job.

mungonna said...

Hello All. Thats why I work with the Clouds. Nobody has the copywrite on them.

A suggestion EllenB..hang'em one at a time. Get tired of one,,take it down and hang the next one. Way to go! Sweet 16!

Jensen and crew remain amazing.

A note on Memento Mori:..Major talk about how Bailly was 60+ when he painted himself much younger holding a picture of himself at 60+.
So,,with that in mind..apply to M Mori..or, in other words..the final label,, that can't be applied but is still part of the painting..is the Viewer. Just as Bailly challenged the viewer anew with Time displacement element..Lyderson is challenging the Viewer with the Reborn.

Dan said...

@SHS - I think the free Zort poster is different because it's just a collection of the images from the entire ARG and, no offense to Zort, I don't think it's something that people would pay money for. It's also not the sort of thing that I think people would download and print in lieu of buying a legit poster, which is why I was trying to differentiate it from the other two examples.

Again, though, I was just trying to point out that it's possible that people other than Disney may not be receptive to the fan-art. Personally, I like seeing the creativity that's come out of this and look forward to seeing more fan-made posters. BUT, make no mistake about it - these are all infringing on Disney's IP rights for the reasons I mentioned above, despite the fact that there's a free high-res image allowing a do-it-yourself option, and despite the fact that Darlton and Tyson don't have a problem with it.

@Justin - glad to hear you haven't taken any of this as an attack because I certainly didn't mean for it to be. I think you've done some very creative and ambitious work and I've particularly enjoyed the step by step explanation.

@Ellen - congrats on the set!

Zort70 said...

By the way I just want to say a brief thanks to CSS for his post above.

I think Thorsten has also now removed the contact details from the comments above as apparently quite a few people were contacting him.

Zort70 said...

"...no offense to Zort, I don't think it's something that people would pay money for"

How dare you sir !

Actually I'd have to agree :-)

thorsten said...

I talked to CSS over at EB, and the matter is settled.
He did not post as LotteryTicket and somebody used his name and avatar. Case closed.

But again, LotteryTicket is not posting any longer, so everything with her name or avatar is fake.

Spy Hill Skates said...

How could you put a price on it?
It's priceless!

Drama said...

I'm excited at official prizes. I might still come out of this with something tangible yet!

adam_keller said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
adam_keller said...

Congrats ELLEN!! Good luck with the doctorate, and well done with the print, I am happy for you!

Martyn said...

Man, a load of sad people people posting under other peoples names. All i'll say is why?

Zort, talking to Tyson himself is better than a poster at this stage seeing as he doesn't reply to any e-mails anymore. I'm looking forward to this swag giveaway, going to put my fingers back in to training after xmas to get in shape for whatever contest you come up with.

But just had a few beers and a curry so my head is floating to the pillow so good night everyone!

--Andy--

No, wait, my name's Martyn, isn't it?

mungonna said...

PRICELESS!! WHAT!!? Why,, back in July I was still 6'1" and weighed 250 pounds! Priceless!!..I didn't have a single grey hair then either,,and, and no crows feet or liver spots. Priceless my aching, and let me tell you another thing or three,,I had a regular thumpity thump heart beat , my blood pressure was a healthy 117 over 60 something, my hands didn't shake, i had no fear of steppin away from the computer for a minute or two. Why Heck! I use to like grinding my own coffee back then. No more! I can't even go out for a cigarette without severe anxiety attacks about missing a Buy Now. Just today, there I am not even halfway thru a cigarette and I get this Pang,, yea.. OMG I'm going to miss it!! I'm going to miss it!!..what the heck.!! Now it ain't all bad mind you. The one cash register gal over at Michaels knows me by my first name. But shoot!,,I use to have money in my checking account and now I'll have to work another 5 years to get my 401k back in order. if i live that long!..or if they don't put me away first! I mentioned Hawaii the other day, you shoulda seen the looks!Like I was crazy or something!

RobPerrin said...

So THAT's the reason they held back a hundred and ten copies of each poster -- to give away on lostargs.com. Fantastic! (I can dream, can't I?)

mungonna said...

Rob..ya should seen the look I just gave ya...

LotteryTicket said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Tess315 said...

Congrats EllenB for being able to get all 16 prints.

Merry Christmas Scoutpost.

Gifts from Tyson how cool is that. :)

ObFuSc8 said...

Hey ARG-dome!

As Thorsten said above -- LT will not be posting here anymore, so anything with that screen name is an Imp.

Sorry for they delays between my replies, but I have a pretty tight work schedule, and I can usually scan comments in short breaks, but it's difficult to actually post during the work day. I just couldn't let the Imp go unchecked.

Ben, sorry again if I didn't post this earlier. My brother is a LOST fan as well and I am going to offer DD's print to him at Xmas. If he doesn't like it I will either trade or sell, but may decide to give it up for an auction with proceeds to charity. If that ends up being the case, I might see if DD will add some kind of doodle to the package.

Jensen is as big a LOST dork as most of us. I have heard that Sam, Noreen, Jensen and a bunch of LOST staff were impressed by how much of an actual community we and other ARGers have become and were pretty taken with the generosity they have seen here.

Zort -- Jensen had thought up the idea of sending those surprises to you before the G1988 event! You do such an awesome job of moderating this board that is the foundation of what we were able to experience over the last 4 months and I am always impressed with your ability to rise above the fray and set an example for the rest of us.

Ellen B said...

Thanks to all for the congratulations on my full set! I'm excited and pleased that I was able to do it. It wasn't cheap, but it was worth it! I think MEL's advice is really good. Frame them one at a time. That makes total sense to me.

lora said...

Did anyone notice in the Flavorwire article the mention of the DCaaPB painting on black "vinyl"? Oops...

ObFuSc8 said...

Hmmm, really? I only skimmed that article, going back to read now.

ObFuSc8 said...

Ha, lora, you're right! Vinyl -- come on, it's black velvet or nothing!

kiwilostie said...

Does anyone know if its possible to download the Vodcast and the Attack videos. I cant get/work out a download link. Would like them for the scrapbook of the whole ARG.

Capcom said...

Is LT not going to post here at all? Why? Can't she post with another name? "Original LT"? "LostLotto"? "Lottobabe"? "Lottorama"? Anything? Is this guy a stalker or something? If so I can personally relate to that, and I'm upset for her. :-(

Sandman90 said...

Agreed, Capcom. I'm sure LT has her reasons but I hope she returns.

lora said...

I'm kind of wondering about LT's absence, too. She's also deleted her twitter page, and announced on STV that she won't be updating the list of poster order and print numbers.

I guess her reasons are none of our business. Though I can't help but be curious.

Capcom said...

Well I hope that all is well with her, and that she can return eventually. Prayers and meditations. :-o

chaseter said...

I have decided to apologize to Lotto for using harsh words against her, MIB, and Alice. It was still wrong of them to do, but it seems we are both strong headed people that will never give in so I decided to. Lotto, I am sorry if I offended you but you have to be able to see the situation in other people's shoes.

I am over it all, your swag is going to charity, and Alice apologized so lets move forward. It's Christmas and the last thing I want is someone angry when I can do something about it.

And to Zort, sorry that all of this hoopla has worn down your delete comment button. I appreciate all of your hard work on this site.

Namaste and Merry Christmas.

-charter

ChrisL said...

Morning all,

Wow Zort, That's exciting news to wake up to. A conversation with Jensen and something special to come. It means a great deal that LOSTARGs is recognised in this way.

Capcom, re LT, well said. I couldn't agree more.

chaseter, I'm pleased to read your post.

Drama said...

@Obfusc8 - no bother - it was a long shot anyway! I can hope your brother doesn't like it, but charity auctions are a good thing anyway.

I guess I'll be holding out for Zort's swag competitions as and when they happen! any idea when the first might be, oh mighty leader?

Zort70 said...

Charter, that is very generous of you.

The delete button is at the moment reserved for the few fools from another site that think they are having fun, but are really just being tiresome.

Martyn said...

Right, i'm going to cull my obsession with this site for the xmas period as I am late for work again. Will check the homepage now and again but not comments.

Have a great Xmas everyone and an even better 2010!!!

ChrisL said...

We'll miss you Martyn! Have a great one.

Drama said...

Quick Zort, launch the competition now! with everyone off for christmas, my odds are better...

andalone said...

@kiwilostie - The ABC video podcast can be downloaded at itunes.

thorsten said...

That right, Andalone!

iTunesLink

Kelly said...

Wow, lots of craziness the last few days!

Hope everyone has a great holiday / new year! I am going dark for a few days to head home so I won't be online too much. See you in a few days!

Drama said...

iTunes UK has a Season 6 trailer up "for a limited time". At 2:35, it's basically a recap of the previous season, with little new footage. However, it opens with what I think is new footage of all the key players getting on to 815 - perhaps a key moment to S6? also, TPTB do some talking head stuff. They say that "Lost is what real life is about - excitement, sadness, loss, forgiveness, redemption. Everybody on the island gets a second chance at their life". INTERESTING.

thorsten said...

Ben, could you post a link for that trailer, please?
Also, The Pilot and the recaps are free downloads on iTunes US…

ChrisL said...

Thorsten, have you found it in iTunes? I'm downloading it now.

ChrisL said...

That's a great promo but I don't see anything new. It's really made me excited though!

andalone said...

I can't find promo - must not be available on US iTunes. :(

mrtibbs said...

Hello all. Seems weird not coming here every day now. But nice to be free of those fantastic, but damned posters! Just wanted to say hi and happy Christmas if I don't get chance to pop in before.

All the best.

Amy Lynn said...

mrtibbs, you can come here everyday. We still do almost the same amount of chatting.

Zort70 said...

Hi all it's getting towards Christmas so a small announcement of where we are.

NEW POST

ChrisL said...

andalone, I'm sure it will be posted somewhere else anytime now.

Ben, thanks for the heads up.