From the letters column of Action Comics #350 (1967):
And DC's reaction to college kids being turned on to their characters?
Sigh. That, in a nutshell, was the difference between Marvel and DC in 1967. If this letter had shown up in an issue of Amazing Spider-Man (about kids getting Marvel tattoos, of course), Stan would have expressed joy that young adults found their characters so cool, thanked the kids for the free advertising, and made a joke or two.DC? Humorless, snippy, and a threat of legal sanction. Complete white bread establishment, man.
I mean, yeah, you have to protect your intellectual property. But I've seen many a superhero tattoo in my day, and never once seen a copyright line "pricked out." Yet the republic still stands. So chill, Mort Weisinger!!
But back to the really important question: That guy with the entire Legion Of Super-Heroes tattooed all over his body...that was in 1967. Did he keep up? Did he run out of room at some point, or just give up? Is Tyroc on his butt? Did he get any of the 5 Years Later characters, and then have to have those tattoos erased when DC erased them from continuity? What about the two other versions of the Legion? And...
Oh, the miserable gets! I hope the student tattooist made a mint, and spent it on Marvel comics.
ReplyDeleteNow, how do we track down the Legion guy ...
Honestly, I'm kind of surprised that no one's ever gone after these inked up infringers. It seems like a copyright case just waiting for Disney, Time Warner, or any big company to go fight for.
ReplyDeleteNot that I want them to, nor do I think they'd win, I just find it kind of funny how 'okay' they are with the unlicensed dissemination of their intellectual properties.
What a miserable killjoy.
ReplyDeleteV.
Matt, I'm no lawyer (thank heaven), but I'd suggest the following reasons why the Big Two haven't gone after anyone
ReplyDeleteA) Tens of thousands of tattoo parlors might strain the legal depts of even Disney and Warner
B) Spectacularly bad publicity
C) Unless the Big Two are going to argue that they were going to license people to make tattoos, it's awful hard to make a case that these guys are taking revenue away from them
D) The tattoos essentially serve as a form of free advertising for them, and even build brand loyalty by allowing big-time fans to express themselves this way.
Yeah, DC and Marvel could probably go after them and still win, but at big cost for little benefit and some detriment.
Oh yeah, I get that it's a TERRIBLE idea, but I'm still surprised that no one's tried it yet. With corporations getting more and more touchy about how their properties are used and/or trying to monetize at every opportunity, I'd expect some boardroom drone to make the move on that.
ReplyDeleteLike back ten years ago, or whatever, when Lucasfilm tried to shut down all the Star Wars fan sites (was it lucas? or was it DC? I honestly forget). It was a bad idea, hard to enforce, and really mucked with the fanbase until they reversed the decision because it was messing with the bottom line.
Anyway, it was just an interesting thought that you provoked.
And oddly I always thought DC's stories were more lighthearted and fun than Marvel's (until recently, anyway).
ReplyDelete