FIRST BLOGIVERSARY:
DATELINE: Tuesday, October 12, 2004:

It has been one complete year since I took over this Blog. The ASIFA-Hollywood Blog was started in April of 2004 by Steve Worth to report on the Animation Archive Project.

Unfortunately, the Animation Archive Project did not get off the ground at quickly as was hoped and this Blog sat idle for months while nothing seemed to happen on the Archive front. (thank gods that is no longer the case and Steve is back writing about the Archive Project in these pages)

So at the October 2004 ASIFA-Hollywood Board meeting I put forth that we should / I should do something with the Blog. That it should and could be the daily voice of ASIFA-Hollywood. I didn`t get a counter until half way through December 2004 so I can not state the starting number of visits in October 2004.



But in January of 2004 (the first full month with a counter) we had a little better than 2,500 visits. In July when we were reporting on Comic Con we had over 7,000 visits and last month we had 6,000 visits. We are coming up on 45,000 hits since mid-December 2004. I started the Blog with this article on the poor state of business law training in our art schools. I celebrate today by running a re-print.

Copyright & Trademark Book

`Congress shall have the Power . . . To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive right to their respective Writings and Discoveries.`

Yet another student came up to me after class this week with a really simple copyright question. It still amazes me how little artist are taught about intellectual property law in art schools. It seems to be the last thing art teachers and department chairs think about when they are putting together a program. But then they were not taught copyright law either. So it makes sense that they pass on the disease to their students.

I get a lot of questions about copyright from not only students but from teachers. I think it is because I have made it my business to correct the faults in my own art education.

Do I sound bitter, well yes. As great as my school was at teaching art they never taught me a damn thing about Intellectual Property Law. To be fair, it was the first years of the school and it was all that they could do to just pound art into our marble like heads. I talked to Joe Kubert just a little while ago and they are currently covering intellectual property law in their curriculum. Good for them, they are one of the few.

But what about the artists that find themselves without this important component in their survival kit? Remember a business major doesn`t have to know how to draw but you better know business law, because business programs are turning out students that look at the uninformed as their natural prey.

Enter Michael Lovitz! Michael Lovitz is this really cool guy who loves comics. He is also an intellectual property lawyer who gives free seminars on copyright and trademark law at comic book conventions.

I haven`t missed one of his classes at the San Diego Comic Con since I discovered him way back in 1996. And I always learn something new each time I attend.

At the 2001 San Diego Comic Con, in conjunction with Sirius Comics, he brought out this great little overview in comic book form, The Trademark & Copyright Book.

A must for all creative artists. It has a funny visual take on what could be a very dry subject if not handled in such a creative manner. Love the artwork by the Fillbach Brothers. Their comic take and super-literalism makes this not only an informative book but also an entertaining one. This comic book format survival tool is still in print. Price $2.95. http://www.cosmictherapy.com/featuredproducts.html

  ¶ 5:39 AM