That iPhone App commercial got me thinking..

[ScarletIce]

I'm sure, judging by Brian's reaction on the front page that he doesn't mind at all. But this commercial got me thinking. Isn't using copyrighted material in a commercial without permission illegal?

Or is Atomic Robo not technically copyrighted?

Or are UK laws just different...

This is purely curiousity mind you. I obviously don't think Brian is being victimized here. IT just got me thinking is all.

Your thoughts?

[Melfice]

I'm sure, judging by Brian's reaction on the front page that he doesn't mind at all. But this commercial got me thinking. Isn't using copyrighted material in a commercial without permission illegal?

Or is Atomic Robo not technically copyrighted?

Or are UK laws just different...

This is purely curiousity mind you. I obviously don't think Brian is being victimized here. IT just got me thinking is all.

Your thoughts?

I'm thinking this was cleared with whomever it concerns.
Probably went via Red 5 Comics or the guys from the comic-book app, but don't quote me on it.

[Menarker]

It does somewhat worry me. I think Brian may need to at least acknowledge that what they are doing is illegal (if it is or if it hasn't been cleared already), and give them permission to do it if he doesn't mind that much (if he hasn't already).

I heard that if someone with a trademark/copyright doesn't defend it, he/she/it may stand to lose the trademark/copyright protection. (Rich Berlew from Order of the Sticks is very hard on people who violate the copyright rules using his products, and if I recall correctly, this was one of the cited reasons.)

[Meister]

Of course Atomic Robo is properly copyrighted, and why would you assume Brian and/or Red 5, whoever needs to, haven't given their permission?

[Professor Smarmiarty]

No publisher is going to publish a book without copyrights in place and nobody is going to make a tv commercial without getting copyrights cleared.
The thought of Apple executives sitting in their office going
Man 1:"Hmmm, we need to put a comic book panel into our ad. We could pay the paltry royalties out of our gigantic financial empire or we could risk a far more damaging lawsuit which will certainly come as tv is not the most discrete of mediums"
Man 2: "The publisher and the author live in the US. If we only show the ad in Britain, nobody will ever know!"
Man 1: "The perfect crime!"
Man 2: "The perfect crime!"

[ScarletIce]

The way Brian talked about it on the front page just made it seem like he found out about it after the fact is all.

[Kurosen]

No, we knew about it months ago but we weren't allowed to say anything. We didn't know when it would air and we didn't know it was going to be in the UK only (for now?). That was the surprise.

Smarty McBarrelpants' post is 100% correct. For the first time in his history here.

[Professor Smarmiarty]

I made a post once about the release date of some movie which was correct. Just saying.

[minadin]

I thought that seeing Atomic Robo in the commercial was awesome.

[Kurosen]

Me too!