IDK. I'm not entirely comfortable with the publication of reskinned fanfic but it's not a hill I'm going to die on. But when it comes to *also* using real people's highly identifiable images, albeit of actors in character...IDK. Not comfortable with that at all.
It would be like if the Orville hired a cast of look-a-likes to play their Star Trek Next Generation counterparts. It just ties the author to their inspiration in a mean spirited way. As if the works success is contingent on audiences fondness for the art that came before not the work itself.
it seems like something that's going to bounce around for a while, until someone suddenly gets a big, fat legal hammer to the face and there's a lot of sudden "oh shit!" changes to make covers more explicitly generic, putting text over faces, more generic outfits etc.
You are probably right about that.
But if I were the cover artist being asked, effectively, to draw a still from a popular TV show, I would check the indemnity clause in my contract very carefully, that's all.
I may be completely wrong and it's all been cleared and there's no need to ask permission before putting the illustrated likeness of an actor on the cover. Who can say. (A lawyer, probably.)
Having seen it—yep, this is clearly using a WB IP to sell books without their permission. At least the Adam Driver covers were set in a modern day science lab, so you could pretty clearly argue it was *inspired by* Star Wars but not infringement, and the dude is not as clearly recognizable as Adam
This is very clearly infringing on the OFMD IP. It’s not just a cheeky nod to the inspiration of an original story. It’s not just “generic pale dude + brunette” like the Dramione covers. It’s just using someone else’s work without compensation to sell your product.
Oh gosh I found it on GR and I see it marked as not yet published, yet it already has a single one star rating.
I don't feel this is going to work out for SMP.
Yeah I gotta wonder.
The OFMD fandom is really different from the Star Wars or HP fandom. They’re much smaller and much more in tune with fandom ethics; they’re very protective of the story and the creative team. You can’t just market at fandom with a one-size-fits-all approach!
Right? Maybe they think the opposite, that it's such a small fandom that it'll fly under the radar...? (I can't make it make sense no matter how I look at it...)
I'm watching with interest on this one, I'd put a fiver on this cover not making it to publication.
I mean, I think *he* could have complained about licence rights but the studio couldn't. Whereas this one is very clearly art of the actors *as they appear in the show*, and I don't see how it isn't passing off, myself.
Likeness, not licence, wtf
Adam is clearly *aware* of Ali’s books—Daisy’s husband is playing the love interest in the movie! But I think they both decided there was more to gain from having a dedicated fanbase support them, especially after the mixed reception of the sequel trilogy.
And also, those characters and the Star Wars IP aren’t their creations. For OFMD, it’s a much smaller show with a much more hands-on and personally-invested creative team. It was a passion project, and I’d be pissed if someone took it for their own profit.
(even if it's legal I find it kind of gross tbh, esp coming from big trad publishers) (yes I did add the whole "dramione" thing to my unending list of Reasons Why I Am Self-Publishing, why do you ask)
Wow, I just saw the cover, and it isn't even trying to hide the serial numbers at this point.