That Lucasfilm holiday card

As Jorren pointed out in the comments, James Hance has a painting of the same concept for sale.

Link roundup

1. Yet another ad campaign ripping off an artist.

2. Chef Jamie Oliver's kids are named Buddy Bear Maurice Oliver, Poppy Honey, Daisy Boo, and Petal. Via.

3. An Egyptian newspaper was caught photoshopping a picture of Obama and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

*Buy legal guides for artists at Amazon.

More on that UPS deliveryman statue

UPS deliveryman sculpture by Ogilvy and Mather:





"Pedestrian" sculpture by Ryan Johnson from 1997:





"The Runner" sculpture by Costas Varotsos from 1988:




Thanks for the tip Stelios.

*Buy the Legal Guide for the Visual Artist, Fifth Edition at Amazon.

That UPS sculpture I posted this morning...

That UPS deliveryman sculpture I posted this morning is by Ogilvy and Mather.

But check out this sculpture by Ryan Johnson from 1997. It's called "Pedestrian"



Thanks to the commenter for pointing it out.

*Buy the Legal Guide for the Visual Artist, Fifth Edition at Amazon.

Link roundup

1. Erik Larsen takes Todd McFarlane's side in the Spawn lawsuit.

2. (Naked) Doll with intricate henna tattoos.

3. Comment and win a Dunny.

*Buy Dunnys at Amazon.

Legal rulings can be fun

From Judge Barbara Crabb's finding that Todd McFarlane stole Neil Gaiman's character:

The two characters are similar enough to suggest that either Dark Ages (McFarlane) Spawn is derivative of Medieval (Gaiman) Spawn or it is the same character to which plaintiff owns the copyright.

Much as defendant tries to distinguish the two knight Hellspawn, he never explains why, of all the universe of possible Hellspawn incarnations, he introduced two knights from the same century. Not only does this break the Hellspawn “rule” that Malebolgia never returns a Hellspawns to Earth more than once every 400 years (or possibly every 100 years, as suggested in Spawn, No. 9, exh. #1, at 4), it suggests that what defendant really wanted to do was exploit the possibilities of the knight introduced in issue no. 9. (This possibility is supported by the odd timing of defendant’s letter to plaintiff on February 14, 1999, just before publication of the first issue of Spawn The Dark Ages, to the effect that defendant was rescinding their previous agreements and retaining all rights to Medieval (Gaiman) Spawn.)

If defendant really wanted to differentiate the new Hellspawn, why not make him a Portuguese explorer in the 16th century; an officer of the Royal Navy in the 18th century, an idealistic recruit of Simon Bolivar in the 19th century, a companion of Odysseus on his voyages, a Roman gladiator, a younger brother of Emperor Nakamikado in the early 18th century, a Spanish conquistador, an aristocrat in the Qing dynasty, an American Indian warrior or a member of the court of Queen Elizabeth I? It seems far more than coincidence that Dark Ages (McFarlane) Spawn is a knight from the same century as Medieval (Gaiman) Spawn.

Neil posted an tremendous photo of McFarlane here.

*Buy books by Neil Gaiman at Amazon.

This alien hunter takes no prisoners (link roundup)

"No phone home" by Serge Birault, who has several prints on sale here.

And a few more links:

1. Domo energy drink.

2. In Peru, as of 2005, "pirates were employing more people than formal publishers and booksellers, and their combined economic impact was estimated to be 52 million US dollars – or roughly equivalent to one hundred per cent of the legal industry’s total earnings."

3. Giant koosh ball/ottoman.

*Previously: Brainwave sofa.

*Buy Domo toys at eBay.

Fair use?

These book-cut illustrations are by Thomas Allen, one of my favorite artists:






Over the weekend, I spotted these ads at Ads of the World, and assumed they were by Thomas. They're not.




I contacted Thomas to ask about them. He was outraged and investigated. The responses from the advertising company, which claims fair use, and their "client" offer a fascinating look into the world of advertising competitions.

*Previously: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Thomas Allen.

*Buy Thomas Allen: Uncovered at Amazon.

Ping Pong Master/Fashion Model Sooyeon Lee (link roundup)

Sooyeon Lee, fashion model and ranked as the 15th woman in US table tennis. Via.

And a few more links:

1. Gawker summarizes the Facebook privacy changes.

2. Sounds ominous - - "The Bundler." Via.

3. A former South Dakota lawmaker/child rapist sent news organizations a copyright notice seeking to prevent the use of his name without his consent.

*Previously: Ping Pong-playing geisha.

*Buy intellectual property for dummies at Amazon.

Timespirits comics

No, that's not an Avatar comic book, it's the cover to Timespirits #6. You can see interior panels here. There are a few copies on sale at eBay.

Alex Pardee describes a horrifying incident at a signing (link roundup)

Alex Pardee's signing at Upper Playground & 5024SEA in Seattle, Washington ended in blood. He describes what happened here. Warning - - it's horrifying. (And surprisingly well-photographed?)

And a few more links:

1. William David quit his job at Ubisoft and created a clever flash "game" called Leaving as a sendoff.

2. Morrissey is asking fans not to buy a new boxed set of Smiths music since he won't receive royalties and hasn't received any in over 10 years.

3. Lego Voltron that splits into lions with opening cockpits. Via.

*Previously: How did tainted blood from an Arkansas prisoner enter the UK?

*Buy Voltron toys at eBay.

Live action remake of Final Fantasy Advent Children

The video for Ivy's "Sonata of Temptation" is a nearly shot for shot remake of Tifa's battle in the church from Final Fantasy VII Advent Children (plus a little extra dancing and a surprise ending). Square Enix sued and won the largest award ever in South Korea for such infringement. Via.

*Previously: Watch the opening cinema of Final Fantasy 13.

*Buy Final Fantasy toys at eBay.

Wise Latina t-shirt (link roundup)

Perfect for any Sonia Sotomayor fan, "Wise Latina" merchandise on sale at CafePress. Via.

And a few more links:

1. The NY Times now has a wine club. Coming soon: a Busted Tees affiliate account.

2. Help make federal court documents freely available - - use the RECAP Firefox extension, as described here.

3. There's a Hooters-type restaurant chain in Texas called Twin Peaks (you should see their logo). Which I learned about because some cops are in trouble for photographing a waitress holding their rifle (not a euphemism).

*Previously: Agent Dale Cooper action figure.

*Buy Twin Peaks collectibles at eBay.

Gatchaman movie poster (link roundup)

Gatchaman movie poster. Via.

And a few more links:

1. Need a job? They're looking for a new federal judge for Yosemite, pay of $160,000, and the environment seems ready for tv:

Also distracting is the local wildlife, which periodically shows up on the courthouse steps. “We often have a bear come through,” said Ray Kern, who works security at the court. “And coyote. Bobcats, too, on a regular basis. They come up to the front door. But we don’t let them in.”

Via.

2. Diagram shows the various, mostly fatal, outcomes in a Choose Your Own Adventure book. I always hated those books because the outcomes were so random. The competing D&D books often rewarded good choices.

3. A fan created a video for a Spinal Tap song, using Lego minifigs. Spinal Tap liked it so much, they used it during a tour...until Lego issued a cease and desist. Via.

*Previously: Gatchaman desktop wallpaper.

*Buy Gatchaman toys at eBay.

Lego Castle Crashers (link roundup)

Lego Castle Crashers by Danny Rice. Via these sites.

And a few more links:

1. Motorcycle with a bicycle rack.

2. The NY Times article featuring abandoned real estate projects that got so much link love last week has been exposed as digitally manipulated. The NY Times has actually withdrawn it. Via.

3. I don't think I usually embed the type of video that would get me in trouble, but I'll be thinking long and hard before embedding another YouTube video - - ASCAP is demanding royalties from bloggers.

4. How in the world did the city of LA end up on the hook for $1 million spent on overtime for officers and civilian personnel handling the Michael Jackson memorial?

*Previously: Castle Crashers cosplay.

*Buy Lego minifigs at eBay.

Up knockoff (link roundup)

What’s Up: Balloon to the Rescue available in August at Amazon. Via.

And a few more links:

1. Final Fantasy Phantom sculpture.

2. Monster cake.

3. "6 Characters Who Escaped Virtual Prisons... Or Did They?" I never watched the show, but the description of Life on Mars is particularly interesting.

4. It's not much, but I'm already getting more traffic from Bing, than Yahoo.

*Previously: The Fight Club theory of Scooby Doo.

*Buy Final Fantasy toys at eBay.

Death Scene Klytus toy (link roundup)

I previously posted the regular Alex Ross Flash Gordon Klytus figure. Now you can preorder the Klytus Death Scene figure at Entertainment Earth.

And a few more links:

1. "The killing in 1967 of an unarmed demonstrator by a police officer in West Berlin set off a left-wing protest movement and put conservative West Germany on course to evolve into the progressive country it has become today." Guess what - - the shooter was actually an East German spy. Read on.

2. Endless Abbey Road animated gif.

3. Titanic Pizza Co in Scotland told KFC to suck it when KFC tried to claim the phrase "family feast" as a trademark. You really should check out the photo the pizza co used to illustrate the story. Via.

4. There was a recent case called United States v. Vampire Nation, 451 F.3d 189 (3d Cir. 2006). My eyes glazed over before I could figure out what it was about. Via.

*Previously: Gawker nominates Germany's Prince Marcus von Anhalt as the world's richest a$$hole.

*Buy Flash Gordon posters at eBay.

Cyclops mask for a dog (link roundup)

Stuart Immonen's dog with a Cyclops mask. And as Wolverine.

And a few more links:

1. "A federal judge has ruled that Los Angeles police officers should be paid for the time it takes them to put on and take off their uniforms and safety equipment."

2. The KFC free chicken promotion is a disaster because the corporate parent decided to pass all the costs on to the franchised stores, who had no interest in giving away free chicken. By comparison, El Pollo Loco will honor the KFC coupons on Mother's Day.

3. To the commenter who thought I was kidding the other day about losing copyright by failing to exploit it, no I'm not kidding.

4. Could this possibly be true? The Miss California organization paid for Miss California’s breast implants?

*Previously: Half ATV, half walking robo-dog.

*Buy Aibos at eBay.

Cool skateboard deck (link roundup)

Skateboard deck by Doublenaut for the disposable art show in Toronto. Underneath the bomb is a collage made from old war time ads from the 1940’s. Here's the Doublenaut shop.

And a few more links:

1. 31-year-old Lila Rose goes undercover at Planned Parenthood clinics, tells the workers that she's 13 and was was impregnated by a 31-year-old, secretly films the encounters, and then posts them on YouTube. Her hope (and the hope of her backers, who she apparently doesn't want to discuss) is that by showing the counselors do not report the apparent statutory rapes to the authorities (as required), she will undermine the concept of legalized abortion. You can read about it here and watch videos here.

2. Porcelain jellyfish.

3. Here's the short ads for Flash Forward that aired during Lost.

4. A handy overview of copyright, specifically as it applies to puppets.

*Previously: Dharma Initiative advertising.

*Buy puppets at eBay.

Tremendous Inspector Gadget toy (link roundup)

Go here for photos of an absolutely incredible Inspector Gadget toy, bristling with gadgets.

And a few more links:

1. How to write a notice of copyright infringement letter.

2. Every order over $30 at Tenacious Toys between now and April 30 comes with a free Sir Shilling Copperpenny, the steampunk banker from Doktor A's Mechtorians series of 3.5" mini figures.

3. Man and woman dressed as Shrek and Princess Fiona for their wedding day. Photo link. Via.

4. Disney has schools in China teaching English. Yes, the kids are surrounded by all things Disney as they learn. Via.

*Previously: But for a copyright extension in England, Peter Pan would have been the Adversary in Fables.

*Buy Inspector Gadget toys at eBay.