I'd use it as marketing.

See this movie? It's very similar to this comic I wrote; indeed, they are almost identical (how strange). Look how much money it made.

Here's another comic I wrote (or am writing). It's better than that one. It will probably make even more money. Would you like to option it?

I'm not going to whinge and gripe about THAT couple of million dollars, when I can get a lot more return out of pursuing ANOTHER couple of million dollars. I'd basically go up to Hollywood and say “You're all whores! I'm a whore too! Let's go a-whoring together and make some serious bank!”

It's not the principle of the thing. It's the principal of the thing.

Hmmm welll I would demand a huge chunk of the profits or sue them for billions if they refuse, I'd prefere the latter though hehe. then I'd sell the rights for another movie or a T.V. series for all my new posts. then buy a private island lets say Australia? then kick everybody off and live on it with a beutiful wife.

My story is rather complex (Evan though after the 15th time I have re-written it I haven't even posted it here yet) so if Hollywood stole it it would be painfully obvious. I would definatly do something about it. I have spent my entire life on this story. If Hollywood wants to do it then I must be a part of it. They don't have to give me too much credit but there is another person that is helping me with this story and they must get the most credit. The entire thing would fail without them.

hollywood ??, oh i'd be pleased, what i'm afraid of is those Studios form India, they're reckless !!! (nah, just kidding)

I'd get a high power lawyer and go sue happy. If I win I get money without the hard work of publishing my comic. If I lose I get 15 mins of fame to show off my comic and make a moive about it later on XD

I'm pretty confident that if Hollywood stole any of my ideas, they'd be so butchered that I'd never recognize it and write it off as another failure to do anything original or clever.

So basically what would happen is they'd do their knock-off, it'd bomb, I'd roll my eyes (and probably not recognize it) and continue on.

I'm my personal opinion, Super Temps can't have too much changed before it gets broken. So assuming they didn't break it, then they'd have a lot of stuff obviously the same, and I'd have my case thanks to having ST published on multiple sites, and DD time-stamps things too.

Given we're still doing a fantasy here, when I win (this is hypothetical so I'm taking advantage of it) they'd have two choices:
A. Huge cut of the profits.
B. Tiny cut of the profits, but the movie has very large credits to me for the original idea, and has them openly admit they attempted to steal some poor guy's work and that they are creatively and morally bankrupt. Everyone who was knowingly involved in the theft would be outed, and those innocent would also be noted. The DVD extras would include a public apology and a note to anyone watching that they're shiftless, gutless, spineless thief with an invite for anyone who sees them on the street to punch them hard.

Well, if they are brave enough to touch my comic without the use of the standard ten-foot pole, I suppose I'd wait and see how it does.

I remember a movie that came out that was a direct rip off of a play someone wrote years before, and the guy won in a suit against the studio for a third of the total profits well after the DVD was on the shelves, because apparently, he didn't watch a lot of movies in theatres. Never too late if you have copyright dates. That's why you should always sign and date your comics, even if they never see the light of a publisher's lamp.

This happens in music all the time… As the old saying goes… it's all been done before! In music there is a thing called a “sonic coincidence”… Basically because there is only so many chord combinations, at times people's music will sound similar… The sheer number of songs that have been released, you are bound to overlap somewhere with someone at some point…

It's the same thing in comics… Sometimes there is a ligit concern that your work has been pilfered… but sometimes two or more people just come up with the same ideas, or similar characters by sheer coincidence. It's just the nature of the beast. People learn to draw from other people at the end of the day…

As far as subject matter goes… It is rare that you find a completely original story anymore… Hollywood just uses the same themes and plot lines over and over again with different characters in different settings… It's pathetic really.

Most people who sue others because they believe their work was stolen are eventually sued by someone else claiming that they stole it from them… and so on and so forth. It's all about money… not ideas.

Everyone wants to think they have an original idea… But the truth is, these days original means the same ol'… done over differently.

I've always been more concerned the other way… that I'll do something that someone else has already done without intending do it!

My stuff is comedic in nature… I touch on themes that all people who tell jokes touch on… You show me a comedian who hasn't talked about politics, relationships, family, economies… or stupid people… and I'll show you 5000 who have!

I don't EVER steal jokes… but I have drawn comics where people have told me “I've heard that one before”… I don't lose any sleep over it because I know I didn't steal it.

If someone wants to steal one of my jokes… there isn't much I can do about that really… I am the one, afterall, who puts them out there for all to see.

Now, if someone were stealing ALL of my jokes… then we'd have a problem!

I do take comfort in the fact that I know I can keep writing good jokes… people who steal other people's work do it because they can't… They are pathetic!

I guess it's little different with story based comics… but really at the end of the day, it's all been done before in comic books too… How many fantasy/adventure comics are just derrivitives of Tolkien's work? How many superheroes don't have ANY elements of the heroes that have come before them?… Not many.

The best you can do is be honest yourself. Don't steal other people's work and don't freak out if someone else comes up with something similar to what you have done. And always remember that NONE of us are as original as we think we are!

I think that most people who feel they have been plagerized would be amazed at the number of people who might make the same claim about them!!!

I'd need more details and specifics… but I am pretty sure Disney didn't steal your idea… and you probably didn't steal it from anyone else… It's probably just like a “sonic coincidence”!!!!

Cheers,
Graeme

picachu365
Hmmm welll I would demand a huge chunk of the profits or sue them for billions if they refuse, I'd prefere the latter though hehe. then I'd sell the rights for another movie or a T.V. series for all my new posts. then buy a private island lets say Australia? then kick everybody off and live on it with a beutiful wife.

I highly doubt hollywood would steal an already stolen idea.

It could be coincidence, but if it's too close, you could sue. Or you might even get more exposure, as you can continue on with the story line past the movie. And it'd be clearly dated I assume, so that people won't think you're just copying the movie.

I'd like to see them try to copy my webcomic though. :P

Hollywood already does that to comics…and novels…weather you call it stealing or not. But, I would be a little pissed and flatterd at the same time…lol. Who knows…it just may launch that much desired jump into the spotlight.

i am fairly new to the community and currently do not have a comic to call my own. I did have a comic once that i only made two pages. It wasn't quite working out, so i deleted it.
















anywaysies, if hollywood stole my idea, i'd laugh at them for being so horribly out of ideas. I know that the comic i'm working on now (which i plan to post sometime in the future) would make a terrible movie.

dotdotdot
This happens in music all the time… As the old saying goes… it's all been done before! In music there is a thing called a “sonic coincidence”… Basically because there is only so many chord combinations, at times people's music will sound similar… The sheer number of songs that have been released, you are bound to overlap somewhere with someone at some point…

It's the same thing in comics… Sometimes there is a ligit concern that your work has been pilfered… but sometimes two or more people just come up with the same ideas, or similar characters by sheer coincidence. It's just the nature of the beast. People learn to draw from other people at the end of the day…

As far as subject matter goes… It is rare that you find a completely original story anymore… Hollywood just uses the same themes and plot lines over and over again with different characters in different settings… It's pathetic really.

Most people who sue others because they believe their work was stolen are eventually sued by someone else claiming that they stole it from them… and so on and so forth. It's all about money… not ideas.

Everyone wants to think they have an original idea… But the truth is, these days original means the same ol'… done over differently.

I've always been more concerned the other way… that I'll do something that someone else has already done without intending do it!

My stuff is comedic in nature… I touch on themes that all people who tell jokes touch on… You show me a comedian who hasn't talked about politics, relationships, family, economies… or stupid people… and I'll show you 5000 who have!

I don't EVER steal jokes… but I have drawn comics where people have told me “I've heard that one before”… I don't lose any sleep over it because I know I didn't steal it.

If someone wants to steal one of my jokes… there isn't much I can do about that really… I am the one, afterall, who puts them out there for all to see.

Now, if someone were stealing ALL of my jokes… then we'd have a problem!

I do take comfort in the fact that I know I can keep writing good jokes… people who steal other people's work do it because they can't… They are pathetic!

I guess it's little different with story based comics… but really at the end of the day, it's all been done before in comic books too… How many fantasy/adventure comics are just derrivitives of Tolkien's work? How many superheroes don't have ANY elements of the heroes that have come before them?… Not many.

The best you can do is be honest yourself. Don't steal other people's work and don't freak out if someone else comes up with something similar to what you have done. And always remember that NONE of us are as original as we think we are!

I think that most people who feel they have been plagerized would be amazed at the number of people who might make the same claim about them!!!

I'd need more details and specifics… but I am pretty sure Disney didn't steal your idea… and you probably didn't steal it from anyone else… It's probably just like a “sonic coincidence”!!!!

Cheers,
Graeme

wow dude. that's… really depressing.

dotdotdot
…Now, if someone were stealing ALL of my jokes… then we'd have a problem!

This is what I'm talking about. All those so called writers would need to do is change a few minor details so that the work still contains what attracts it to people but it would seem to be different enough that they could claim it as their own. If they decided to steal your comic, they'd only have to slightly alter your jokes but nearly all of their story would be very similar to what you have in your comic.

I'd be interested in seeing how they'd cover the special effects budget in my comics… of course, they could take the green screen route, I suppose.

Then again, as few movies as I've seen in the past year or two, it could've already happened.

Now this is a toughie, i find that most movies, webcomics and published comics, out there has similar stories or characters in one way or another (not depending on who thought of it 1st or not).But 1 thing for sure, as long as it's not 30% the same then it's okay (that's what my friend said)

and now back to the issue, if hollywood or any huge industry makes a movie about my story (applies to other webcomic artists as well) without my consent or my involvement or more than 30% of the whole thing is similar, I will not stop till i see them fall and burn before my knees (or eyes) HAHAHAHAHA.

mum: sweetie, it's time to take your pills
me: mum, can't it wait i'm online right now with ppl real ppl
mum: you better take ur pills young man, u know wat happens when u don't take them
me: i go mad and hysterical
mum: yes, now go take ur pills before i force em thru ur throat

Note: to anyone wif a ‘dirty’ mind please restrain yourself and be mature TQ

I asked this same question of dave sim the creator cerebus. his reply will be posted on my page tomorrow! i know how you guys feel about this one! i feel like the cartoon network show the league of super evil ripped off the concept of my comic!
any way just check the villain next door page.

heavy self promotion… That's not so cool man.
——————————-

It's funny when you think that happens. I remember when the Run Lola Run film came out, I thought the Lola character was a rip-off of Pinky, but then I worked out that the ideas would have happened at the same time mostly, and unless some person saw my original exhibition (lots did but probably NOT from Germany), there was zero connection and it was just me being a silly creator.

And a few years ago when one of those Resident Evil movies came out I had a few people contacting me about how one of the characters was similar to Pinky. In hat case I just laughed it off. :)

I'm actually used to being the one accused of stealing. To follow the old everlasting “burn the witch”.

I shared ideas for my current comic “Jackdaw” with a group of trusted friends and some of them pointed out similarities to The Phoenix Requiem (a world that lost magic, a grouchy investigator etc.). There will probably be people to point these similarities out sooner or later and I'm in a bad position since I have no evidence I wrote the story a few months before TPR appeared (I usually don't post out my best ideas and I couldn't've predicted Sarah would come up with similar).

Anyway, I wouldn't be this much worried about Jackdaw being stolen and made into a movie, since it's a) based on real world history (to some degree), b) contains classic fantasy elements (that are probably copyrighted to Tolkien's family or WotC who don't give much damn if I use them, but would if a huge company used them), c) the whole comic serves two purposes - giving me fun while drawing handsome guys in 18th century outfits and passing a universal moral message.

I wouldn't mind a big Hollywood company stealing the message (though I find it unlikely), cause that'd mean more people would hear it. For stealing the other ideas they'd be sued by other big companies;)

bravo1102
Face it every story on Drunkduck has some actionable inspiration from Shakespeare. ;)

Yeah. My friend says "when out of ideas read Shakespeare or Goethe.
Shakespeare himself didn't invent the stories. Eg. Macbeth is based on a legend, Romeo and Juliet - a remake of a story popular at Shakespeare's times.

dotdotdot
This happens in music all the time… As the old saying goes… it's all been done before! In music there is a thing called a “sonic coincidence”… Basically because there is only so many chord combinations, at times people's music will sound similar… The sheer number of songs that have been released, you are bound to overlap somewhere with someone at some point…

I see it this way - you hear so many melodies all the time that at some point you think of a melody and don't know if you've heard it or invented it by yourself.

ive been stewing over this for quite some time. does anyone find the marvel character wraith, from annihilation and brokk bloodaxe look similar? escpecially if you look at the brokk. here is a link an im sure you can find other pics of wraith if you are so inclined to. lemme know what you think. i havent a clue if someone saw my creation and took from it or not, but it does piss me off to think you come up with something fairly unique and your own and then to see if elsewhere.
http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/preview2.php?image=previews/marvelcomics/annihilation/wraith/Annihil_Wraith01.jpg

hell maybe im crazy. plus there is my theory that at this point in time there is no completely unique ideas. its a version of a version of a ripped off version…

if they stole either of my comic ideas I think hollywood is getting pretty desperate.

Hmm…if Hollywood stole my comic…

“This Movie is Retarded”? Isn't that most of the recent Hollywood movies?

I don't have a comic so I'd be very surprised.

Hell, I'd LOVE to see a live-action version of my comic.

So long as they got Tony Jaa to play the hero and Randy Savage to play the villian.

I'd probably laugh at their folly. Film versions of my comics would result in B-movies. And to get even the basic look of the characters right, you'd have to have at least a modest special effects budget and the actors would have to put up with not having their faces seen due to either TONS of makeup/prosthetics/full body suits or being a CGI character. Throw in unusual settings, and the effects budget would probably cost more than what the movie would make in theatres (because most people don't want to see movies about undead carnival workers or irked sewer mutants).

KillerBob
I don't have a comic so I'd be very surprised.

That reminds me. I intended to make a comic about a lovable little garbage droid that was tasked with cleaning Earth after humanity had long since abandoned it.

Imagine my surprise when I realized that Disney had stolen my idea BEFORE I even thought of it!

I would tell everyone I know and then watch the movie and think to myself how cool I am. Then I would sue.