I said it at the end of that post, but I was not clear at the top.

This offer also extends to all #gamedevs, toymakers and and any other kind of independent media producers.

I'm looking for a 30 - 90 second video spot about what you do that we can upload (like what we've done so far for Joker Joker TV and Working Class Music) and, if you're interested, a longer interview about your creative process in the style of What's Stopping You: https://vod.newellijay.tv/w/pgudbseVPhheAjpbC8fDYb )

This all ties back in to the thing I was talking about with @MannycartoonStudio this past weekend (see: https://retro.social/@ajroach42/116236626685474151 )

We want to live in a world where independent creative people can make their own things and be successful, without having to borrow mindshare from Disney or the (fascist monsters in the) Ellison family.

And that means that we have to showcase independent creators at every turn, and highlight and celebrate and *pay for* their works.

There's another aspect to that idea, though.

The fan art/fan fiction/mash-up/bootleg phenomenon happens partly because that's how people process the world.

Pop Culture is Folklore. Star Trek fan films are Dante's Inferno.

But a fascist sympathizer owns star trek now, and when we tell Star Trek stories we're allowing a little more of our collective folklore and collective culture, our mindshare, to go to a thing owned by fascists.

(and, certainly, vice versa. Every queer star trek story is an act of defiance, but it's an act of defiance that still requires being versed in a media property owned by shitbags.)

This is not to say "don't make fan fiction", and I fear that's how it reads.

I love fanfiction. I think it's wonderful. I like to see more of it.

I do a lot of what is essentially fan fiction!

But I work with characters from the public domain. Stuff that no one owns, or I guess that everyone owns.

I'm not against the idea of remixing. I love a remix.

I'm against the fact that most modern remixes accidentally serve to keep things owned by Disney and David Ellison in people's brains.

When two independent toy makers make their own versions of Dracula or Frankenstein, or repaint one another's toys in their toy's color scheme, I get hype. No one owns those things they're creating but them, and no one benefits from it but them, and that's sick.

When independent toymakers make another skeletor variation, I also get hype, but I also get a little sad because Universal could step in at any moment and say "I don't like this, you can't do it" and they would have very little recourse.

Fuck a corporate copyright, remix whatever you want, don't feel bad about it, figure out how to make your bread.

That's why, when I make something (like a Sky Pirate dime novel series, or a Space Exploration/Away Mission video game (and podcast series) or a show about hunting bigfoot) I use a cc-by-sa license.

I want people to remix. I want them to do it without fear or real constraint (beyond simply telling the world that it came from something I produced and making it a little easier for folks to find my thing.)

Actively and desperately, I want to see more independent artists and creators embrace more things that don't enrich a distant (often fascist) billionaire, and if they can shine a little more light on one another in the process, all the better.

I wrote a lot about this idea.

I wrote a "manifesto" about it.

https://ajroach42.com/the-small-things-manifesto/

The core idea is that we have to stop giving power to major corporations.

Stop asking for permission, certainly, but also stop working in ways that allow them to gatekeep us, or encourage us to be silent, or push us to the margins.

And, whenever possible, work together by default.

I advocate for using a cc-by-sa license whenever possible, because it gives explicit permission for other people to adapt, remix, re-share, and re-use your work, while maintaining your clear ownership of that work, and actively requiring remixes, re-shares, and other adaptations to link back to your original.

I use a cc-by-sa license for all my blog posts, most of my video work, and nearly everything I write.

It's the default license for #JupitersGhost and #ExpeditionSasquatch and #TheMysteriousAirPirates (and the rest of our #SkyPirates work)

It's the default license for our original toys.

@ajroach42
I use NC (noncommercial) in my CC license because anyone engaging in a potentially commercial project has to contact me first. My stipulation has always been “Go for it, and if you make more than $1000, I get 5%.”

Most “commercial” projects don’t even come close, and I don’t want to be the reason their project couldn’t get on its feet. And also, if someone is gonna make money on my hard-won creative output, that should include me.

@JoshuaACNewman I fundamentally disagree, and believe that the additional restriction of "talk to me first" creates enough friction that it serves to discourage further creation.

Whenever possible, I encourage commercial re-use. Artists deserve to eat. If they want to compensate me for re-using something I made, that's great, but mostly their going to lose money and mostly I'm going to widen my net.

But that's me, and you're you. I suppose we have different goals, or perhaps different values. I'm glad you found something you're happy with and that aligns with your goals and values.

@ajroach42
I hit on this for something that has sufficient commercial potential that the people most likely to benefit were going to be people with more resources than artists could bring to bear.

There is already a lot that uses my CC IP, and it’s fantastic. I typically get courtesy emails anyway, so that friction is evidently low — plus, the community around the project is enthusiastic to explain and encourage.

@ajroach42
The NC nature of my license has enabled me to have conversations with big guys that would have otherwise been impossible, had the thought that any other big guy could just copy their work free until it was owned by Sorner Bros.

Again, not a recommendation, just experience.

@JoshuaACNewman

I'm not sure how you want this conversation to go.

You seem very invested in defending or justifying your use of a non-commerical clause in your re-use license.

I think it's fine that you use an NC clause, but find the concept largely at odds with my personal goals and values.

You say you're not providing a recommendation, so I'm trying to figure out what your goal is so I can figure out my role here.

If we're discussing licensing strategies, I've pretty much said my piece. If we're talking about strategies for avoiding getting screwed by corporations, I can do that. I have thoughts that I haven't fully collected.

If we're just talking about your personal experience with non-commercial licensing, that's cool. As I've said, I'm glad you found something that works for you but I also have something that works for me, based in deeply interrogated goals and values. Hearing about your successes can't really impact that, because our goals diverge.

I hope this doesn't sound hostile, I'm just not sure how you want me to respond.

@ajroach42
I think I was just coming to the conversation having read and admired your thread.

I, too, am glad that you’re able to wield the license to suit your creative goals. That’s really my position.

@JoshuaACNewman okay cool, sorry I just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something in tone, context, or intent. These things are hard online.

When it comes to licensing, I view it as an invitation more than as legal protection.

Ultimately, I know that the American copyright system will only protect registered copyrights, and I know that the American court system has been bought and sold. I don't expect any legal protection within the US if a major corporation decides to rip me off. (I find my designs on unlicensed t-shirts regularly. All they gotta do is gimmie a link, and they don't. I have a form letter I send out. It works about one time in five. The websites disappear and reappear faster than I can count the infringements and license violations.)

I want folks to feel good about how their work is getting used and distributed, and if you do that's awesome.

I want folks to be able to get paid, regardless of if I'm getting paid. All I ask for is my link. (well, no. I frequently *ask* for more. I'll say things like "I'd love for you to send me a copy" or "that's really good, do you have a tip jar?" or "hey, if this works, consider throwing a couple of bucks in my tip jar" but those are just requests, not obligations.)

I have no faith in the legal system that underpins it all, though. If I did, I might approach the whole thing with more nuance.