From 05d5ae2679be295d3aa14d86719f852087ec6d77 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Neale Pickett Date: Tue, 18 Sep 2012 22:10:46 -0600 Subject: [PATCH] Add pp about photographers to copyright essay --- papers/derby-copyright.mdwn | 21 +++++++++++++++++---- 1 file changed, 17 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-) diff --git a/papers/derby-copyright.mdwn b/papers/derby-copyright.mdwn index 5c71814..f76bcbb 100644 --- a/papers/derby-copyright.mdwn +++ b/papers/derby-copyright.mdwn @@ -1,6 +1,6 @@ Title: Copyright Advice for Small Leagues -There's enough in common that hacking sometimes feels like derby's big +There's enough in common that hacking sometimes feels like roller derby's big brother, and watching derby struggle with copyright law makes me want to chime in with some hard-learned advice that computer nerds worked through in the 90s. @@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ cheerfully tell ASCAP to get bent.) when you get a market economy person in a gift economy situation. He's laying out his argument very reasonably, because there's nothing unreasonable about market economies. But he's missing the point that -(most) leagues are gift economies. Read between the lines here: +(most) leagues are gift economies. There's another side to this story: those leagues are losing their photographer because, suddenly, he's demanding payment or increased gratitude. I'll bet those leagues had a couple really long drawn-out meetings about this: do the other @@ -78,16 +78,27 @@ official, DJ, photographer, and software developer, to be paid too. Or, if I knew the full situation, I'd think that guy was being a jerk by extorting the poor league. Butthurt! Drama! +On the flip side, certain professions—especially photographers—have a +history of being bilked out of fair wages for their work by a stock +set of excuses. [Experience and +recognition](http://static.happyplace.com/assets/images/2011/10/4e935baa48979.png) +are *not* payment, and weaseling work out of people this way is +dishonest at best. There are plenty of ways a photographer can get +experience and recognition that don't directly benefit your league. +If you sweet-talk a professional into doing unpaid work, you are +sowing the seeds of butthurt and drama. + What should you do about this? ------------------------------ Small town leagues have no business entering into agreements with any artists unless the terms of that agreement are spelled out clearly in -advance. You need to be up front with all of your artists that you +advance. You need to be up front with all of your unpaid artists that you have no money and expect them to volunteer their time and skill for the love of the game and the gals who play it. + Acknowledge that your league is a gift economy. Embrace it! You have nothing to give in return other than the community of your league, and you expect anyone entering that community not to start making demands. @@ -99,7 +110,9 @@ tape. Sure, the presentation is going to suffer when you get out-of-focus or poorly-framed photos, amateurish artwork, and web sites that look like -Geocities in 1997. But the skater-run, non-professional feel of small +Geocities in 1997; or maybe you'll luck out and get [an awesome artist +who loves the sport](https://secure.flickr.com/photos/nocklebeast/3715669736/). +But the skater-run, non-professional feel of small town derby is one of its distinguishing characteristics, and makes fans feel connected to the team. You want skaters who are doing it for the love of the game, why not ask the same of your other