While strolling through a Comic Con, people may notice big name artists adjacent to newer artist throughout the main racetrack, known as artist alley. The bigger name artists are protected by the company they work for. An example would be Jim Lee, currently working for DC comics. He can draw Batman and make prints to sell at these conventions without facing legal ramification. How does a newer artist trying to get to the level of Jim Lee, make art without facing copyright infringement or similar legal penalties? They need to get their name and brand established by making work, but if it is copyright protected how can they get away with making prints of it anyway?
This is a really interesting topic. Do copyright restrictions get in the way of artists being creative and channeling their talent? Does this mean that the quality of comics are decreasing due to artists fearing that accidental similarities could be deemed a copyright infringement? – Courtney7 years ago