Selling Fanart Merchandise, Is It Legal?

The world of fans (fandom) is often filled with incredible creativity. One popular form of fan expression is fanart, which is artwork inspired by characters or works of fiction that they love. However, along with the increasing popularity of fanart comes the question of the legality of selling merchandise based on fanart.
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Selling Fanart Merchandise, Is It Legal?

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Selling Fanart Merchandise, Is It Legal?

Question:
Hello Documenta. I am a freelance character designer , it just so happens that many of my characters make fanart. What I want to ask, are those who make fanart using my character, can they sell their fanart merchandise or not? Thank you, Documenta! (Ari, Tangerang)

Answer:

Thank you for the question. Fanartis a character image from visual stories or commercial media that is understood as an expression or response to popular culture or popular culture in society. Experts see fanart as a practice or application, examining how an art is produced within the fan tradition which is beneficial to the artist as well as his culture, as well fanart as art worthy of interpretation.

Merchandise or Merchandising commonly associated with merchandise. It can be said that a merchandise is a commercialization of a character either fiction or nonfiction or human or nonhuman .

a fanart basically is legal and lawful according to law because fanart is a form of appreciation for an image character which is a creation of another party without any intention of seeking profit, however when fanart is made into merchandise, then this thing already violates copyright from the creator or copyright holder of the image character.

Refers to Law Number 28 of 2014 concerning Copyright (UUHC) ,merchandise fanart sales this is considered a copyright infringement. This is because these sales activities have violated several legal rules such as Article 9 Paragraph (3) of the UUHC which prohibits someone from using commercially other people’s work without permission from the creator or copyright holder.

Besides, Sales merchandise fanart also violates the provisions fair use applied in Indonesia which, through interpretation, says that the use of copyright can be categorized as fair use when use is non-profit, educative, research and development interests.

Here’s what we can say about sales merchandise fanart seen from the legal aspect. If you have other related questions, you can contact DOCUMENTA Customer Service to immediately be connected with our experts.

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ExpandAsia is a legal services firm dedicated to help businesses navigate the complex legal landscape of commerce. Our team of experienced legal professionals provide tailored legal solutions and strategies to help you achieve your business goals.

With a proven track of record of delivering high-quality services, we are committed to provide you an exceptional service and support. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help your business navigate the complex legal landscape of commerce and achieve your goals.