Getting rights to your masterpeice/concept..Then what?

#1

OK guys. This is a real “i dont know anything” subject for me. Only thing i know is, its complicated and quite a longshot.

Story is, i started modeling a guitar in C4D awhile back…for sheer fun and i probably had something better to do, but i pissed the hours away on my mac.

Well im one of those “its never done” people. So nonstop im tweaking it. Ive arrived at a very neat, very fictional, and physically impossible concept in the picture.

I souly beleive it will be the next big thing hevy metal fans remember, like the iron cross, bullet belt guitar slings (zak wylde) razorblade necklace (dimebag darel) bleeding brick wall (pink floyd). its jsut one of those simple, painful looking things.

Thing is, i dont have a band or any sort of connections to make it “big”

I showed it to a guy that does Tshirts as a living. (my gf got him to take a look) He loved it, and agrees it would sell, however its too photorealistic, and he is only setup for SIMPLE images (its www.systemdownclothing.com) He said if i redid it in 2D photoshop, or added his logo he’d be interested, but he wouldnt point me in the right direction for getting rights of anykind so i could possibly make a deal… Alright whatever. Weather he was serious, or nicely rejecting, point is im not any farther (and its not the end of the world). Besides, “dumbing” it down to 2D would be a waste of my modeling time

Ive shown a few others i can trust, and they totally love it. Others who arent into hard rock look and just basically agree, yea thats something youd see in Spencers or on metal CD.

This reminds me of the scene in Forest gump, where forest makes the smiley face out of mud on the yellow T shirt and goes “Some man probably made alot of money off of that idea”

I figure once ive secured rights, then maybe redo it in the simple white outline, and in other forms.

So, ive looked into copyrighting. Not really sure HOW to do that. Most ive done is read the rules on the US copyright office website.(im reading as i type on my left monitor) Getting the rights is my first goal. Im not worried about if it DOESNT sell (yet), id like to know the whole procedure before i put any money down to protect it.

But after that, what do i do? Is there some online place kind of like Turbosquid? Only a little more in-depth with the deals and selling? And then say ive got someone interested, what happens next? etc…

This is the spot where ive hit a complete brick wall. Im sure you guys on here have experience, and id really appreciate any help. I realize its probably a longshot, but i havent had much else go right lately so i figure why not, ill never know unless i try.

Thanks in advance everyone.

#2

Copywritting something is not that hard but I’d suggest you get a lawyer. Laws obviously differ from a country to another. In my country all you need to do is make like a legal paper signed by a bunch of lawyers that tries to describe the image down to every single pixel, color and shape. Then it gets published and unless someone has an objection (never happens) you get the rights to it. Standard procedure for logo creating and corporate identity.
If you think its good then register it in your country. Then take a sit in your dinner table, take some white paper and start brainstorming how to get money out of it… it could be from tshirts to a logo for someone or even develop into a tv show or a book or a concept its really up to you.

#3

I just read it. So far you fill out a VA form (whatever the hell that means), enclose 30$, copies of your work and send it to the copyright office. If approved you get a notification in 4-5 months. Glad its such a fast procedure.

#4

it’s so slow because they have to check if similar thing already exists… many things to check… and on international level…

#5

yea i can understand that. ive got a few shake plugins in going to write id like to copyright. probably wouldnt be useful for the big places, but indie makers would be all over it.

Well i guess as i go through it, ill report back how everything has gone

#6

when I was in high school I consulted a lawyer because Guild guitars wanted me to do some tradeshow designs…

the lawyer also suggested mailing myself copies of my work in a sealed envelope…the postmark would date the work and show it was mine if anything ever came up …

I guess it’s just an extra thing one can do to protect yourslef though I don’t know how valuable it’d be but it only costs the price of postage…

You ought to build the real guitar…

#7

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