Re: 1986: The Legend Was Born

Great job. Fable! I like this.

Re: 1986: The Legend Was Born

EDIT: This is on CREME. Not pink. ...there are no pink woot shirts.

The Legend of Zelda made it's debut in Japan in 1986.

Nintendo does not have a copyrights on generic bottles, fairies, hearts, swords, bombs, or hexagonal-cut jewels.

@ artulo - Thanks. :3

Re: 1986: The Legend Was Born

awesome, this is going to be at or near the top

Re: 1986: The Legend Was Born

ooo I was hoping someone would do a cream colored shirt.

Re: 1986: The Legend Was Born

nerd ;-)

derekfilley wrote:nerd ;-)

...and proud of it!

You know what's really dorky is I still remember all of the music from Ocarina of Time. That was one of the games that made me want to go into sound design. <3

derekfilley wrote:nerd ;-)

But she's our nerd.

Fable, I didn't realize you were younger than me!

Re: 1986: The Legend Was Born

Dodongo hates smoke

fablefire wrote:
You know what's really dorky is I still remember all of the music from Ocarina of Time. That was one of the games that made me want to go into sound design. <3

I have transcribed Mega Man songs...

Re: 1986: The Legend Was Born

ZELDA!!!! Woooooooot! =D

fablefire wrote:...and proud of it!

You know what's really dorky is I still remember all of the music from Ocarina of Time. That was one of the games that made me want to go into sound design. <3

I was a 'link to the past' fiend myself... I sometimes hum the music in the shower (can't quite hit some of the high notes yet)!

In the car I hum tetris ;-)

Re: 1986: The Legend Was Born

nice work getting around the copyrights yo! and i love the hearts.... pixel art rocks.

Re: 1986: The Legend Was Born

This better place... great stuff as usual...

Re: 1986: The Legend Was Born

I perk up with anything Zelda, but I can't see this getting past rejectors. It's basically a bootleg Zelda shirt. Just because the individual items are not copyrighted, doesn't mean combining them all doesn't make a Legend of Zelda product. I like the artwork though.

Re: 1986: The Legend Was Born

Do want!!

female wrote:I perk up with anything Zelda, but I can't see this getting past rejectors. It's basically a bootleg Zelda shirt. Just because the individual items are not copyrighted, doesn't mean combining them all doesn't make a Legend of Zelda product. I like the artwork though.

Ja, at worst I guess it could be a bootleg shirt. Woot has printed bootleg starbucks and d*sney logo shirts though. Just wore thatrobert's consumerism shirt yesterday actually. Got lots of compliments. Way to go thatrobert!

fablefire wrote:Ja, at worst I guess it could be a bootleg shirt. Woot has printed bootleg starbucks and d*sney logo shirts though. Just wore thatrobert's consumerism shirt yesterday actually. Got lots of compliments. Way to go thatrobert!

But those shirts were parodies. There's no original content in your design. It's basically just capitalizing on Nintendo's work?

Re: 1986: The Legend Was Born

Fablefire is a girl?! And she likes Zelda?! And we didn't really land on the moon?! This is a world I didn't know existed and I don't know if I can cope.

mihalis aya wrote:But she's our nerd.

Fable, I didn't realize you were younger than me!

I am? Seems I'm the youngin' a lot lately.

@ Adder - Yay! Those songs are catchy.

@ Derek - Oman... Tetris is the devil. I think almost any incarnation they've had, the music always gets stuck in my head too.

@ Jimiyo - Thanks! Hopefully the rejectamatron won't boot it. I need a cream shirt.

female wrote:But those shirts were parodies. There's no original content in your design. It's basically just capitalizing on Nintendo's work?

Hearts - Typical pixellated hearts.
Bomb - Old school chinese bombs.
Bottle - Modeled after those little souvenir bottles of sand with the cork in them.
Fairy - Also used by Ne*pets, and countless other businesses.
Wooden Sword - Utilized in many, many video games, as well as in the homes of children (provided their parents aren't crazy about safety).
Gems - Standard cut gem.
1986 Shirt - Priceless.

For everything else there's MasterWoot.

We'll see anyway.

Re: 1986: The Legend Was Born

Now I've got the Zelda theme stuck in my head.

Thanks a lot...

*thumbsup!*

fablefire wrote:Hearts - Typical pixellated hearts.
Bomb - Old school chinese bombs.
Bottle - Modeled after those little souvenir bottles of sand with the cork in them.
Fairy - Also used by Ne*pets, and countless other businesses.
Wooden Sword - Utilized in many, many video games, as well as in the homes of children (provided their parents aren't crazy about safety).
Gems - Standard cut gem.
1986 Shirt - Priceless.

For everything else there's MasterWoot.

We'll see anyway.

lol! You never cease to amuse me, Fable. I love this and will wear it with pride if it goes to print. I have some Zelda-loving friends that would probably buy some too.

Re: 1986: The Legend Was Born

I wish it was on a different color shirt.

fablefire wrote:
Fairy - Also used by Ne*pets, and countless other businesses.

Okay... why is the name of that virtal pet site a dirty word, exactly? :-)

yep.. figures someone beat me to this... Nintendo made its debut in the USA with The Legend of Zelda in March of 1986... This is much better execution than I would have done though... great job!

daedalusknight wrote:Okay... why is the name of that virtal pet site a dirty word, exactly? :-)

It's dirty to me now. They went all commercial. I remember stalking the shops, hitting F5 like mad, hoping to catch bottled faeries on the refresh... or finishing faerie quests... or waiting anxiously each week to see if I was in the Ne*pian times... Eventually there were so many ads I had to leave.

tiaermen - Really? I looked all over to see exactly what version was released in 1986. Was the disc released in the U.S.? I was pretty sure the cartridge was released in 1987. ...and thanks. =D

fablefire wrote:It's dirty to me now. They went all commercial. I remember stalking the shops, hitting F5 like mad, hoping to catch bottled faeries on the refresh... or finishing faerie quests... or waiting anxiously each week to see if I was in the Ne*pian times... Eventually there were so many ads I had to leave.

They did go all commercial, that's true. I use Firefox with adblock, though, so advertising really doesn't even enter my radar.

Re: 1986: The Legend Was Born

I'm glad someone mentioned this was a creme shirt, it appears to be a light pink on my monitor. Not that I would mind, being a girl that likes both video games and pink...

Great job on the design! Hope you place and don't get pulled!

daedalusknight wrote:They did go all commercial, that's true. I use Firefox with adblock, though, so advertising really doesn't even enter my radar.

GYAHHHHH... I just went there and they have a NEW, even MORE commercial layout than last time I visited.

Blah... makes me sad.

Every now and then I'll still go to the adoption agency and adopt the ugliest thing there, just to use my lab ray on it and put it back up for adoption.

araneola wrote:I'm glad someone mentioned this was a creme shirt, it appears to be a light pink on my monitor. Not that I would mind, being a girl that likes both video games and pink...

Great job on the design! Hope you place and don't get pulled!

This appears as a light pink on my monitor as well. Are we sure it's on cream? I voted for it but dunno if I would actually buy it if it's so rosy.

araneola wrote:I'm glad someone mentioned this was a creme shirt, it appears to be a light pink on my monitor. Not that I would mind, being a girl that likes both video games and pink...

Great job on the design! Hope you place and don't get pulled!

Thanks, and yes this is on creme. I pulled it straight from the artist template.

Hehe... pink zelda shirt... Even I would wear a pink zelda shirt...

Re: 1986: The Legend Was Born

Zelda is my all time favorite game

Re: 1986: The Legend Was Born

This makes me happy beyond words. You are an excellent illustrator Fable!

Re: 1986: The Legend Was Born

This shirt is amazing. But this is the color of that breakfast topology map isn't it...

goldfishinapicklejar wrote:This shirt is amazing. But this is the color of that breakfast topology map isn't it...

Did that one not print well?

daedalusknight wrote:Did that one not print well?

I happen to like the color of the Breakfast Topo shirt - note, the shirt. Woot picked a weird, super-fluorescent turquoise for one of the colors. I'll have to see if I can find one of the shirts for a picture...

In any case, I think the brown hues will look awesome on creme.

fablefire wrote:In any case, I think the brown hues will look awesome on creme.

I agree. I do wish that there was a way to see how these shirts would come out, though. Someone posted a list of shirts earlier that looked great on screen but printed horribly.

Isn't there some kind of print process simulation that can let us see what these shirts will look like in real life?

Re: 1986: The Legend Was Born

I would certainly buy/vote for this if it were in another color~ Why not green hahaha

Re: 1986: The Legend Was Born

Fable,

I wanted to do something Nintendo-ish, but I didn't stop to think that some of those images weren't copyrighted. This shirt is DEFINITELY going to win, and this'll be my first woot shirt purchase .

I was born in '86 as well, and I happen to think Zelda is amazing.

fablefire wrote:I am? Seems I'm the youngin' a lot lately.

By one year, yep. I'm an '85 baby.

kenjitr wrote:This appears as a light pink on my monitor as well. Are we sure it's on cream? I voted for it but dunno if I would actually buy it if it's so rosy.

It's pretty easy to be sure: woot doesn't offer pink.

It's also well established that a lot of people's monitors display the creme as pinkish. Might be time to adjust the monitor settings.

Re: 1986: The Legend Was Born

I wasn't born in '86, but I really want that shirt!

fablefire wrote:Hearts - Typical pixellated hearts.
Bomb - Old school chinese bombs.
Bottle - Modeled after those little souvenir bottles of sand with the cork in them.
Fairy - Also used by Ne*pets, and countless other businesses.
Wooden Sword - Utilized in many, many video games, as well as in the homes of children (provided their parents aren't crazy about safety).
Gems - Standard cut gem.
1986 Shirt - Priceless.

For everything else there's MasterWoot.

We'll see anyway.

I don't know, by that logic you could put Mario on a shirt because a plumbers hat, overalls, mustache, and the letter M are not copyrighted by Nintendo. Looks like you made it through the first round of rejections though, so you may be good to go.

daedalusknight wrote:I agree. I do wish that there was a way to see how these shirts would come out, though. Someone posted a list of shirts earlier that looked great on screen but printed horribly.

Isn't there some kind of print process simulation that can let us see what these shirts will look like in real life?

There's no way to know. I could use pantone colors, but I don't want to buy a pantone book. I rely on woot's hopefully good judgement. Out of my shirts, Scurvy printed beautifully, TCTP was great (though the green was a little bright), and Plan B printed awesomely (though I still don't know how they got sun rays on the "i").

@ Loki - I actually tried it in green. Went for the old parchment look instead.

@ Nathan - Glad you like it. Took me awhile to think of what I could use that wasn't copyrighted.

@ mihalis - Ahh... one year apart. Let's go clubbin. =D

female wrote:I don't know, by that logic you could put Mario on a shirt because a plumbers hat, overalls, mustache, and the letter M are not copyrighted by Nintendo. Looks like you made it through the first round of rejections though, so you may be good to go.

One couldn't put Mario on a shirt, but they could put on a man wearing a plumbers hat, overalls, and a mustache. I think the "M" hat is actually copyrighted, like a logo. So long as you didn't copy the style of the character, you'd be okay. Generic items like bottles and gems that are used in a wide variety of mediums aren't the same as characters that were created by a company, specifically for that company's mediums.

fablefire wrote:

@ Loki - I actually tried it in green. Went for the old parchment look instead.

ahhh I see. It just seems like there are more cream shirts all of a sudden. I would wear it but it's kind of hard to match cream D:

The design is awesome though =D

LokiBoki wrote:*deleted text* it's kind of hard to match cream *deleted text*

nah... blue jeans go awesome with everything! . Especially the ones I am wearing right now.. they have kind of a brown hue to them that would match this shirt perfectly.

fablefire wrote:One couldn't put Mario on a shirt, but they could put on a man wearing a plumbers hat, overalls, and a mustache. I think the "M" hat is actually copyrighted, like a logo. So long as you didn't copy the style of the character, you'd be okay. Generic items like bottles and gems that are used in a wide variety of mediums aren't the same as characters that were created by a company, specifically for that company's mediums.

I guess you're right. I think I'm just thinking that the context of the those objects together clearly are intended to represent Legend of Zelda. Saying they individually have no meaning may be true, but when you put them together there is no doubt in anyone's mind that you're trying to make and sell a Legend a Zelda shirt. We all know it, it's just then a legal argument along the lines of "that depends on what the definition of is is." The style of the hearts, the exact same shaped sword and crystals, a fairy in a bottle. I remember designs get rejected for less. Calvin and ball weren't copyrighted words, but put them together and you're capitalizing on Bill Watterson's work without any added content. The phrase itself wasn't even legally copyrighted, but it was/is his intellectual property. I can't think of any design that woot printed that was just capitalizing on the original work without making an additional comment on it. Maybe they're changing their stance.

Re: 1986: The Legend Was Born

you know, it wasn't actually released in here until '87

fablefire wrote:There's no way to know. I could use pantone colors, but I don't want to buy a pantone book. I rely on woot's hopefully good judgement. Out of my shirts, Scurvy printed beautifully, TCTP was great (though the green was a little bright), and Plan B printed awesomely (though I still don't know how they got sun rays on the "i").

Yeah, I don't own a pantone book either. Oh well, guess we'll just have to trust in Woot. :-)

female wrote:I guess you're right. I think I'm just thinking that the context of the those objects together clearly are intended to represent Legend of Zelda. Saying they individually have no meaning may be true, but when you put them together there is no doubt in anyone's mind that you're trying to make and sell a Legend a Zelda shirt. We all know it, it's just then a legal argument along the lines of "that depends on what the definition of is is." The style of the hearts, the exact same shaped sword and crystals, a fairy in a bottle. I remember designs get rejected for less. Calvin and ball weren't copyrighted words, but put them together and you're capitalizing on Bill Watterson's work without any added content. The phrase itself wasn't even legally copyrighted, but it was/is his intellectual property. I can't think of any design that woot printed that was just capitalizing on the original work without making an additional comment on it. Maybe they're changing their stance.

Ja, it's pretty cool now that I think about it. The name "Zelda" isn't written anywhere on the detail or the comp - only in my first post. People still recognize the item combo though. I spent about 5 hours yesterday just thinking about how I could do a shirt inspired by The Legend of Zelda, and by the end, I chose the items that I thought best represented the game without tripping on copyrights (i.e. no Triforce). Just looking at the items though, it's also representative of the overall genre that the Zelda series inspired in the years that followed. How many games had the hero wielding a wooden sword? How many games had creatures bottled for consumption or other usage? Most of all, how many games used those pixelated hearts!

After careful consideration, I'm still going to say that there's no real copyright infringement. Calvin and ball weren't copyright to Watterson, but I've never seen Calvinball in anything outside his work. The items on my design may cause people to think of Zelda first, because it's one of the most popular and loved game series of all time, but the items (and even the combo) are not unique to the Zelda series alone.

martenthegreat wrote:you know, it wasn't actually released in here until '87

The Legend of Zelda was actually released in Japan in 1986 on the Famicom System.

Re: 1986: The Legend Was Born

Ahhh <3 gaian, gamer and a girl! I high five you XD <3

I'd wish you luck but I -really- doubt you need it with this one :D

This is such a fantastic design, and the style is perfect. It looks like one of those chapter heading drawings in old books; great work fablefire. Just looking at the image gets the classic theme song in my head, so I know wearing it would provoke whistling. If you ever want to see a strange gamer-identifying phenomenon, whistle a Zelda tune in while in a crowded place, then wait and listen. I can almost guarantee someone will subconsciously start whistling it, especially if you're on a college campus.

fablefire wrote:
@ mihalis - Ahh... one year apart. Let's go clubbin. =D

Sounds lovely. But first, we must stop living in our respective boonies.

Before going into the rest, I just wanted to say first off I love the shirt. It is very artistically done and quite cute. I must say I've always been a fan of your shirts Fablefire.

I know I'm going to get flack for this post but I figure since I'm actually a law student and am interested in Intellectual property I'd post what I know since there seems to be a little debate as to whether this is infringement. So is there copyright infringement? Short answer: murky. Could go either way. Depends on what exactly is copyrighted. (probably just the game name, likenesses of the characters, and the triforce, but I don't really know)

Long answer: here is why...
Armour v. Knowles, 512 F.3d 147, 152 (5th Cir. 2007) states that:
to prove copyright infringement, a plaintiff must establish (1) ownership of a valid copyright; (2) factual copying; and (3) substantial similarity.
(note to people who don't know, 5th circuit includes Texas among other states)

Other cases have said that the part that has been copied needs to be a portion of the copyrighted material that is protected under the copyright. Each individual item here would not be protected under the copyright, that is clear. But all together? I don't know, kind of a toss up. They paint a picture with a meaning behind them. The key is whether all together the items are protected under the copyright and if so, are the two things "substantially similar."

In general courts have defined substantial similarity by whether an ordinary observer would determine that the copyright has been infringed (without being told they are looking for infringement).

I'm not going to play myself off as an expert, I'm just a law student still. However, I'm really good at research and know a bit more about the law than most. So, in my un-experted opinion this shirt probably does not infringe because I doubt the items would be considered protected under the copyright. However, I believe the issue could be raised. But like I said, I can only look up in general what the law is, I don't know how the courts would decide this case if it came up, it is kind of a murky subject. I think the mario shirt that was submitted is a much more likely candidate than this.

My birth year, too! Big Zelda fan here. That's a terrific illustration and use of colors. GMV. I sure hope you win!

Re: 1986: The Legend Was Born

Wow this one is awesome.

Re: 1986: The Legend Was Born

Well, the problem I see is that you can talk all day long about how these are generic items, but when people look at the items on this shirt they see rupees, health hearts, etc. And this is indisputably the purpose of the design. This makes the shirt skirt dangerously close to copyright infringement. I don't see woot being able to print this without problems.

F the law, this shirt is freaking awesome and I want one! Long live Link. Nice work Fable

Yeah, tell nintendo that.

female wrote:I don't know, by that logic you could put Mario on a shirt because a plumbers hat, overalls, mustache, and the letter M are not copyrighted by Nintendo. Looks like you made it through the first round of rejections though, so you may be good to go.

Word. Heh.

Re: 1986: The Legend Was Born

wow... i want it so bad. i think i could cry if this shirt doesnt win.

Re: 1986: The Legend Was Born

This looks so awesome. I want it to win, but at the same time it might be better for my bank account if it doesn't. Fable I like this shirt too much I fear I will spend money I don't have yet again! What's a poor (literally) wooter to do!

Re: 1986: The Legend Was Born

Wow, when my bf opened up the website to look at the derby I saw this shirt and I got so excited. I am obsessed with LoZ and would totally buy this. I like this because it's not entirely obvious that it is Legend of Zelda. There are so many shirts of LoZ that have the Triforce, Link, or any obvious LoZ symbols/crests on it. I think this shirt could still refer to other types of fantasy RPGs and shouldn't be rejected.

Now all I need is an awesome Oni Link picture to hang up in my room and I will be set!

I <3 LoZ :D

Fable, so far I've bought all of your shirts, (without realizing they were all yours- Scurvy was my first shirt.woot) and this is clearly your best work yet. I love it.

Re: 1986: The Legend Was Born

Best year ever by golly

fablefire wrote:The Legend of Zelda was actually released in Japan in 1986 on the Famicom System.

I know that, but it wasn't release here (where woot can ship) until 87. Just fighting for my birth year, really.

Re: 1986: The Legend Was Born

I've never played LoZ (I know, I know), but you gmv because this reminds me of the other games I played in high school and college (anyone else play 3 in three?)

It also reminds me of the D&D games I played with my husband and our friends back when we were dating. aahh, pre-kid memories...

Gorgeous work, fable - hope it gets printed!

Re: 1986: The Legend Was Born

@__@ loooove Zelda, awesome theme <333 love it! I wish i could vote D< *needs to buy a shirt* @___@;;

Re: 1986: The Legend Was Born

Woooo go 1986 babies! I love Zelda as well...

Re: 1986: The Legend Was Born

As a Zelda fan and having been born in 1986, this shirt is twice as awesome to me. I'm not a huge fan of creme colored shirts, but the color itself works well with the shirt's image.... so I'd probably be able to find a nice jacket or accessory to deal with the cremeness. Got my vote, and good luck to you, Fable!

CuterThanYou wrote:As a Zelda fan and having been born in 1986, this shirt is twice as awesome to me. I'm not a huge fan of creme colored shirts, but the color itself works well with the shirt's image.... so I'd probably be able to find a nice jacket or accessory to deal with the cremeness. Got my vote, and good luck to you, Fable!

awesome as usual.

mihalis aya wrote:Sounds lovely. But first, we must stop living in our respective boonies.

Yeah... that's true... :<

@ starry - Flack schmack. That's awesome. I was interested in being a law student for awhile too, and intellectual property was one of my favorite topics. Gotta agree with you. I just don't think that N*ntendo would have the copyrights on the items, or the collection of items, and in a court of law it just wouldn't hold up. Beyond that, knowing how much of a gray area this is, I don't think that they would even bother with a lawsuit. It'd be a huge waste of time. Lots of publicity for woot though...

...and glad you like my work. I like yours too. ;)

@ Leet & Moth, rmb - Thanks!

@ furaeon - Everytime I go to a beach souvenir shop, I'm reminded of LoZ because of the little bottles, and the keys, and the cheap gems, and the little wooden pirate swords. I still don't think that N*ntendo holds the copyright on the items, or the collection of items.

@ Bluejester - Hopefully if it wins it'll hang around for a little while, so there's no rush to buy it. ;)

@ Zenverse - Thanks! That's what I was going for. It's not only a loosely referenced LoZ shirt, but Kind of the flagship shirt for the birth of the genre inspired by LoZ.

@ therodfather - Thanks, and I'm glad you like my work! =D

@ mia3mom - That's so awesome! D&D dating... <3

@ lilwere - Thanks! I recommend Animal Hat, cause it's about to be reckoned! D: It printed beautifully and I wore it yesterday. =D

@ Caiters - YEAAAAHHHHH!!!! Goooooo 1986!

@ Cuter - Ja... I think in the summer, just about anyone could pull off creme. Jackets would definitely be needed in the fall or winter. I'm thinking brown or forest-y green. ...and thanks!

shmeedles wrote:awesome as usual.

Danke. <3

Re: 1986: The Legend Was Born

i'd totally want this if it was a different color. like maybe green like link's clothes or something like that.

Re: 1986: The Legend Was Born

I don't know. The fact is that you (and woot) would be profiting from the direct likenesses of nintendo's IP, and they can sue for this. I know that you might think nintendo are love-and-peace hippies, but their legal department is not.

furaeon wrote:I don't know. The fact is that you (and woot) would be profiting from the direct likenesses of nintendo's IP, and they can sue for this. I know that you might think nintendo are love-and-peace hippies, but their legal department is not.

Of course not. They'd be horrible lawyers. If I thought they were love-and-peace hippies, I wouldn't have looked into intellectual property case study again for this piece. Yes, the piece should remind people of LoZ because that's my take on the theme. If it didn't represent LoZ, I would've been rejected for being off theme. They can sue, but I'd be interested to know how they plan to stake a claim on the combination of objects that are found in RPGs everywhere.

Re: 1986: The Legend Was Born

Because I think this shirt rocks, and since I want to be wearing it a month from now....something for your this stuff isn't copyrighted list...they sell 'bottle fairies' (fairy figures in little bottles) in Ireland. I bought a couple becaue they reminded me of LoZ, each one represented a certain type of fairy. They were really cool.

With regard to copryight, I know N has gone after free PC games that replicated Zelda; Open Zelda comes to mind. That might make one wonder how mean they are about their copyright since the games weren't even being sold, nor did they even recreate a complete game produced by Nintendo. However, they did include copyrighted artwork ripped directly from the games, so that's naturally a big factor. I'd hope they'd not be unhappy about this shirt, but you never know, with things like T-Mobile trying to claim rights to the color magenta. *sigh*

fablefire wrote:Danke. <3

Können Sie viel Deutsch?

Re: 1986: The Legend Was Born

This is a very nicely done design...I just don't think this would be that great as a shirt.

I enjoy being nostalgic, but if you really think about it, this is not a very good design for a shirt. Good work still, I just think it needs some work to be good for a shirt.

Re: 1986: The Legend Was Born

best shirt ever, this better win

recchiap wrote:This is a very nicely done design...I just don't think this would be that great as a shirt.

I enjoy being nostalgic, but if you really think about it, this is not a very good design for a shirt. Good work still, I just think it needs some work to be good for a shirt.

What about it do you think makes it a bad design for a shirt? I'm not seeing that.

Re: 1986: The Legend Was Born

I really really hope this wins. I liked your "Devil goes down to Georgia" shirt too and I was incredibly disappointed that it didn't win. I'll get my bf to vote for it too ;D.

fablefire wrote:Of course not. They'd be horrible lawyers. If I thought they were love-and-peace hippies, I wouldn't have looked into intellectual property case study again for this piece. Yes, the piece should remind people of LoZ because that's my take on the theme. If it didn't represent LoZ, I would've been rejected for being off theme. They can sue, but I'd be interested to know how they plan to stake a claim on the combination of objects that are found in RPGs everywhere.

Here's my $.02 -

If it's still here, Woot must think it's okay to print.

* Fable's depiction of the wooden sword can in no way be a problem. Why? Because in the game you see a simple sword - this design is the designer's own vision. In the game the sword doesn't have the sides that go downwards (on the handle).

* Bottle - you can't copyright a bottle. And in the LoZ game, there's no cork like that. There is one in OoT, but it's a bottle - they exist everywhere.

* The faerie itself - I thought this was a problem, but there is one important detail you have to look at. In the games, the faeries have TWO pairs of wings. One large, with one smaller at the bottom. This shirt uses only one pair of curved, almost birdlike wings. Also, the body of the faerie in the games (OoT --> PH) is a solid circle. This design depicts a faerie whose body isn't a perfect circle - it has "frays" or sharp edges.

* Rupees - Yes, anyone with eyes can tell they're meant to depict them. But real rupees in the games have 4 ridges extending from the center on the sides to the edges. If you look at the shirt, Fable has a ridge drawn in by the center points. This means that they are depicted as shapes, similar to the "marquise" cut for gems.

But if you're still not satisfied with that argument - rupees are dual-sided I believe. Nowhere in Fable's design does he show that the shapes have both sides raised. So he could argue they are shapes that have one flat side, and one that is raised. Look at the shape touching the side of the sword - the other side isn't raised, it appears perfectly flat.

* Pixelated hearts - Nintendo didn't come up with the heart shape. The heart shape was made to look that way because of the limitations of the NES and its wonderful 8 bits. The heart shape on the shirt is slightly different (VERY slightly). IP does include shapes though. So if you had a Coca-Cola bottle shape, you could get in trouble for using it in your shirt.

With that said, if Woot does have a problem with anything, I think all you'd have to do is rework the hearts so that they are actual heart shapes and not pixelated. If that was done before printing (Like I said, if they had a problem they would've knocked it out already), there would be little potential for problems.

I don't think they'd strip you of the win because of a mistake - IP can be a complicated issue. But if they are worrying, that'd be a good safeguard move.

--Nathan

PS - I wasn't able to find many examples, but regarding the use of those objects in video games - Super Mario 2 used hearts, but it is owned by Nintendo. It seems a lot of these objects were made or licensed by Nintendo. But like I said, I didn't find all examples out there, and I think it'll be fine.

NathanOfLight wrote:Here's my $.02 -

If it's still here, Woot must think it's okay to print.

woot routinely waits till Monday or Tuesday to reject fogged entries (though in their defense, they have been getting a bit better of late.) They have their own lawyers if not on staff, than at least available for lawyery type questions.

It will be interesting to see what becomes of this shirt.

I like fable, I like zelda, I dislike creme. This shirt gets 2/3 of each thmb up ;-)

Re: 1986: The Legend Was Born

There are tons of unlicensed shirts using Nintendo trademarks that go much farther than this, I don't see Woot getting in problem. Unlike a lot of other shirts, the artist doesn't actually use any copyrighted characters or logos. Nintendo doesn't own a copyright on swords, bombs, rupees, hearts, or faeries.

fablefire wrote:Ja, at worst I guess it could be a bootleg shirt. Woot has printed bootleg starbucks and d*sney logo shirts though. Just wore thatrobert's consumerism shirt yesterday actually. Got lots of compliments. Way to go thatrobert!

problem is those are obvious parodies - this is obvious taking elements of the game and trying to profit from them. there is no element of parody whatsoever. pandering to video game nerds is pretty buttery croissant.

sariavo wrote:Because I think this shirt rocks, and since I want to be wearing it a month from now....something for your this stuff isn't copyrighted list...they sell 'bottle fairies' (fairy figures in little bottles) in Ireland. I bought a couple becaue they reminded me of LoZ, each one represented a certain type of fairy. They were really cool.

Yay! That's pretty cool.

@ Leet - T-mobile is trying to what?! Wow. ...and no, just that word. ;)

@ recchiap - Got any suggestions?

@ Zenverse - Thanks! Yeah, I was kinda bummed about The Devil too...

@ NathanOfLight - You sir, are made of clever and win. I didn't even think about how far off I was with item design.

@ Derek - Yay! 66.66%. We'll see on Tuesday I guess. XD

@ outlaw - This is true. I don't think that N*ntendo would go after small guys like the guy printing shirts out of his mom's basement. Woot is a little bigger, and they've been concerned about copyrights in the past.

@ Brizz - True, this isn't a parody, but pandering to nerds nothing! I made this for myself, my friends, and all the other cool kids who appreciate the game and genre it inspired. I also like buttery croissants.

Not my birth year, but this still gets my vote! Yay for subtle legal game references. :-p

I may still have reservations about the color of the shirt, but once this shirt is available for purchase I'll gladly give up a yellow rupee!

Re: 1986: The Legend Was Born

Re: 1986: The Legend Was Born

I just want to know when we'll be getting a fablefire.woot.com. You know, all fablefire artwork all the time.. or i suppose even a cho piece or whatever here and there, as long as it has fable's thumb up.

Re: 1986: The Legend Was Born

Oh Goddess bless Fable. I *LOVE* this shirt. I haven't played Zelda for ages, then out of the blue this week I got Phantom hourglass, and I'm hooked all over again. I love this shirt, and will defiantly buy one. No hesitation. Also, I'm fairly sure I can get at least one of the guys where I work to buy it, perhaps both of them, and maybe the other girls too. Being a girl gamer rocks hard. And pink or cream, doesn't matter to me either way, I'm shade blind, but even if it was Magenta, I know a guy who would wear it just because of how much it rocks.

This is my first woot comment, it took something this awesome for me to type here. Please get in the top three so I can get one!

Thanks! Game on!

Re: 1986: The Legend Was Born

zeldaa lives.

fablefire wrote:@ Leet - T-mobile is trying to what?! Wow. ...and no, just that word. ;)

Yep: http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/in-other-news/t+mobile-owns-magenta-319824.php

LeetRantipole wrote:Yep: http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/in-other-news/t+mobile-owns-magenta-319824.php

Man, they are really messed up. I'd like to call attention to:
"T-Mobile, the T-Mobile logo,... the T-Mobile acoustic logo, and the color magenta are registered and/or unregistered trademarks..."

I wish I could underline the term "unregistered trademarks" but I can only figure out how to make it bold, which only slightly shows up. That phrase brings up the question, which is an unregistered trademark and which is a registered trademark? My guess, color magenta is unregistered. Also, I don't think that will hold up in court, as long as the company T-Mobile sues isn't another phone company. An unregistered trademark may (key here is may) be considered a protected trademark from what I understand. Sadly, I have too much work on a Title VII paper to look into this one.

So I searched through published case opinion involving Nintendo as the plaintiff (the one suing) and here is the result (Note: I only looked at federal cases because Copyright is a federal issue. And honestly, as a corporation, Nintendo has a better chance suing in a federal court than a state court. Besides, why sue in a state court when you are dealing with a federal issue?):

Nintendo of America, Inc. v. NTDEC, 51 F.3d 281 (9th Cir. 1995) - Nintendo sues NTDEC for reproducing, repackaging, and selling the counterfeit games. I personally feel this is an obvious copyright infringement. (court did too)

Nintendo of America, Inc. v. Lewis Galoob Toys, Inc., 16 F.3d 1032 (9th Cir. 1994) - Nintendo sells for the creation and distribution of the Game Genie. Game Genie won this one.

Nintendo of America, Inc. v. Dragon Pacific Intern., 40 F.3d 1007 (9th Cir. 1994) - Nintendo sues a manufacturer of a gaming console very similar to the NES that created game cartridges with more than 10 games on each cartridge, many of which were copyrighted Nintendo games. Nintendo Won.

And to prevent this from getting too long, the rest of the cases where Nintendo Sued involved more copyright infringement where someone was trying to sell a Nintendo game unlawfully and a case with Nintendo challenging a patent which someone claimed they infringed. Note: none of the cases I found were after 1996. This doesn't mean cases don't exist in which Nintendo sued, it just means those court decisions weren't published by the judge. But for the most part, the infringement cases dealt with actual copying of a game made by Nintendo.

And as a random side note, check out the wikipedia article on when Universal sued nintendo in the 80s for copyright infringement on their movie King Kong. They lost. Silly Universal. I point you to a wikipedia article, because you'd have to pay to access a legal database.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_City_Studios,_Inc._v._Nintendo_Co.,_Ltd.

Probably the most tasteful Zelda shirt I've ever seen. No weird text that tries to make it sound "cool", but there's a lot there, and the color choice is brilliant, since it softens it all. Looks better every time I look at it.

Re: 1986: The Legend Was Born

This shirts is awesome, it'll go nicely with my stable of zelda shirts I currently own thanx to my gf. great job

I love this game! I dont care if I wasn't born that year. This better be first.

Re: 1986: The Legend Was Born

I am a guy, but I will cry if this is rejected or not in the top 3.

Excellent work Fable!

Why the hell would this get rejected? And yes, it'll be in the top 3. The only thing that looks similar to The Legend of Zelda are the hearts at the top of the design. Everything else is extremely original.

Re: 1986: The Legend Was Born

I'm in love! :O

In for 3 if this makes it

Re: 1986: The Legend Was Born

Heh, this shirt is great! Loved it the moment I saw it. ^^

Re: 1986: The Legend Was Born

i wish it were something other than creme

Re: 1986: The Legend Was Born

This is wonderful fable, I would love one!

this shirt is absolute beauty! magnificent work!

eyin42 wrote:i wish it were something other than creme

I'll second that comment. It's a great design fable, but i can see the stains right now.

Seattlejo wrote:I'll second that comment. It's a great design fable, but i can see the stains right now.

Seattlejo wrote:I'll second that comment. It's a great design fable, but i can see the stains right now.

Buy a few then in case of "accidents". XD

Re: 1986: The Legend Was Born

Fable your shirts are awesome and its really cool to see others that like gaming lol people in my school are to cool for that i guess but not me, ZELDA OWNS!!!!

Really a beautiful design.

fablefire wrote:EDIT: This is on CREME. Not pink. ...there are no pink woot shirts.

The Legend of Zelda made it's debut in Japan in 1986.

Nintendo does not have a copyrights on generic bottles, fairies, hearts, swords, bombs, or hexagonal-cut jewels.

@ artulo - Thanks. :3

I am waiting for somebody to say "Late April Fools!!" But I keep waiting and waiting.

I freaking love this shirt. I was SO excited when I saw it, I may have even squealed a little!

LeetRantipole wrote:What about it do you think makes it a bad design for a shirt? I'm not seeing that.

Well, I'm not really an expert on shirt design, I just have never really been a fan of the "pencil art" style on shirts. It looks amazing on the screen, I cannot stress that enough, but I have never seen a pencil art shirt come out that looked that great. It's the "on screen" vs "on shirt" debate HGP is dealing with right now.

I don't really have any suggestions, because I'm not very good at designing shirts, I just don't know how well this would turn out on cream. It might be a bit hard to see once it is printed.

recchiap wrote:Well, I'm not really an expert on shirt design, I just have never really been a fan of the "pencil art" style on shirts. It looks amazing on the screen, I cannot stress that enough, but I have never seen a pencil art shirt come out that looked that great. It's the "on screen" vs "on shirt" debate HGP is dealing with right now.

I don't really have any suggestions, because I'm not very good at designing shirts, I just don't know how well this would turn out on cream. It might be a bit hard to see once it is printed.

It is real bad when it does not look amazing on screen. I do not have an artistic bone in my body and I can easily draw this picture. When something that I can do is in first place then that means fire and brimstone from the sky, dogs and cats living together....mass hysteria.

kindalikeyeah wrote:It is real bad when it does not look amazing on screen. I do not have an artistic bone in my body and I can easily draw this picture. When something that I can do is in first place then that means fire and brimstone from the sky, dogs and cats living together....mass hysteria.

If you can easily draw this picture, you are www.d-e-f-i-n-i-t-e-l-y.com artistic.

But please, show us an example of your work.

Re: 1986: The Legend Was Born

The year I was born, my favorite game, done by one of my favorite designers. Congrats fable, I appreciate your artwork

recchiap wrote:Well, I'm not really an expert on shirt design, I just have never really been a fan of the "pencil art" style on shirts. It looks amazing on the screen, I cannot stress that enough, but I have never seen a pencil art shirt come out that looked that great. It's the "on screen" vs "on shirt" debate HGP is dealing with right now.

I don't really have any suggestions, because I'm not very good at designing shirts, I just don't know how well this would turn out on cream. It might be a bit hard to see once it is printed.

Darker colored linework on cream shirts actually looks phenomenal. I have two (Why Can't I Fly, Friend? and Spring Rebirth) and they both pop wonderfully.

Awesome shirt. However I admit I am a bit irritated. Yes Zelda came out in 1986 but is ANYONE here from Japan? Seriously, none of us played the game until 1987 when I was released in the States. *grumble*

Wouldn't bother me that much but I was born in 1987... ON AUGUST 22, 1987.

/yes THAT August 22, 1987.
//destined to buy this shirt

trapical wrote:Awesome shirt. However I admit I am a bit irritated. Yes Zelda came out in 1986 but is ANYONE here from Japan? Seriously, none of us played the game until 1987 when I was released in the States. *grumble*

Wouldn't bother me that much but I was born in 1987... ON AUGUST 22, 1987.

/yes THAT August 22, 1987.
//destined to buy this shirt

I'm moving to Japan soon. Does that count?

eHalcyon wrote:If you can easily draw this picture, you are definitely artistic.

But please, show us an example of your work.

How about no?

kindalikeyeah wrote:How about no?

Right then. When you actually CAN draw like this, show us in the derby that week. You'll probably have my vote, and a whole lot of others.

This is quite possibly the best shirt I've seen on w00t in a while...excellent artwork and design! I guess it kind of helps matters that I'm a huge Zelda fan. Great memories with Ocarina, but I have to say Twilight Princess is the superior game (please don't kill me).

If this places that will make 2 w00t shirts I've bought because they were Zelda related. The other being the "Pascal's Triangle" one...since it looked like triforces (err...triforcii?), *giggles*.

Re: 1986: The Legend Was Born

Fable,
This is totally off topic, but I just wanted you to know that I LOVE your scurvy shirt. It's the reason why I first fell in love with woot! Great job!

dea007 wrote:Fable,
This is totally off topic, but I just wanted you to know that I LOVE your scurvy shirt. It's the reason why I first fell in love with woot! Great job!

Glad you like it! =D

...and I just want to say thanks for everybody for the overwhelming, awesome response to the design. It's cool to see Zelda fans and general rpg fans getting excited about a shirt. Maybe if it wins we'll see these around at lan and rpg conventions! ...or in the mall! ...or in other places! ...and it'll be like a cool underground rpg fan thing. ...and we can all be like, "hey... I have that shirt too *nod*"

... XD

...I'd also like to say thanks to those of you who helped defend that the design does not infringe on copyrights. ;)

Re: 1986: The Legend Was Born

Fantastic shirt. I need to own this!

Re: 1986: The Legend Was Born

I love this shirt and want to vote for it, but I can't figure out how to vote. Can someone please explain to me how to vote?

MrMcNoot wrote:I love this shirt and want to vote for it, but I can't figure out how to vote. Can someone please explain to me how to vote?

This shirt did end up in the top 4 shirts for this week, but voting is over. It probably won 1st place so check back at midnight tonight to see if it will go on sale then.

Re: 1986: The Legend Was Born

Awesome! Makes me want to fire up the System of a Down cover of the Zelda theme song.

montanamax wrote:Awesome! Makes me want to fire up the System of a Down cover of the Zelda theme song.

Awesome shirt, but System of a Down did not cover the Zelda theme, it was the "Rabbit Joint Cover."

Awesome shirt!!! I used http://www.TOPxTOP.com to Find several other zeda shirts, and its very useful for price comparison.

Re: 1986: The Legend Was Born

My favorite Zelda shirt I've ever seen. I want one so badly x.x

This shirt needs to be re-printed. I will purchase it in a heartbeat!

ska686 wrote:This shirt needs to be re-printed. I will purchase it in a heartbeat!

Same here. Bring back the CLASSICS Woot!

Re: 1986: The Legend Was Born

I will be one of MANY who will help sell this shirt out AGAIN in a matter of minutes if it goes on sale again. please make it happen, ive been wanting this shirt for a few years now