How Do You Open Source Animation and code? 12
danmm asks: "Recently, I've been trying to combine clip-art-style illustration with animating code into GUI components within Macromedia Flash (for distribution as an .mxp file via the company's Exchange site). Now, I'd like to start open-sourcing some of these things -- but this is a matter of curiousity: how does one open-source an amalgam of creative (art) content and software code? How's it different from pure code?
If anyone is curious, my project is located here"
Give the art, GPL the code (Score:5, Insightful)
Do you really want all the hacked up and modified copies of your art floating around there? Does that really matter to you?
I'd just give the art away. If people want to replace it, fine. If they want to chuck all yours and charge for their own, nothing is stopping them.
The code can be GPL'ed. It's like making a video encoder - the mechanics of the encoder are yours, but what people feed it is theirs. In your case, the things you did with Flash are GPLable (if this truly is the case - I'm not sure how flash works).
I'd release them as "The code bits are GPL, the art is mine, ask to use it" or "The code bits are GPL, the art is public domain, use it as you wish". Some variant on that should be able to fit what you want to do.
BBK
Short answer... (Score:3, Insightful)
Many people have the wrong idea of what can be copyrighted, licenced, patented, etc. The idea that you can licence artwork (animation) under GPL is flawed, as any derivative artwork is automatically owned by the creator, as long as there is signiciant differences. You cant copyright a character or concept inside a piece of artwork, only the artwork itself.
GPL'ing artwork would be silly and unenforceable. It would be better to mark the code as GPL (or even better, BSD) and to claim copyright to your artworks, perhaps with the limitation "Commercial rights reserved." so that theoretically people can re-use the artwork, but not use it in a commercial product without asking you first.
That said, a company is quite within their rights to make a derivative (parody) work of your artwork, and use it how they please. The only way to stop that, is to trademark a logo or character within the artwork.