Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike news 2 2

[fantastic_four]

On 9/8/2023 at 10:11 PM, Microchip said:

On 9/8/2023 at 4:55 PM, N e r V said:

I saw one legal point brought up on this already.

So assuming Tom Cruise could get a IP of sorts on his face. Everyone has multiple doppelgängers in the sense there are many people that look very close if not almost twin like in some cases. Tom Cruise can’t own everyone’s face who looks close to him. If Tom Cruise doesn’t want you to use his face why can’t you have someone who looks like him sign away his rights of use instead. Apply the same thought to voices since we’ve had singers who sound like others. There will be a legal work around to owning your likeness that will play out in courts as “virtual” people and singers start replacing us humans.

Expand  

Clothing retailers ave been ripping off the big labels for decades.  All they need to do, is change the design slightly and they're good to go.

Aldi's grocery stores specializes in this and has skirting trademark infringement down to a science.  They carry cheap, rip-off versions of every major name brand.  Different but similar names and different but similar box art.  Here are a few:

 

[fantastic_four]

On 9/10/2023 at 3:55 PM, N e r V said:

I have friends that work in both industries (AI and robotics here in Cali) and it’s scary and amazing what’s coming very quickly. I’d be very concerned about what industry I pick to work in if I was just starting out in life…

Anyone with kids should be at least somewhat concerned by this.  There's a list of careers at high risk of getting replaced by automation, and there's another list of careers at low risk.  Before plunking down $200K or more on a university I'd much prefer whatever my kids major in is on that list of jobs at low risk of getting replaced.  Mostly that's doctors and nurses right now, or really most health care jobs.

[Dr. Balls]

On 9/13/2023 at 8:17 AM, fantastic_four said:

Mostly that's doctors and nurses right now, or really most health care jobs.

That vocation will be minimized soon as well:

[fantastic_four]

On 9/7/2023 at 6:54 PM, drotto said:

I think current laws suggest that an individual owns their likeness and voice, so in essence we are all our own personal IP's. As such companies can not use them without permission. As such, the actors union should insure that companies can not sneak any language counter to that in any stock contracts. If anyone elects to sell their personal IP with full knowlwdge, that is one them. 

I agree fully with your first two sentences above, as well as your fourth sentence.  But I don't know what you mean by the third sentence that I bolded in the quote above.  How are studios "sneaking" language into contracts?  You're obliged to read anything you sign, so what do you mean?  Are they getting signatures and then adding something else in later?  How are they "sneaking" in provisions that cause actors to lose the rights to their digital likeness?

[Dr. Balls]

On 9/13/2023 at 8:17 AM, fantastic_four said:

Anyone with kids should be at least somewhat concerned by this.  There's a list of careers at high risk of getting replaced by automation, and there's another list of careers at low risk.  Before plunking down $200K or more on a university I'd much prefer whatever my kids major in is on that list of jobs at low risk of getting replaced.  Mostly that's doctors and nurses right now, or really most health care jobs.

Raise your kids to know what "work" is, and let them discover the trades. AI will likely not be able to replace electricians, plumbers, builders, etc - there are too many variables and working conditions in those jobs that can't be accounted for and adapted to - at least anytime soon.

[fantastic_four]

On 9/7/2023 at 6:45 PM, Microchip said:

On 9/7/2023 at 1:15 PM, fantastic_four said:

On 9/7/2023 at 11:36 AM, CAHokie said:

I thought it was a simple misspelling and he meant protecting. “Protecting their IP” not protesting.

I still don't get it.  Why is it their IP?  Do they serve as agents for extras or something?

Getty's image library is their IP.

I'm still not getting it.  Getty owns the rights to the specific images they've paid for, but not the digitization of an actor's look that is then used to create visuals with that actor in different imagery.  So why would Getty care about this at all, what's their angle?  The studios would have to be using the exact images that Getty has licensed from actors for them to directly care, but I haven't heard that's what the studios are doing or that it's at all an issue with the current beef behind the strikes.

Edited September 13, 2023 by fantastic_four

[Dr. Balls]

I also see Drew Barrymore is taking heat for starting her talkshow up again amidst all the strike stuff. The article I read really underlines how needlessly complicated all this is:

"I can start my show because it's not scripted, and we won't talk about movies that are being worked on by striking writers and actors, but I'm an actor talking about not acting, and I am hiring people to work on a set that isn't tied to a movie studio with actors and writers, and it will air on streaming not a movie theater or network television so therefore I am living my best life and this is the real me." LOLWOT

I've never been so confused at something I could care less about.

[fantastic_four]

On 9/13/2023 at 10:24 AM, Dr. Balls said:

On 9/13/2023 at 10:17 AM, fantastic_four said:

Anyone with kids should be at least somewhat concerned by this.  There's a list of careers at high risk of getting replaced by automation, and there's another list of careers at low risk.  Before plunking down $200K or more on a university I'd much prefer whatever my kids major in is on that list of jobs at low risk of getting replaced.  Mostly that's doctors and nurses right now, or really most health care jobs.

Raise your kids to know what "work" is, and let them discover the trades. AI will likely not be able to replace electricians, plumbers, builders, etc - there are too many variables and working conditions in those jobs that can't be accounted for and adapted to - at least anytime soon.

I'm not quite ready to relegate humans to all of the manual labor and leave AI to do all of the intellectual white-collar work just yet.  But I can't rule that out as a possible direction we're heading in--at least until robotics ramps up.   Then we're all screwed!   

At least for a little while.  Life should eventually be great with AI doing everything, but I'm guessing there will be quite a bit of social and political upheaval before we get there.  Capitalism can't continue if the value of human labor truly plunges to zero.

For most of the last decade my guess was that the next big technology revolution after the Internet would be robotics, but this year I'm not at all sure.  AI might be the next one, but it's not clear quite yet.

Edited September 13, 2023 by fantastic_four

[fantastic_four]

On 9/13/2023 at 10:28 AM, Dr. Balls said:

I also see Drew Barrymore is taking heat for starting her talkshow up again amidst all the strike stuff. The article I read really underlines how needlessly complicated all this is:

"I can start my show because it's not scripted, and we won't talk about movies that are being worked on by striking writers and actors, but I'm an actor talking about not acting, and I am hiring people to work on a set that isn't tied to a movie studio with actors and writers, and it will air on streaming not a movie theater or network television so therefore I am living my best life and this is the real me." LOLWOT

I've never been so confused at something I could care less about.

She's talking about the general category of reality television.  That's what took off the last time the WGA called a strike in 2007.

[Gatsby77]

Recall that even 20 years ago, Jet Li dropped out of The Matrix 2 and 3 because the studio was demanding to digitally scan him and (according to him) effectively own the trademark to his martial arts moves, effectively allowing them to use them (without additional payment or credit to him) in perpetuity.

He did multiple interviews about it.

 

[drotto]

On 9/13/2023 at 10:22 AM, fantastic_four said:

I agree fully with your first two sentences above, as well as your fourth sentence.  But I don't know what you mean by the third sentence that I bolded in the quote above.  How are studios "sneaking" language into contracts?  You're obliged to read anything you sign, so what do you mean?  Are they getting signatures and then adding something else in later?  How are they "sneaking" in provisions that cause actors to lose the rights to their digital likeness?

Meaning any provisions that would llow the studios to scan images or record voices for future use should be strictly banned from the base level contracts.  The only time those things should be included are when those are the items specifically being considered.

[Bosco685]

On 9/13/2023 at 2:38 PM, drotto said:

Meaning any provisions that would llow the studios to scan images or record voices for future use should be strictly banned from the base level contracts.  The only time those things should be included are when those are the items specifically being considered.

Have to agree.

Any misleading terms or disclaimers that would be difficult to interpret. As then it is clear studios are roping individuals into less than straightforward work agreements.

[Bosco685]

[fantastic_four]

On 9/13/2023 at 2:38 PM, drotto said:

Meaning any provisions that would llow the studios to scan images or record voices for future use should be strictly banned from the base level contracts.  The only time those things should be included are when those are the items specifically being considered.

That's essentially what SAG is asking for.  But why?

[fantastic_four]

I certainly wouldn't sign my digital likeness away if I were Sean Penn.  Or even an unknown actor.

But I'm not at all clear on why SAG needs to ban even the possibility of a studio including it from all contracts.

[CAHokie]

On 9/13/2023 at 4:06 PM, fantastic_four said:

I certainly wouldn't sign my digital likeness away if I were Sean Penn.  Or even an unknown actor.

But I'm not at all clear on why SAG needs to ban even the possibility of a studio including it from all contracts.

Do you know when most contracts are signed by non-principle talent and how often there are not actual contracts at all?

[Bosco685]

On 9/13/2023 at 4:03 PM, fantastic_four said:

That's essentially what SAG is asking for.  But why?

SAG-AFTRA Contact Us

Quote

National Headquarters
(855) 724-2387
info@sagaftra.org
NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS

5757 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles , California 90036
United States

Quote

New York
(212) 944-1030
newyork@sagaftra.org
NEW YORK

1900 Broadway, 5th Floor
New York , New York 10023

Chat with SAG-AFTRA

[troydivision1]

On 9/13/2023 at 10:10 AM, fantastic_four said:

Aldi's grocery stores specializes in this and has skirting trademark infringement down to a science.  They carry cheap, rip-off versions of every major name brand.  Different but similar names and different but similar box art.  Here are a few:

 

As an outside contractor who worked projects for Aldi for a few months I can share that some of their private label products are actually produced by major companies.

Ones I can remember off the top of my head -
their free and clear laundry detergent was produced by Seventh Generation
some of their frozen burritos were produced by Amy's

[VintageComics]

On 9/13/2023 at 10:31 AM, fantastic_four said:

At least for a little while.  Life should eventually be great with AI doing everything, but I'm guessing there will be quite a bit of social and political upheaval before we get there.  Capitalism can't continue if the value of human labor truly plunges to zero.

Now you're starting to see a little more clearly. 

The question is, is this all incidental or by design. 

On 9/13/2023 at 4:06 PM, fantastic_four said:

I certainly wouldn't sign my digital likeness away if I were Sean Penn.  Or even an unknown actor.

But I'm not at all clear on why SAG needs to ban even the possibility of a studio including it from all contracts.

The point of a union is to protect their members. Wouldn't it be obvious that the SAG is trying to protect unauthorized use of digital likenesses of it's members by closing all doors where they may possibly abuse this loophole?

I'm not sure why you'd even be asking the question. Do you think there is some other motive outside the obvious reason of protecting their union members? 

 

[MattTheDuck]

On 9/13/2023 at 4:14 PM, Chamber of Chills said:

As an outside contractor who worked projects for Aldi for a few months I can share that some of their private label products are actually produced by major companies.

Ones I can remember off the top of my head -
their free and clear laundry detergent was produced by Seventh Generation
some of their frozen burritos were produced by Amy's

It's the same with Costco branded (Kirkland) products and most of the "house" brands you see at Kroger, Safeway, et al.