AAEC Trying to Stop Bloggers From Using Cartoons Without Permission

By: Dave Astor The Association of American Editorial Cartoonists is trying to stop bloggers from posting editorial cartoons without permission.

"So far, there has been no official communication by the AAEC, but we're getting close," the organization's president-elect, Nick Anderson, told E&P today.

Anderson, of the Houston Chronicle and Washington Post Writers Group, said the AAEC has added a warning to its EditorialCartoonists.com site. When a cursor is placed over an image, a warning pops up saying that using the cartoon without permission is copyright infringement; instructions are given for getting that permission.

Anderson says the AAEC is also working on an official letter that will be sent to bloggers who continue to violate cartoon copyrights. The letter is being drafted by AAEC Vice President Ted Rall, whose cartoons are distributed by Universal Press Syndicate.

"Given that many cartoonists rely on freelancing and reprints to make a living, assisting cartoonists in enforcing their copyright is the least the AAEC can do," said Anderson, winner of the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning.

A number of AAEC members have already complained to bloggers about using cartoons without permission. "Some bloggers were initially dismissive, even hostile, but capitulated under consistent pressure," said Anderson. "The law, in most cases, is pretty clear."

He added: "I wasn't one of the cartoonists who complained to any bloggers, but as an AAEC officer, I took the complaints by our members seriously. Some bloggers have adopted a more cooperative approach after aggressive e-mails by some individual members."