ComiPo Forums and English ComiPo Community

There has been a LOT of confusion about the copyrights behind ComiPo! and what rights you have to the works that you created. I chalk this up to bad translations, lack of a english PR team, and a few confused reviewers. So here it is direct from them from as many sources as I can find.

Twtitter

ComiPo_Info_en ComiPo! Info
@
@monkelban 1)We do not claim a royalty for use of the character and image rights. Please use more and more. Commercial use is OK. #comipo

Facebook FAQ

We hold full copyrights with respect to ComiPo! Assets. We neither abandon
any of them, nor give, transfer, sell or grant any of them to you in any
sense.
Therefore, ComiPo! Assets are not copyrights free.
If you publish your works created by using ComiPo! Assets in other applications
than ComiPo! software, you infringe our copyrights.

However, we do not lay copyright claim on your creative works
(composition of characters, panels, story, scripts, etc.) as far as you
use ComiPo! software legally.

From the EULA on my computer

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS
1 LLP is and will continue to be the holder of copyrights and other intellectual property rights with respect to SOFTWARE and SOFTWARE PRODUCTS.
2 LLP will not lay any copyright claim to the comics you create by using this SOFTWARE.
3 You may not lay any copyright claim to any visual representation such as characters included in SOFTWARE.

ComiPo! English Website

Regarding Copyright
We do not make any copyright claims to the comics you create using ComiPo!. However, you may not claim any copyright to any visual representation such as characters included in ComiPo!.
Please contact us if you have any further questions on this matter.

To simplify things what they are saying is that they own the copyright to the software, and to all the parts included within the software. BUT they do not have any copyright on any works, characters, or comic that you make with ComiPo!.

Example: You can not copyright the 3D cellphone included in the software, nor can you try to sell it as yours. But if your comic uses this cellphone as part of the story/comic then you are fine.

Example: You can not use one of the included pre-made female characters as your mascot for your business or site. They were created by ComiPo! LLP not you. But if you create a new character in ComiPo! then its considered your own original work and can be used anyway you want.

I will also contact ComiPo! and get an official statement from them on the matter and post that here also.

Thanks BeerNuts. This will clarify undergoing confusion a lot!

I got an statement from ComiPo! english support to my email requests today and here is what they said. Below is a cut and paste from the email sent to me. This for sure will put the final nail in the coffin as to copyright issues.

We have acknowledged the problems related to ambiguous terms in EULA and FAQ
that may have led to some concerns in ComiPo! user community.
It is our regret for any confusion made due to our improper translations and responses.

To address such problems, the statements, including EULA, are currently under revision by ComiPo LLP.
We hope that it would make things more clear and direct,
and everyone can make a decision based on the right information.
So, please wait a little bit longer for the official statements.

In regard to your questions, we would like to answer as far as we could for the time being.

My Question -> 1) If I produce a comic using ComiPo! Using custom characters I have made do
I own full rights to publish, sell, use or distribute it as I see fit? I
have a major project I am planing I and I need the rights to sell and
reproduce my own creations using ComiPo!

Their Response -> 1) Yes, the rights to publish and sell your creative works belongs to you.
However, due to the possibility that you and some other ComiPo! users may make the exact same custom characters,
you cannot make an assertion that prevents others from using/creating the same custom characters.
In addition, you will need a commercial version of ComiPo! if you plan for commercial use.


My Question -> 2) The EULA section 4 states the following.
4. LIMITATIONS
1 You may not
(7) infringe publicity right or copyright of any third party, or use
SOFTWARE by means against public order or morals.
Does this mean that I can not publish comics that are "against public order
or morals." and what is the definition of these terms. Are you trying to say
that I am now allowed to create a "adult" comic? Or a comic that is
politically motivated? Who is it that defines these terms? Because my morals
are much different than others.

Their Response -> 2) ComiPo!, as a tool for creative works, is intended to be used to express your thoughts more freely and easily.
For what kind of contents it may be is totally up to your decision.

To clear things up, we give you some examples on what is allowed and what is not on ComiPo!

OK:
It is okay to create and sell a comic that you originally author using ComiPo! software and its bundled assets
The comic may include assets such as 3D desk, school images, preset or custom 3D characters,
and it is still solely own by you.

Not OK:
You cannot sell or redistribute assets data bundled with ComiPo! such as 3D model like a bag or a cake model,
or 2D images like backgrounds or comic marks.

You cannot prevent other ComiPo! users from using/creating the same 3D character
as you have used/created if such character is a preset or created from only ComiPo! assets
through "Create/Edit a New Character" feature.
In this sense, you don't own full rights of the character.
However, it is okay to use such character to create an original, derivative work and make money out of it.

I hope their clarifications will cover this point as well (from the FAQ):

If you publish your works created by using ComiPo! Assets in other applications
than ComiPo! software, you infringe our copyrights.

What if I compose a comic in ComiPo, export the pages, possibly on separate layers, and add more contents in PhotoShop (say, shadows, text with special effects, etc).

Do you think this will be considered an infringments as I have used "ComiPo Assets" in other applications? Even if the scene was initially created with ComiPo?

remod wrote:I hope their clarifications will cover this point as well (from the FAQ):

If you publish your works created by using ComiPo! Assets in other applications
than ComiPo! software, you infringe our copyrights.

What if I compose a comic in ComiPo, export the pages, possibly on separate layers, and add more contents in PhotoShop (say, shadows, text with special effects, etc).

Do you think this will be considered an infringments as I have used "ComiPo Assets" in other applications? Even if the scene was initially created with ComiPo?

Yeah you are fine doing this. You just have to make the comics in Comipo.