Rules for Exhibitors in the Alley
A single violation of this contract could result in
the artist being removed from the Alley and the convention, at the discretion of
the Alley staff. If an individual is removed, they forfeit all fees and will
receive no refund for their table or membership.
- General Policy: While in the Alley all
convention, local, state, and federal rules, policies and laws apply. If an
artist breaks any convention rules, he or she will be dealt with in an
appropriate manner. If an artist breaks any laws, he or she may have to deal
with law enforcement, and possible prosecution. Otakorp, Inc. does not
condone an artist’s transgressions.
- ID Policy: All artists
must show a government-issued, photo ID to check in at the Alley. If
an artist is not able to produce a valid ID at check in, their table(s) will
be held until 10am on Saturday, at which point the table(s) will be
considered unclaimed and open for sale on a first come, first served basis.
Accepted forms of ID include: A state drivers’ license, state-issued
identification card, a passport, or military ID. Other forms of Photo
ID may be accepted at the discretion of the Department Head of The
Alley. The name on the ID must match the name given during table
registration.
- Age Policy: In the state of Maryland,
a person must be at least 18 years old in order to sign a contract.
Therefore, any person who is not 18 must have an adult sign the contract on
their behalf. The adult who co-signed the contract must be present to
checkin for a table and accept responsibility for any failure of the
under-aged artist to comply with all convention policies as well as
applicable laws.
- Badges: Otakorp, Inc. badges must be
worn at all times. ONLY people with an Artist ribbon will be allowed behind
tables within the Alley. A total of four ribbons will be allotted to each
table.
- Structures: Any structure brought to
display artwork must be of sound construction. If any structure falls down,
or appears unstable, the artist to whom it belongs will be asked to remove
it by the Alley staff.
- Noise: Overly loud music, videos,
etc. will not be tolerated in the Alley. If the amount of sound coming from
a table is found to be disruptive, as determined by the Otakorp, Inc.
appointed Otakon Staff, the artist will be asked to lower the volume.
Further noise violations may result in the artist being removed from The
Alley and convention.
- Giveaways: Any artist who wishes to
have a giveaway, raffle, or prize distribution of any kind must
inform The Alley staff via email before the convention. No requests for
giveaways, raffles, etc. will be granted at the convention and any artist
holding an unauthorized giveaway will be removed from the Alley and
convention.
- Photography: Photography and video
recording are permitted within The Alley, provided that the person being
recorded has given permission. Similarly, pictures or videos of art are
allowed only with permission of the artist.
- Signs: Signage placed within The
Alley is to be used only as Otakon’s staff has intended.
- Substance Use: No Smoking or use of
alcohol or drugs while in the Artist Alley will be tolerated. Violations
will result in removal from The Alley and convention.
- Behavior: No running, screaming,
yelling, horseplay or use of obscene language will be tolerated. It is also
expected that, as with any other area of the convention, all artists will be
curious and polite to each other, to the staff and to members.
- The following items are prohibited
from sale within The Alley:
- Any work with copyrighted
logos, regardless of whether or not the work is original.
- Mass produced*
prints of art depicting licensed characters.
- Buttons, pins, hats, or
t-shirts bearing official character likenesses**. If an
artist has, and can produce proof of, explicit permission from the
copyright holder to use, then the items will be allowed. This will
be determined at the discretion of the Department Head of The Alley,
in consultation with all other necessary parties.
- Photoshopped, traced, or
copied characters in recognizable poses but with different
backgrounds.
- “Knockoff” or
bootleg merchandise of any kind (including but not limited to:
videos recorded on blank videotapes with printed labels; homemade
DVDs, pirated copies of any titles that have been released
commercially in the United States, Japan, or elsewhere, titles taped
off the air in Japan, and any fan-subs).
- Any posters, idol cards,
etc., which read “Kodak” “Fuji”, etc. on the
back.
- Unlicensed reproductions of
any products actually released by an American company.
- Food, snacks or beverages.
- Legally imported merchandise
or legitimate US products. This includes, but is not limited to:
wall scrolls, sharpies, art supplies, duck tape, glow sticks etc.
- The following items may be sold:
- Any product featuring an
artistrsquo;s original character.
- Commissioned and hand-drawn
works made during the convention, provided that they do not violate
any other rule
- Unique, individual, hand-made
items
- Doujinshi, fanzines, and
similar items*
- Fan art which clearly shows
that the work is produced by the artist, rather than by the license
holder.
- Number of Tables: A single artist or
studio is allowed a maximum of two tables. The Alley is intended to showcase
a large number of artists, therefore any violation of this policy which can
be proven in the eyes of the Department Head of The Alley and other relevant
parties will be grounds for immediate expulsion from the Alley and
convention. It may also result in the artist being banned from participating
in the Alley in the future.
- Groups of Artists: All individuals
working together on a single project, or groups of projects, are considered
one artist. For example: a group of artists who collaborated to make their
art count as a single artist in the eyes of the Alley staff. As such, they
will be allowed to register for a maximum of two tables to sell their art.
Any artist who is found to be in violation of this policy will be removed
from the alley. No exceptions will be made unless permission is grated by
the Department Head of the Alley prior to the convention. Please contact
the Alley staff prior to the convention with any requests.
- Adult Materials Policy: In recent
years, there has been a marked increase in the number of minors and families
attending Otakon. Therefore, Otakorp, Inc. asks that all exhibitors,
including artists in The Alley, please keep this in mind when setting up.
The acceptability of displays of adult material is at the sole discretion of
the Department Head of The Alley. Any materials which are sexually explicit,
extremely graphically violent, or otherwise unsuitable for children must be
displayed in a manner that keeps minors from seeing them. If any of these
materials are found left out in the open, or The Alley staff receives
complaints, the artist will be reminded about the adult materials policy
ONCE. If any artist sells inappropriate materials to minors, they
will be removed from The Alley, Otakon and membership in Otakorp, Inc.. They
may also be held accountable under Baltimore City law.
- No-Shows: If an artist fails to check
in for their table by noon on Saturday, they will be considered a No-Show.
At that point, their table(s) will be offered for sale at the at-con rate on
a first come, first served basis. Lost tables cannot be reclaimed, and no
credit nor refund will be given for No-Show tables.
- Changes: Otakorp, Inc., and the
Department Head of The Alley hold the right to add, amend, or change these
policies as they see fit, without prior notice.
The Alley staff will consistently monitor The
Alley for policy violations, and all observed violations will be acted upon.
Failure to comply with any part of this contract may result in action up to
eviction from the Alley and convention.
* Our policy is amended to clarify
that, for fan art (including but not limited to: doujinshi, fan art prints and
buttons), up to 10 copies of a single piece are allowed, unless that item is
otherwise explicitly disallowed. This is also the standard by which the Alley
staff will define “mass production”. The total number of pieces of
fan art sold will not exceed 200.
** Official Character Likeness is
defined as the actual picture of a licensed character, vehicle, etc. produced by
the copyright holder. Fan created drawings do not violate this rule.
Guidelines for Artwork
Everyone knows that copying someone else’s work is wrong, but there is
no “magic rule” about how much must be changed to make it an
artist’s own. The artist bears all responsibility and risk for the items
brought for sale at Otakorp, Inc. Any questions regarding this policy will be
resolved by the Department Head of The Alley, in consultation with Otakorp
Inc.’s lawyer when needed. If a piece of art appears to be very similar to
a licensed, copyrighted, etc. piece of art, the artist may be asked to remove it
from display and sale at the discretion of the Department Head. The Department
Head’s decision is final.