Tip of the hat to +Harley Stroh and props to +Jeff Sipko for the find and the pic.
Beer & The OSR. Those are my passions. It's rare that they intersect so perfectly, but Dragon Lady Doppelbock Beer from Rinkuskiai Brewery at first glance is that intersection. DCC RPG art on an imported doppelbock beer? I'm in heaven. Or I would be if it were a legal use of the art.
Yep, it appears Caldwell's art is being used without the artist's permission. This isn't some home brewer slapping labels on beer he's handing out to his friends. Nor is it some fan writer using a commercial RPG setting for her own stories.
Rinkuskiai is one of the top 5 breweries in Lithuania. Sure, that's like being one of the top five breweries in the NYC borough of Queens, but they are a legitimate company that's been brewing beer since the 1990s.
Using art without a license? That's something I wouldn't expect from a company located in the EU.
Aiko is the US Importer. I wonder if they would be responsible in the US for the unlicensed use of Caldwell's art. From what I can gather, the beer released two years ago. It looks like they've already gotten decent mileage from the art. Maybe they could just cut Caldwell a check and make it all legal.
Shame that this beer / OSR intersection isn't all it seemed at first glance.
LOL when the DCC module first came out with that cover (originally for 4E) my FLGS kept it under cover behind the counter like it was an issue of Playboy or something.
ReplyDeleteShame it's not licensed....
The distributor/importer absolutely could have liability for the infringement. But the copyright needs to be registered before they can proceed. Tell them to ping me, I'd love to take the case!
ReplyDeleteDamn the luck...closest place that has this to DC is in New Jersey!
ReplyDeleteIs the artist aware of this? Messed up, man.
ReplyDeleteThe article says: "Yep, it appears Caldwell's art is being used without the artist's permission."
ReplyDeleteThat's not quite the same as confirmation that Rinkuskiai Brewery have not paid Clyde Caldwell or any organisation authorised to licence his art.
Has anyone spoken to Clyde to confirm this?
Harley Stroh has confirmed that it is unlicensed and that Clyde Caldwell has been attempting, unsuccessfully, to have this stopped.
ReplyDelete