Setsucon

Artist Alley Registration

Please read before registering!

Thank you for your interest in being an exhibitor in the Artist Alley at Setsucon 2012. We have been updating some of our rules and policies, so please take the time to read them carefully before submitting your registration. If you have any questions please contact the Artist Alley Coordinator.

Artist Alley registration will be open until August 31, 2011. Registrants for Artist Alley will not need to complete a convention registration form. This is included in Artist Alley registrations. You will be contacted by the Artist Alley Coordinator informing you whether or not you have been awarded a spot in our Artist Alley the week of September 11, 2011. After your application is accepted, you will be contacted by the Artist Alley Coordinator to confirm your registration and arrange payment. Payment may be made by check or money order.

Parental Consent

All attendees younger than 18 years of age as of January 28, 2012 must have a parental consent form on file with Setsucon. Remember, minors without the completed consent form on file cannot be admitted to Setsucon. Be sure to either mail in the form ahead of time, or bring the completed form to Registration Pick-Up. Mailed in forms MUST be postmarked on or before December 12, 2011.

Parental Consent Form

Artist Alley Rates

A full table registration is $70 and includes:

• One (1) 6' x 2' table
• One (1) chair
• One (1) Artist's pass to Setsucon 2012

A half-table registration is $50 and includes:

• One (1) 3' x 2' space at a 6' x 2' table
• One (1) chair
• One (1) Artist's pass to Setsucon 2012

Additional Artist Alley badges are available at the regular pre-registration rate of $25/person.

Contracts and Payments

Please make out checks to Penn State Anime Organization and send contracts to the following mailing address:

Anime Organization
The Pennsylvania State University
240 HUB-Robeson Center
University Park, PA 16802-6601

Artist Alley Policies

1. Artists must be at least 13 years of age as of January 28, 2012.
2. Registrants for Artist Alley must abide by all the convention policies.
3. Displays may be no more than 8ft high from the floor.
4. Artists selling adult material must be at least 18 years of age. See Adult Material Policy below.

Items that MAY NOT be sold in The Alley include:

1. Copied or traced artwork
2. "Knockoff" or bootleg merchandise.
3. Bootleg videos (this includes bootlegged videos recorded on blank videotapes with printed labels; "homemade" DVDs, pirate 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 and all fansubs).
4. Any posters, idol cards, etc., which read "Kodak", "Fuji", etc. on the back.
5. Unlicensed reproductions of any products actually released by an American company.
6. Food, snacks, or beverages.

Any violation will come with a warning, at which time you will be asked to remove the offending merchandise from Artist Alley. Failure to comply or a subsequent violation is cause for removal from the convention and forfeiture of all fees.

Items that MAY be sold in The Alley include:

1. Any products featuring your own creations.
2. Small quantities of legally imported merchandise or legitimate US products.
3. Commissioned and hand-drawn works (but see the guidance below).
4. Unique, individual, hand-made items (but see the guidance below).
5. Doujinshi, fanzines, and similar items (but see the guidance below).

Important Note: Artist Alley is not a replacement for the Vendors Room. If you're selling retail items, selling licensed merchandise (other than your own), or doing a high volume of sales, you belong elsewhere.

Adult Material Policy

We ask that Artists, particularly those with adult merchandise, keep in mind that this is a family oriented event and minors will be present. Think PG-13. The acceptability of displays of adult material is at the sole discretion of the Artist Alley Coordinator; failure to comply with warnings may result in removal from Artist Alley and forfeiture of all fees.

ALL HENTAI and PORNOGRAPHY is BANNED.

Any material that contains nudity, is extremely or graphically violent, or is otherwise unsuitable for minors must be hidden from the general public view. This includes artistic nudes.

Adult material may be produced upon request provided the customer is 18 years of age or older and shows valid identification. Artists must take steps to ensure that the person viewing the adult material is the only person able to see it.

Artists who display adult material in the general public's view will be reminded once about our adult materials policy. Artists that continue to violate our policies may be removed from the Artist Alley.

Artists selling any inappropriate material to minors will be removed from the Artist Alley.

Setsucon's Stance on Copyright, Trademark, and Intellectual Property Protection

Setsucon is a convention created by fans, for fans, and we want to encourage creative originality in all of our valued attendees. This is especially true for the Artist Alley. Setsucon supports the rights of artists and other creators regarding their intellectual property. We have a strict policy regarding bootlegs and counterfeit merchandise, and we take its enforcement seriously, but we also recognize that fandom has a long tradition of "playing with other peoples' toys". Doujinshi, fanzines, fan fiction, and fan art are part of what makes fans, fans. They are creative ways for creative people to celebrate what we love.

Unfortunately, a lot of "fan art" risks running afoul of intellectual property rights laws, which weren't written with fans in mind. Characters and names can be (and often are) protected under international trademark and copyright laws. You're really not supposed to use them without paying for a license.

Some owners and creators (such as J.K. Rowling) even encourage or explicitly allow the use of their characters in fan fiction and art. A few go so far as to collect fan art. And some companies even view fan artists and writers as an emerging talent pool. Fortunately, creators and industry have seldom pursued individual fan artists over individual items, but it would be unwise to assume that past behavior is guarantee that they'll always turn a blind eye. But it is generally true that at any time, the rightful owner of any particular property can choose to take action and stop you from using their stuff. That's not only fair, it's the law.Setsucon is choosing to encourage original art, and yet we remain supportive of fan works, to the extent that we can legally do so. To that end, we are providing some general guidelines to help you in determining what is generally okay, and what is generally going to get you into trouble with somebody's lawyers eventually.

So when you sign up for a table in the Artist Alley, we ask that you sign a form that makes it clear you understand and accept all the terms and conditions -- and that any violations of copyright, etc. are your problem, not ours.