From AI Copyright to Piracy: The Realities Facing Independent Creators Today
Let’s demystify AI Copyright for a second and take a look at the gritty reality faced by indie authors like yours truly. Last night, I discovered that one of my card game decks, the Whimsy Lenormand, had been pirated on Aliexpress. I designed and drew each card many years ago. The feat took me months! Yet, I can’t do anything despite my rights protected by copyright law. But how so?
Let’s look at what copyright means now for indie authors like me and think a bit about AI copyright to hint at what the future will have in store.
The AI Paradox: Creative Liberty vs. Legal Labyrinth
ChatGPT and Dall-E 2 are our new best friends; creativity is undergoing a seismic shift. We’ve got the tools to conjure up novels, songs, and art at the speed of thought. Sounds like a dream, right? However, legally speaking, this dream is skating on thin ice.
The Many AI Banners on This Site
Yet, here I am, rocking the digital scene with DALL-E, creating banners that pop off the screen. The main attraction? A cartoonish clone of myself, bringing a touch of personal flair. My approach is pretty slick – I meticulously craft my prompts to squeeze out every ounce of consistency from DALL-E. Then, it’s off to Canva, where I turn these raw AI creations into eye-catching banners.
But, Who Owns AI-Created Art?
The million-dollar question: who gets the crown for AI-created masterpieces? Is it the AI whiz who played around with the software or the unseen geniuses whose work trained the AI? Or maybe the AI itself, if it starts to feel sentimental about its creations (cue eye-roll). It’s a hot mess of opinions, and the law is sweating to keep up.
Copyright Now For an Indie Author
Let’s get real personal. My Whimsy Lenormand deck found itself an uninvited twin on Aliexpress. What can an indie author like me do? What’s a lone ranger indie author like me supposed to do in this wild west of digital piracy? Fight back with a slingshot against a cannon? Despite having copyright protection, the harsh truth is that when you’re a small fish, you can’t do anything when the copyright theft is offshore.
My sales took a nosedive this Christmas, and I thought, “Hey, maybe it’s just everyone tightening their belts because of the cost of living.” But nope, it turns out it’s Captain Hook. And it’s not just me; it’s a chorus of indie creators singing the blues as their unique creations get Xeroxed left, right, and center.
The Heartbreak of Seeing Your Work Pirated
It’s a punch in the gut, watching your work being snatched away and sold by someone else. The earnings, already as rare as a polite internet troll, start to evaporate. Many indie creators have decided to throw in the towel, pulling their decks off the market because, what’s the point, right?
But Wait, There’s a Silver Lining!
Here’s where I ask you to buck the trend. Instead of giving up, let’s fight back with something mightier – your support. And I’m not asking for your kidney, just the price of a Starbucks coffee. Pre-order my new book, “You Lost Your Job. Now What? Surviving the AI Shift.” It’s not just a book; it’s a survival kit for the AI era. Learn how to polish your resume with AI, master the art of ChatGPT prompts, and become a jack-of-all-trades in the digital world.
The Bottom Line
In these funny times of AI Copyright, piracy, and indie authors doing their best, there’s a radical thing you can do for yourself and for us to turn this narrative around: support something that will give you wings! You can certainly support me by ordering my card games, but I would rather have you learn all you can about this new technology and start creating the base to succeed in the near future.
Pre-order my book and help yourself and support me by:
- Learn all about resumes, ATS, cover letters, follow-up emails, interview training, and LinkedIn contacts!
- Learn how to prompt effectively and add the skill to your resume!
- Start thinking about diversifying to bulletproof yourself in these AI times!
- And more!
