h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Flags can already be put on PS pages with TABLE art.

NB The UK flag is called the union flag and is only a jack when displayed on a ship (like any other jack).

Don't forget the

Hmmm...I wonder how many smileys there will be five years down the road.

yeah, but who seriosuly knows that it's called the Union Flag and not the Union Jack?

In 5 years, we MIGHT have a smiley idea list again, who knows? Actually, they'll probably put one up, get sick of everyone again and close it again

I wasn't here when we had a smiley ideas list

Cat

Neither was I Cat-Eyes; I feel your pain.

Oh well.

Well I feel no qualms about begging for our hitchhiker smiley since It seems like a great oversight that it wasn't an original smiley.

Count Zero

But how do we get the people in charge to read this Thread so that they know we're begging?

Hi again, ive just picked up this reply to my posting in the main smiley request section:
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Subject: Little green man
Posted 4 Days Ago by Ham at nyte (Anagram: 3, 3, 3)
This is a reply to this Posting Posting 2


I'm sorry Orion, this has been discussed a few times before and it transpires that there's a copyright problem with that image. The BBC doesn't own the copyright over the published material relating to the Hitchhiker's Guide.

Amy

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Like all good ideas some one has already been there and descoverd it just aint happening, we just act it all out again!
orion

The point is that it seems no-one has actually asked the copyright holders whether it could be used on h2g2. A failure to ask is not the same thing as a refusal.

Hear, hear. They should contact Random House. Looking at the publishing notes for one of my books, I saw a copyright for the illustrations but I didn't for the cover art. It might be the same artist, but I'm not sure. Anyway, considering that the game and the DVD also used the same 'smiley' I don't think that the website started by DNA himself should have much trouble obtaining this image. Anyway, I'm not really begging, if it happens I'll be happy but I'm not planning on pestering the italics about it. (But I bet it would look really nice on GOO).


Count Zero

As Natalie says here - F79114?thread=207489#p2393763

"However, there are so many copyright-free smileys we can use that to put our efforts and resources into producing one in particular (especially when we already have to prioritise) probably wouldn't be a good idea."

Truthfully no offence intended, but I don't think any effort has ever been made to contact Random House (the publisher) to find out what copyrights they want. I would make the effort myself, but since I'm not an agent of this site that would be inappropriate. However if I knew someone from DNA or BBC had contacted Random House and inquired about the rights I'd be satisfied, but I don't believe that's ever happened. All I've seen on any of the related forums have been similiar dismissals on the subject. "We don't have the copyright so, 'nuff said". As I've said before I know that the image in question has been used by other sites and on tee shirts and what not, most likely with out any permission at all, in rather distasteful ways... Ok, maybe I HAVEN'T exactly said this before, as I think about it, but I will now... I believe the Copyright owner, whoever zi is, would be pleased to see it put to good use by comparison AND, I believe, the copyright owner is probably a fan of Douglas Adams would most likely be pleased to be asked for it. That's just my and I don't want to get off on a rant here ...

so I'll stop now I guess .


Count Zero, putting the soap box aside now.


P.S. It took me SO long to reply to this... errors errors errors... 'Page can not be displayed' type of errors. Luckily I was able (and smart enough to go back after the first one and copy my text and save it to paste it here). Whew

How about somebody start a society entirely devoted to demanding somebody contact randomhouse and signing online petitions to random house to let h2g2 use the smiley. It BELONGS here for crying out loud!
but people are going to keep wanting the Green Guy on h2g2 even if it means ignoring copyrights and using table art like on My Space.
Nerd42

If I were a truly evil, and cruel person; then I would say (looking at past such occurences) you've just elected yourself, and I'll happily be your first member. But . Even if we can't get Greeny the point is to have a Hitchhiker Smiley, so just make a different picture that's still a Hitchhiker Smiley.

oh no, i'm not doing that. i haven't got the time. though I am one to go and do things aren't I. I would join such a thing though, but I have enough on my hands with my h2g2 radio show and RPG. h2g2 is really fun.
Nerd42

h2g2 has a radio show? How is that possible? And, while we're on the subject, what genre is the RPG?

"Truthfully no offence intended, but I don't think any effort has ever been made to contact Random House (the publisher) to find out what copyrights they want."

Er, yes. That's because the Editors don't want to spend time asking to use an old one when we've got fantatstic Community Artists ready to do brand new *unique* ones for the site!

H2G2 Radio- 42 FM = U182513 or A974423 (relaunch).

Mina????....

Ahem....






Where to start?...



Yes, I DO want one of our wonderfull community artists to actually create the smiley in question. No doubt about it, but even with changes, if it more than passingly resembles what Random House may (or may not, since no one's checked yet) have copyright to, we could be in trouble without permission first. However, I still do not believe that permission will be that difficult to obtain. I think a quick email from someone acting as a bona fide agent of H2G2 requesting permission to create a smiley for this website will probably be replied with permission fairly quickly. Oh sure, they might ask questions regarding fair usage, size, and whatnot, but once they know that it's to be used as only a smiley, such a small resolution image, and only for a Hitchhiker's Guide related website, I can't see why they wouldn't be pleased to see it in use on, as I say, a website created by Douglas Adams himself.
I really don't see this as a problem. Let me restate what I did at the very beginning of this thread. I'm AMAZED that we don't already have a smiley like this. The eyeless green orb/planet with big toothy grin, skinny arms and comically bulbous waving hands is well associated in the minds of many fans of the Hitchhikers 'Trilogy' (along with the Infocom game and the DVD). All I'm asking for is for someone with authority to just ASK randomhouse about it. To be honest, when I first came to this website (in 1999), I was surprised that this green orb wasn't at the top of the page and that the h2g2 logo was in it's place. Hey, I like the h2g2 logo. Don't get me wrong, I'm not asking for it to be replaced, that's a good brand mark. I'm just asking for an ickle bitty smiley. I really don't think that the possible copyright owners will have any problem with that whatsoever. But I don't know for sure since everyone seems so afraid to ask. Just take the eyes off and turn green and that will be darn close. But as I say, I wouldn't do it without permission. But I still don't believe that permission will be very hard to come by. Does it hurt to ask?!?!


Count Zero,

Ok... It will actually take a snail mail to Random House. See http://www.randomhouse.com/about/permissions.html


Count Zero

Alright...So we have our "wonderful" solutions to the problem; who's elected to talk to the Italics?