(1) THE FLYLEAF IS STILL HITTING THE FAN. When it was first reported that Governor Brown had signed this law, it was in triumphant terms of Mark Hamill no longer being victimized by autograph forgeries. Now people have looked under the hood and are reacting with outrage — “New California law will make it harder to sell autographed books, art”.
The law supersedes existing California law, which had previously only been directed at sports memorabilia. The law requires that any autographed item sold for more than $5 must include a certificate of authenticity including information about the dealer, where and how the item was signed, and the name and address of any third party from whom it was purchased. The law was undoubtedly aimed at shutting down forgery mills, but it was written so broadly that it will make things a lot harder for anyone dealing in autographed goods.
You don’t have to think about this law for very long before you realize how problematic it would be for antique and second-hand booksellers, some of whom carry hundreds or thousands of autographed copies of books. Given that few such books would sell for less than $5, this means that these booksellers must either create individual certificates of authenticity for each book, or else discard thousands of dollars in inventory that is no longer salable. Even if they were to create such certificates, in the case of a third party purchase the certificates would have to include the personal information of whoever sold it to them–a clear violation of privacy.
It would also apply to any art gallery that sold original works–and the ramifications for San Diego Comic Con and other conventions that have “artist’s alleys” where artists can set up booths to sell (and autograph) their own artwork might also be considerable–to say nothing of authors who set up to do the same thing for their books. What if everyone who sold an autographed book or sketch had to make out a certificate of authenticity when they sold it? (The law says that “the person who signed the memorabilia” isn’t considered a “dealer,” but if they’re also the one who sells the work in question, they should still be on the hook for it.) Likewise, it will also affect out-of-state dealers who want to sell to California residents, or who come to those conventions to display their art.
The Eureka Booksellers site reported what action its owners are taking.
Two prominent California booksellers — Scott Brown, co-owner of Eureka Books in Eureka, and Bill Petrocelli, co-owner of Book Passage in Corte Madera and San Francisco — have written letters to their representatives* in opposition to Assembly Bill 1570 Collectibles: Sale of Autographed Memorabilia, which was signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown on September 9 and requires dealers in any autographed material to provide certificates of authenticity (COA) for any signed item sold for $5 or more.
Brown and Petrocelli assert that though the law is intended to regulate the sale of sports and movie memorabilia and combat “forgery mills,” it will have drastic, unintended consequences for the sale of signed books, paintings, sculptures and almost every other type of artwork. Under the law, which would go into effect next January, COAs for signed memorabilia would have to include a description of the collectible and name of the person who autographed it; include either the purchase price and date of sale or be accompanied by a separate invoice with that information; indicate whether the item was autographed in the presence of the dealer with specified date and location and name of witness; or, in the event that it was obtained or purchased from a third party, indicate the name and address of that party. Dealers must also keep their copies of these COAs for at least seven years….
(2) PKD FILM FESTIVAL. The Philip K. Dick European Science Fiction Film Festival boasts two lineups of over 40 films to be screened at sites in two countries.
In Cologne, Germany from October 14-15 at Filmclub 813 e.V., the program includes a special block of virtual reality films presented with Google Glass. The festival then returns to Lille, France at the L’Hybride theater on October 22.
Highlights include Juho Aittanen’s Hypnos based on a story by H.P. Lovecraft, Coralie Fargeat’s sensory perception drama Reality+, Thierry Los’ robotic surf culture short Forbidden Beach and Eymeric Jorat’s robotic murder mystery Jakob. The Cologne virtual reality blocks includes Ben Leonberg’s zombie apocalypse Dead Head, Philipp Maas and Dominik Stockhausen’s atmospheric Sonar, Ryan Hartsell’s music video I’ll Make You Bleed by the band “These Machines are Winning” and Pierre Zandrowicz’s I, Philip, an in-depth look into the mind of an android modeled after the one and only Philip K. Dick.
(3) SMOFCON SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS. CanSMOF Inc, has announced the recipients of three scholarships given to help fans attend SMOFcon 34 in Chicago. IL, December 2-4. CanSMOF Inc. created these scholarships to allow promising convention-runners to attend the annual SMOFCon convention-runners convention. The first scholarship was open to a Canadian citizen or resident. The winner is Patricia Widish of Winnipeg, Manitoba.
The second was open to a non-North American resident. It went to Esther MacCallum-Stewart of Southville, Bristol, United Kingdom.
The third was open to anyone involved in running conventions, regardless of their place of residence or citizenship. This scholarship was awarded to Katharine Bond of Seattle, Washington.
(4) FIFTIES SF MOVIES. Carl Slaughter wants people to know about Bill Warren’s Keep Watching the Skies, a recently revised and greatly expanded reference book on science fiction films of the 1950s. Publisher MacFarland issued this “21st Century Edition” in February 2016. It includes a foreword by Howard Waldrop.
(5) SWAN OBIT. Patricia A. Swan of North Carolina reportedly passed away September 25 of cancer. The family posted the news on her Facebook account.
(6) LEWIS OBIT. Herschell Gordon Lewis (1929-2016): US director, died September 26, aged 87. Nicknamed the ‘Godfather of Gore’, Lewis achieved greater career success as a leading figure in the US direct marketing industry, writing more than 20 books on the subject. Entered movie-making in 1961 with a series of ‘nudie’ exploitation releases, but made his mark with Blood Feast (1963) and Two Thousand Maniacs! (1964). Later genre credits include Something Weird, A Taste of Blood and The Gruesome Twosome (all 1967), The Wizard of Gore (1970), The Gore Gore Girls (1972). He returned to directing with 2002’s Blood Feast 2, and Herschell Gordon Lewis’ Bloodmania is currently in post-production.
(7) TODAY IN HISTORY
- September 27, 1985 — CBS broadcast the first episode of the revived Twilight Zone series.
(8) TOMORROW IN HISTORY
- September 28, 2016 — 2000AD’s 2000th issue. Quite a milestone.
Comic book superstars Brian Bolland, Mick McMahon, Dave Gibbons, and Kevin O’Neill are set to return to the pages of the legendary 2000 AD for its 2,000th issue!
Europe’s longest running sci-fi action comic reaches its landmark 2,000th issue on Wednesday 28 September and some of the most prominent creators ever to grace its pages have returned for a 48-page celebration bonanza, including Bolland (Batman: The Killing Joke), McMahon (The Last American), Gibbons (Watchmen), and O’Neill (League of Extraordinary Gentlemen), as well as a brand new series by Peter Milligan (X-Statix) and a poster featuring specially commissioned artwork.
(9) INKLINGS EYEWITNESS. Urbana Tolkien Conference’s Melody Green promotes a rare opportunity:
On November 5, Colin Havard, the son of Dr. Havard, one of the Inklings, will be the keynote speaker at Urbana Theological Seminary’s fifth annual Tolkien Conference held in Champaign, IL. He will be speaking on “The Inklings as I Remember Them,” in which he will be sharing his own memories of Tolkien, Lewis, etc. We will have a few other excellent speakers and interesting events, as well!
(10) CAPE V. GOWN FOR HALLOWEEN. Matthew Townsend’s article, “Superheroes Top Princesses in Halloween-Costume Battle” at Bloomberg tells that a National Retail Foundation survey predicts superhero costumes are expected to be #1 in Halloween this year with princesses second and animals third.
The popularity of costumes reflects a tug of war between Time Warner Inc.’s Warner Bros. and Walt Disney Co., which control many of the top entertainment properties. Disney has dominated the princess trend, helped by the release of “Frozen” in 2013, and owns Marvel and Star Wars characters. But Warner Bros. is trying to develop an expanded universe of DC Comics heroes for the screen. “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” hit theaters earlier this year, followed by the Batman villain ensemble film “Suicide Squad” last month.
At stake is $3.1 billion in Halloween costume spending.
At least the kids haven’t gotten the idea of dressing like Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump. Now THAT would be scary.
(11) DEBATE COVERAGE. Chuck Tingle’s contributions to the world of science fiction continued last night with his live Tweeting of the first US Presidential debate. Did you know? — Chuck is another third-party candidate who couldn’t get in the door.
even though i am not allowed in tonights debate as BUCKAROO PARTY viceman i am still hoping they will address ted cobbler's devilman agenda
— Chuck Tingle (@ChuckTingle) September 26, 2016
LETS FOCUS ON THE HARD ISSUES AMERICA/ the buckaroo party has not been allowed in the presidental debate tonight but our voice will be heard pic.twitter.com/5vB0y1qsDC
— Chuck Tingle (@ChuckTingle) September 26, 2016
His running commentary about the debate has been collected on Storify.
over 30 minutes in and still no mention of Unfair Flavor Laws or Pacific Northwest Bigfoot integration, both are buckaroo party KEY ISSUES
— Chuck Tingle (@ChuckTingle) September 27, 2016
[Thanks to Andrew Porter, JJ, James Davis Nicoll, Martin Morse Wooster, Mark-kitteh, Steve Green, Carl Slaughter, Elusis, and John King Tarpinian for some of these stories. Title credit goes to File 770 contributing editor of the day Greg Hullender.]
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::ticky::
(1) There are also provisions in the law that appear to require conventions to actively police their dealers. Let’s just say that Mark Hamill is less popular than usual in certain circles right now.
Tickystalk!
A triumphant almost-fifth ticky
These are the items that are of concern with AB-1570:
(d) No dealer shall display or offer for sale a collectible in this state unless, at the location where the collectible is offered for sale and in close proximity to the collectible merchandise, there is a conspicuous sign that reads as follows:
“SALE OF AUTOGRAPHED MEMORABILIA: AS REQUIRED BY LAW, A DEALER WHO SELLS TO A CONSUMER ANY MEMORABILIA DESCRIBED AS BEING AUTOGRAPHED MUST PROVIDE A WRITTEN CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY AT THE TIME OF SALE. THIS DEALER MAY BE SURETY BONDED OR OTHERWISE INSURED TO ENSURE THE AUTHENTICITY OF ANY COLLECTIBLE SOLD BY THIS DEALER.”
(f) No dealer shall display or offer for sale a collectible in this state at any trade show or similar event primarily featuring sales of collectibles or other memorabilia that offers onsite admission ticket sales unless, at each onsite location where admission tickets are sold, there is prominently displayed a specimen example of a certificate of authenticity.
(h) No person shall represent himself or herself as a dealer in this state unless he or she possesses a valid resale certificate number from the State Board of Equalization.
(j) Whenever a promoter arranges or organizes a trade show featuring collectibles and autograph signings, the promoter shall notify, in writing, any dealer who has agreed to purchase or rent space in this trade show what the promoter will do if any laws of this state are violated, including the fact that law enforcement officials will be contacted when those laws are violated. This notice shall be delivered to the dealer, at his or her registered place of business, at the time the agreement to purchase space in the trade show is made. The following language shall be included in each notice:
“As a vendor at this collectibles trade show, you are a professional representative of this hobby. As a result, you will be required to follow the laws of this state, including laws regarding the sale and display of collectibles, as defined in Section 1739.7 of the Civil Code, forged and counterfeit collectibles and autographs, and mint and limited edition collectibles. If you do not obey the laws, you may be evicted from this trade show, be reported to law enforcement, and be held liable for a civil penalty of 10 times the amount of damages.”
Chuck Tingle has also set up a new website, much as he did with therabidpuppies.com. The new one is trumpdebatefacts.com.
(1) That’s a heck of an unintended consequence….
blorp
(1) Let’s hope the forgers of Mark Hamill signatures lack the skill and deviousness to also forge certificates of authenticity.
(1) It seems to me that the intent of the law might best be preserved if it specifically excludes books, artwork, etc. signed by the creator, where the primary value of the object lies in its nature/content and not in its status as “memorabilia”.
The parties best situated to raise a fuss about this might be dealers in signed artworks by now-dead artists. You want to auction off that Van Gogh? Tough shit, get a certificate of authenticity. What would that even look like?
It strikes me that the language in the law referring to “collectibles” and “memorabilia” and “autographs” and the focus on trade shows specializing in these items shows clear intent that it applies to a fairly narrow class of objects where the autograph itself is the sole generator of the item’s market value. But I could see that autographed books–where the existence of the autograph creates a value differential–could be a gray area.
It strikes me that the language in the law referring to “collectibles” and “memorabilia” and “autographs” and the focus on trade shows specializing in these items shows clear intent that it applies to a fairly narrow class of objects where the autograph itself is the sole generator of the item’s market value.
I get the impression that the person who wrote the legislation didn’t know about artworks and signed editions of books. Or didn’t think that the law would apply, even though it’s broad enough to do so.
(Time for another chorus of “intent is not magic”?)
No, intent isn’t magic–particularly in the realm of law. There have been some real doozies passed where poor wording created bizarre unintended consequences. But it might provide a fulcrum for getting a quick fix pasted onto it.
In completely unrelated news: I just sent the final revisions of Mother of Souls off to my editor. (Well, it still has copyediting to go, but the final substantial revisions.) My test readers are going completely gaga over it, so loosen your purse strings.
Chuck Tingle’s fact check of the debate is priceless.
(10) This is why we need more superheroines.
(11) I would like to know more about these Unfair Flavor Laws the Buckaroo Party is complaining about. But the website makes me wonder: was our Shoggoth a Trump supporter? Or did it flee the Void in protest to join us SJWs?
SECRET FILER FAN
(Dedicated to OGH, and with apologies to Johnny Rivers)
There’s a fan who runs a file of genre
To everyone he meets he is no stranger
With every scroll he makes, another pixel he takes
What odds ::ticky:: brings comments by email?
Secret Filer Fan, Secret Filer Fan
He’s given you a number (five!), you’ve appertained your drinks
Beware the rabid puppies in the links
Excerpting news and S-F-F hijinks
Ah, be careful what you write
They’ll find their way to this site
Damned or praise you with words your own self typed
Secret Filer Fan, Secret Filer Fan
He’s given you a number (five!), you’ve appertained your drinks
Secret Filer Fan, Secret Filer Fan
He’s given you a number, you’ve appertained your drinks
1) A little closer to home, this I would imagine will have a measurable impact on the dealers room of the upcoming 2018 Worldcon in San Jose. Both for in state and out of state book dealers.
And what about book sellers that carry books from small presses that specialize in signed limited editions, like Subterranean Press, PS Publishing, Cemetery Dance, etc.?
Are those publishers going to have to start providing their California book sellers with CCOA’s? California Certificates Of Authenticity?
I would pay a couple of saw bucks to watch a live feed next year of Mark Hamill strolling through the dealer’s room of the 2017 San Diego Comic Con.
“Et tu, Brute?”
Soon Lee:
*applause*
lurkertype: the website makes me wonder: was our Shoggoth a Trump supporter?
Well, the shoggoth stole our notifications, and when we finally got the ticky-box back, it had gnaw marks on it. What do you think that means???
“That book is most certainly not autographed. It’s just signed.”
Bravo! Soon Lee
Tom Becker said
“That book is most certainly not autographed. It’s just signed.”
That is an interesting point.
Memorabilia is autographed.
Books are signed by the authors.
I wonder if this could lead to a potential workaround for California book sellers, painting it with a very large brush?
(1) THE FLYLEAF IS STILL HITTING THE FAN. Holy carp, that’s totally wack! But then this is the state that’s also doing nonsensical stuff to iMDB. Le sigh.
@Mister Dlliard: “(1) Let’s hope the forgers of Mark Hamill signatures lack the skill and deviousness to also forge certificates of authenticity.”
LOL, indeed!
@Soon Lee: Lovely filk! 🙂
This is just a guess, but I think it came for the pizza and beer and stayed for the reading recommendations and the steady supply of spicy tickyboxes.
Princesses on Halloween. They’d better be dead. 🙁
Kendall: But then this is the state that’s also doing nonsensical stuff to iMDB.
Dare I ask what California is doing to IMDb?
Brought in a remarkably odd law which says that IMDB shouldn’t be allowed to mention actors dates of birth.
nickpheas: Brought in a remarkably odd law which says that IMDB shouldn’t be allowed to mention actors dates of birth.
As the victim of identity theft, to the tune of credit cards taken out in my name with 5 companies and $20,000 charged that took me many, many months and hundreds of hours on the phone (most of it “on hold”) trying to resolve (to the point where I nearly had a nervous breakdown), I can sympathize with this somewhat.
But, actually, the California — and the U.S. — legislatures should be concentrating on legislation to make identity theft harder (and to require greedy credit card companies to engage in stricter methods of identity validation), rather than trying to penalize databases of celebrity biographies.
I mean, seriously. I don’t know what proof-of-identity the thieves provided when they took out credit in my name (near as I can tell, there was none), but I was able to verify that they did not obtain either birth certificates or drivers licenses for me. So the problem was that companies were willing to give credit to people on the strength of my name, DOB, and SSN (all of which can be obtained online by anyone for about $35), without verifying employment or ID. Why the hell are the legislatures not addressing that?
Oh, yeah… it’s because the banks and credit card companies paid for the legislators’ families’ vacation trips to the Bahamas. 🙄
> “My test readers are going completely gaga over it, so loosen your purse strings.”
Loosened!
(Although are very many purses held shut by drawstrings now? Mine certainly isn’t. Though I can understand why saying, ‘I heard about your new book, so I undid my zipper!’ might have several possible unfortunate connotations. Please assume the most complimentary one, if you must assume.)
and to require greedy credit card companies to engage in stricter methods of identity validation
An information-security person whose name I’ve forgotten pointed out that pretending to be someone else to get at their bank account used to be “cheque fraud” and was the bank’s problem, but now it’s “identity theft” and it’s mysteriously not the bank’s problem any more.
(1) THE FLYLEAF IS STILL HITTING THE FAN merging into (11) DEBATE COVERAGE
I wonder how you get a certificate of authenticity for a fictional author?
—
I’m going to do a shameless signal boost for The Long List Anthology year 2 kickstarter. Quite apart from it being good to have a collected edition of the stories, it includes several stories from magazines and anthologies that you can’t simply get online.
Also, I just noticed there was an pledge level that included being Tuckerised by Naomi Kritzer, and it’s been snapped up on the first day.
More “must remove DoB when requested to by a paid up member”. It’s supposedly to combat ageism on job sites, applying it to IMDB seemed a bit of a stretch though I don’t know how much work thesps get via the site.
Wonders if there’s also a requirement not to link to Wikipedia…
Text of the bill says “a provider that permits the public to upload or modify content on its own Internet Web site or any Internet Web site under its control without prior review by that provider would not be in violation of these provisions unless the subscriber first requested the provider to remove age information”, so Wikipedia’s OK.
Overall it doesn’t look too stupid to my completely non-lawyer eyes; although the definitions of “service provider” and “service” are quite broad. And given that it’s just a requirement to remove information when requested I’m moved to wonder if the whole “IMDB law” fuss is pushback from interested parties. It smells of the kind of misrepresentation “EU regulations” get in the Murdoch press over here.
@Sean Kirk: Worldcons haven’t been getting a lot of dealers selling signed editions; World Fantasy Convention, which is overdue for a West Coast appearance, would probably have a lot more people affected. OTOH, I’ve seen a lot of signed-by-author stickers at Larry Smith’s tables; he’d probably have to keep a lot of separate stock, because there’s no way he’s going to do certificates for mass-market paperbacks. I wonder whose idea it was to set the bar so low?
Soon Lee: I am NOT a number (five)! I’m a free (or reasonably priced) man!
(1) I can’t help wondering how this will affect the owners of counterfeit Cerebus #1s that Dave Sim has signed as Neal Adams.
Anthony: One of my fellow cast members from the 2000 CNU “Mikado” has an IMDB page, and it looks a lot like a resume. (He’s the one who was reading Ender’s Game during rehearsals, and every now and then, he’d put it down like it was a drink too strong for him, and amble once around the Green Room before homing back in on it and picking it up for some more. I can’t think of a time when I enjoyed watching someone else read a book so much.)
Anyway, I’m glad to be checking that box again, ’cause we’ve got
(Ticks!) Functionality!
(Box!) Functionality!
(Clicks!) Functionality!
(Stalks!) Functionality!
::stone-scrolled tickbox::
um, godstalk.
(10) My daughter has decided to go as the heroine “The Flying Squirrel”, from the “Red Panda Adventures” podcast. While this means that I will be the Red Panda, his costume is simply a red domino mask, red gloves, and a suit.
Sean Kirk said:
I’m sure SFSFC* is having a talk with its legal counsel right now. And will be watching what happens with next year’s SDCC.
* The organization (“promoter” in the context of that law) responsible for the 2018 Worldcon.
(6) It’s nice to see Lewis getting a mention here. His movies are definitely… “unique.” Just how much of his films were ludicrously bad by design (i.e. for comedic ridiculousness) or simply not caring all that much for quality is still being debated amongst horror cineastes.
What cannot be denied, though, is that almost all of Lewis’s film were infused with a delirious comedic energy (one that crudely fused slapstick with black comedy) that was obviously intentional.
Coming of age during the VHS revolution of the early 80s, I fondly remember getting blindsided by viewing his deranged Two Thousand Maniacs! It was hilarious, disgusting, and, surprisingly, pretty inventive. (It was also, according to Splatter Film historian John McCarty, Lewis’s one and only attempt at making a “professional” film, which is why it is considered by many to be his very best.)
33 years later, I still have that movie’s theme song in my head:
https://youtu.be/jW0_zJ1lSR8
My other fond Lewis memory is being at a business meeting that sited one of Lewis’s business texts. I derailed the meeting with my, “Wow, the Godfather of Gore!” squeeing.
Yeah, I’m strange…
I believe that the new law stems from the case of unknown B actress Junie Hoang not wanting casting to know her age. She sued the IMDB, claiming that their listing her age cost her acting jobs. (If only nobody knew her age, she would be big. Big!) She lost her case.
In an ideal world, everyone would wear pouches closed by hand-carved netsuke.
(Okay, in an ideal world, everyone would tire of their hand-carved netsuke and mail them to me.)
GSLamb:
That is awesome! Maybe I should go as the Mad Monkey for Halloween…
Hey, show some respect, her resume includes the acknowledged cinematic classics Gingerdead Man 2: The Passion of the Crust and Lap Dance!
@Darren Garrison: I love netsuke! I have pouches but no netsuke of my own (yet). Next time I’m in Japan I’m hoping to pick up a couple of cheap crappy ones. Have you by any chance read The Hare with Amber Eyes by Edmund de Waal? He traces some of his family history via a collection of netsuke.
I also have no “real” netsuke–the really nice ones start in the hundreds each and go up from there. Not in my budget. I do have full sets (both the lacquer and the “painted” versions) of a series of plastic yokai netsuke produced by Kaiyodo, which is great because it combines my interest in netsuke and my interest in Japanese folklore. (This series of nice blog posts feature some of the same figures–and others that I only wish that I had.)
Never heard of it, but it sounds like something I should look for.
This might be of interest to some filers: a theatre that was converted into a book store.
The certificate of authenticity is something the dealers themselves print up. It amounts to them guaranteeing to their customers that the signatures are authentic. It’s not requiring they pay for the services of a signature verification service. (Those exist for about $20, but that doesn’t seem to be what’s required.)
From the text of the law:
It seems like a minor annoyance, and it means frauds are really sticking their necks out if they get caught.
@Greg: I can just see some publicity-hungry DA arguing that a mass-market paperback signed by the author is a “collectible”; they’d probably lose in court, but they’d probably cause Larry so much tsuris (since he was short money for a replacement vehicle, let alone a lawyer) that he’d have to “settle” instead of fighting — which more likely means that if this isn’t fixed the 2018 Worldcon will be short its biggest book store, as he’d be daft to truck all the way from Ohio to risk that. I expect other dealers would be in a similar fix (e.g., Angry Robot, which IIRC Larry doesn’t carry due to non-standard wholesale policy).
@Christian: my reaction to your text was “Hay-on-Wye did that decades ago!” — but they have (or had when I visited in 1987) a semi-derelict building crammed with used (and I mean \used/) books. The Ateneo is gorgeous; thanks for the link.
Is anyone else reading Summer in Orcus? I would like to mention that the final paragraph of chapter 3 is sheer delight.
It was much needed break from Her Smoke Rose Up Forever, which has had sexual violence in three consecutive stories. (Which were preceded with “The Women Men Don’t See”. Which is a masterful ordering of the stories.) “Your Faces, O My Sisters! Your Faces Full of Light!” isn’t really SF and it packed a helluva punch.