RESPONSE FROM IZUMI KATO RE: 173

Summary:

Got a response. So did Eskobar.

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RESPONSE FROM IZUMI KATO RE: 173

Zyn 09 Sep 2014 23:02

About a month ago, following Lotims's launch of their SCP live-action project, I sent an email to the address listed on Izumi Kato's website. I also asked Lotims to put in a good word for the website, since he'd gotten a response.

My email is as follows:

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Hello,

I recently heard that the sculpture Untitled 2004 was going to be featured as "SCP-173" in a film. I am a member of the SCP website that came up with the idea for the SCP-173 page, it is the most famous and successful article on the entire website. It can be seen here: http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-173

Could you please reply to let site workers know how you want the image to be treated on the site? We want to respect the artist's wishes.

Many thanks,

Z. Kiryu

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I received a response today.

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Dear Mr. Zyn Kiryu,

I read your email.

First of all, I wanted you to contact me, the artist, to confirm my decision on the use of image of “Untitled 2004” as SCP173 before you and member of SCP foundation use it.

I will reluctantly permit this secondary use of the image of “ Untitled 2004” as SCP173 unless SCP foundation use it for commercial reasons, because there is a situation that many people have recognized SCP173.

But I have a certain concept and making purpose about this sculpture. I made a drawing of “Untitled 2004” before I created this sculpture. Of course, the concept of SCP173, which SCP foundation set, is significantly different from concept of “ Untitled 2004”.

Accordingly, I want SCP foundation to add a note of caution; SCP 173 is a secondary use of the image of “Untitled 2004”, which was created by Izumi Kato. The concept of SCP173 does not have any relationship with the artist’s original concept of “Untitled 2004”.

I won’t complain about you and SCP foundation using my sculpture's image unless it is used for commercial purposes. However, I plan to take legal measures to demand an injunction if someone uses this image for commercial purposes.

I hope that you and SCP foundation will please kindly heed about my feelings about “ Untitled 2004” and SCP173.

Best,

Izumi Kato

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Here's a screenshot for proof: http://scpsandbox2.wdfiles.com/local--files/zyn-kiryu/Kato%20screenshot.png

Anyway… we should get on this ASAP. That said, we do owe a considerable amount of this success to Lotims, I feel.

Noting Eskobar's previous post had identifying information and has been moved here:

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I got the same reply from him earlier this morning. I think it's probably gonna be his default response about any questions involving him and 173 from here on out (not that anybody else needs to bother him about it for any reason that I know of; I'm sure he's tired of talking about it).

EDIT: Since we're talking about responses, I replied immediately after I sent it (c. 6 in the morning):

Mr. Izumi Kato,

We thank you and assure you that your wishes in this regard will be heeded at all times.

Last edited on 23 Mar 2022 17:10 by Naepic Show more

Re: RESPONSE FROM IZUMI KATO RE: 173

Zyn 09 Sep 2014 23:54

Sent the following reply to Kato, after greenlighting by Photo and moose (and bluesoul and kaktus and weizhong and a bunch of other people in chat)

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Dear Mr. Izumi Kato,

Thank you very much for your reply. The SCP site started out very small and unknown, and the beginning writers did not know to contact you. The SCP site is indebted to you, and we apologize for not contacting you first.

SCP administrators have put your caution note on the SCP-173 page. We will never use your image for commercial reasons, and we will make sure all readers know how you want the image to be treated.

If there is ever anything else that needs to be changed, please contact me. I am a staff worker on the SCP site, and I will ensure that the website respects your wishes. Because you are the artist, your feelings about “Untitled 2004” are the most important.

Again, thank you so much.

In gratitude,

Zyn Kiryu

Re: RESPONSE FROM IZUMI KATO RE: 173

thedeadlymoose 10 Sep 2014 00:10

Thank you, Zyn!

Re: RESPONSE FROM IZUMI KATO RE: 173

thedeadlymoose 09 Sep 2014 23:06

On it as we speak.

Re: RESPONSE FROM IZUMI KATO RE: 173

TroyL 09 Sep 2014 23:23

Well, neat! Good on Lotims!

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"WELL FOUNDATION. YOU MADE IT SO EASY. SO VERY VERY EASY." - dimensionpotato

Re: RESPONSE FROM IZUMI KATO RE: 173

Photosynthetic 09 Sep 2014 23:37

As I said in chat — holy cow! Thank you, Zyn, and good going!

Man, we owe Izumi Kato so many thanks. For a bunch of strangers who emailed him out of the blue with a seriously weird set of derivative works, he's been very accommodating with us. Thank you, sir!

Re: RESPONSE FROM IZUMI KATO RE: 173

thedeadlymoose 09 Sep 2014 23:47

SCP-173 has now been updated to reflect Kato's requests, with enormous proofreading help from Photosynthetic and Zyn.

(And, to be clear, we are very happy to comply with any request he might make.)

And, goddamn, this is pretty awesome of him. His reluctance is understandable; as a community, we did literally steal his art piece and redefine it to a significant portion of the world. And I think most of us are honestly sorry about that, despite how much it's benefited us. It's actually really, really cool that he's letting us keep the picture. We owe him a lot of thanks.

Also, major thanks to Lotims for prompting Kato to reply to us after all this time! Hopefully he doesn't begrudge us our suspicion of him too much!

http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-173 « Check for the new disclaimer. We can tweak this, of course, just so long as it reflects Kato's requests.

As a side point, I think — not for legal reasons, but for reasons of artistic respect — we should not hide this under a collapsible or anything else like that. The artist requested that we change the framing of his work, and keeping it visible and clear to anyone is part of that. To paraphrase Zyn, I'm willing to kick immersion in the teeth to make the artist that accidentally helped create our entire site a little more happy.

EDIT: Posted comment — http://www.scp-wiki.net/forum/t-76692/scp-173#post-2106398

EDIT: If we want to make the disclaimer prettier, I don't have any objections to that. Presently, someone suggested that we put it in a quote box and center it. I'd be fine with that. Thoughts?

Last edited on 10 Sep 2014 00:10 by thedeadlymoose Show more

Re: RESPONSE FROM IZUMI KATO RE: 173

snorlison 10 Sep 2014 00:17

Wow, this was an important event. So much thanks to Izumi Kato for his permission, especially considering the difference in interpretation and concept between the original work and the SCP recasting. Really good work from everyone who sought out the permission from the original artist.

Re: RESPONSE FROM IZUMI KATO RE: 173

weizhong 10 Sep 2014 00:01

gushing intensifies

Re: RESPONSE FROM IZUMI KATO RE: 173

(account deleted) 10 Sep 2014 00:31

Now I get to e-mail every doofus who makes a "moe anthropomorphized SCP-173" or a "SCP-173 grinding on SCP-106" image and tell them to cut that shit out because the image is not under CC

This is really cool. This is really, really fucking cool. In terms of actually impacting the site, it's pretty minimal. In terms of showing that we actually give a fuck about the rights of other creators, and in terms of showing that we're not being hypocrites when we tell people to attribute stuff, this is a spectacular symbolic victory.

Thank you so much, Zyn, Esko, and Lotims. For reals.

Re: RESPONSE FROM IZUMI KATO RE: 173

DrKens 10 Sep 2014 01:12

I am speechless. In a good way.

It's good to finally hear a response after five years. That's one thing I don't have to worry about with regards to the wiki.

Re: RESPONSE FROM IZUMI KATO RE: 173

Drewbear 10 Sep 2014 01:57

Woot! Thanks, Zyn and Esko (and Lotims for being an intermediary, sorta)!

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Giving bearhugs to the unsuspecting since 1872.

Re: RESPONSE FROM IZUMI KATO RE: 173

Kain Pathos Crow 10 Sep 2014 11:22

Wow. This is pretty cool.

Thanks guys, and in the enormously unlikely chance Kato is reading this, thanks to you too.

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