How Does This Community Handle GoComics DMCA Issues? (lemmy.world)

submitted 1 week ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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(Apologies if this isn’t the right place to post this—happy to remove if needed.)

With the recent DMCA takedowns and copyright claims reportedly hitting the Calvin and Hobbes subreddit on Reddit—mainly from GoComics/Andrews McMeel—I'm wondering how [email protected] handles these kinds of concerns?

Reddit’s C&H sub had to purge years of shared comic panels and memes due to GoComics enforcing their rights under the DMCA. Given that Lemmy is a federated, open-source alternative with different infrastructure and visibility, I'm curious:

Does this community have a stance or policy on posting actual strips or screenshots of Calvin and Hobbes? Has anyone here run into similar DMCA threats or copyright takedowns?

Would love to hear how the mods or longtime members view this—especially as Lemmy communities grow and draw more attention.

The post I hoped to avoid. The end of C&H Subreddit.

Calvin and Hobbes is temporarily down.

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[-] [email protected] 17 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

I run the posting bot.

GoComics gave me a hard time for a bit with constant breaking changes every few days. But it's been stable for a while now.

That said, I want to point out that while posts on the fediverse are decentralized, images are not.

Instances can re-host post media, but it's only a temporarily cached thumbnail, or temporary proxied image. Instances do not re-host every piece of media on the fediverse, rather, while the post metadata is duplicated, the media url in the post, even as it federates to other instaces, always points to the original posters home instances image-rs server. Which is where every person opening the post url will load it from.

A DMCA takedown request would absolutely be enforcable.

[-] [email protected] 8 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Hmm, is there a way to decentralise the images?

Edit: found one. DM'd you.

[-] [email protected] 11 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

I say screw corporations. Precisely that was what Bill Watterson gently protested against.

So in his spirit, I think we should let them have it on their bum - we do what we want. When a law is unreasonable, it is time to decide for ourselves.

Let the comics stay here and don't attract too much attention, but when they try to take it down here too, make a loud, big fat stink about it to sympathetic people (while readying another place).

It will also make our image stronger, as everyone likes Calvin and Hobbes, and getting those taken down by that guy will result in him getting a big side eye.

[-] [email protected] 16 points 1 week ago

Bill Watterson has clearly expressed dislike for corporations and profit seeking, but there's also no question that he's in favor of very strong copyright protection. It's how he enforced his vision of preventing unauthorized use of the Calvin and Hobbes characters.

[-] [email protected] 7 points 1 week ago

I think that between corporations abusing copyright protection and us using it, he'd favour the latter, as there's no profit motive and we still credit him.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

You could ask. There is no reason for you to speculate, especially when you clearly have a bias, which is likely to be warping your perception. But I think you know what would happen if you asked.

[-] [email protected] 0 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Everyone has a bias ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[-] [email protected] -1 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Deepity. Seeks to avoid the point. Could have just not responded, you know.

[-] [email protected] 10 points 1 week ago

I totally agree with you, although I personally would consider potentially looking into various avenues, and try to potentially ready myself beforehand, so that I'm not scrambling / caught off-guard when they inevitably do come.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

There is no difference between what is being done here, and bumper stickers of Calvin pissing on Obama. Watterson has always maintained control of his creation. This is well known. Anyone who knows that would understand that he likely would not be happy about unauthorized syndicated redistribution.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago

Difference is that one is to piss people off and another is just sharing the original comics.

[-] [email protected] 0 points 1 week ago

That is not a meaningful difference. Copyright law doesn't grant fair use exceptions if you're not trying to piss anyone off. Think about it like a grown up for a moment. They are both unauthorized uses that erode Watterson's control of his property.

[-] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago

Your comment would be better without the "Think about it like a grown up for a moment" bit, which comes across as insulting. I got a report about the comment, but think it's better to explain what's wrong than to just remove it.

[-] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

It does, actually. Your "think like a grown-up" when I've not said anything immature, doesn't seem to be in good faith, I'm afraid.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Your thinking is not informed by legal and financial realities, nor by the history of litigation by Watterson that clearly expresses his preferences in this matter. You are willing to substitute your own wishful thinking for things that are on the record. I think you are choosing not to use your capacity for "grown-up" (could have chosen a better term) thought because there is a specific conclusion you wish to reach.

[-] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago

Do we tell the Redditors to come here?

[-] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago

We could.

Or at least contact the sub's mods to let them know that this community exists.

I also saw some sub users mention potentially creating a Discord.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

It could be worth a shot. As an active member of this community and moderator of OKBR, would you be comfortable reaching out to the subreddit moderators?

There are some "Why not Discord?" counterarguments in this post which might be helpful: https://lemmy.dbzer0.com/post/37336391

[-] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Ik that u/The_PhilosopherKing (the head of the three OKBRo mods) knows about both of the comms, because I commented both of the comms, and they responded that they already knew about the Lemmy version of OKBRo from searches.

[-] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Great to hear that the OKBR mods are aware of Lemmy! Have you had any contact with the other mods of the main C&H subreddit?

[-] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

I messaged them via modmail yesterday, but they never responded.

this post was submitted on 28 Jul 2025

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Calvin and Hobbes

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Hello fellow Calvin and Hobbes fans!

About this community and how I post the comic strip… The comics are posted in chronological order on the day (usually) they were released. Posting them to match the release date adds a bit of fun and nostalgia to match the experience of reading them in the newspaper for first time. Many moons ago, I would ask my Dad to save the newspaper for me everyday so I could read my favorite comic strips. It really sucked when I missed a day. Only years later, when I got the books was I able to catch up on the missed strips.

Calvin and Hobbes is a daily American comic strip created by cartoonist Bill Watterson that was syndicated from November 18, 1985, to December 31, 1995. Commonly cited as "the last great newspaper comic",[2][3][4] Calvin and Hobbes has enjoyed broad and enduring popularity, influence, and academic and philosophical interest… Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvin_and_Hobbes

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