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claude.mercure
claude.mercure aka Claude Mercure is a boy, has been a member since November 21, 2006, has scored 1152 submissions, giving an average score of 2.47.
  Jun 30 '08 by claude.mercure        64 Comments        Watch this      Share:  Share on facebook    Share on delicious    Share on digg    Share on MySpace    Tweet this    Stumble this    Share this on Kaboodle   
In my opinion, this design is essentially ripped off from the comic on the cover of the Roz Chast collection titled, interestingly enough, "Parallel Universes". See here:
http://k53.pbase.com/u12/csw62/upload/38188550.ParallelUniverses.jpg
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shakethesheets
shakethesheets on Jun 30 '08 at 10:53am
hmm...
Torakamikaze
   Torakamikaze on Jun 30 '08 at 10:55am
Torakamikaze
   Torakamikaze on Jun 30 '08 at 10:55am
it says forbidden
squatterjohn
squatterjohn on Jun 30 '08 at 10:58am
I can see it ok. They're definitely similar. But just in an underlying concept way.
DaniellesGarden
   DaniellesGarden on Jun 30 '08 at 10:59am
shakethesheets
shakethesheets on Jun 30 '08 at 11:00am
yeah, the idea seems common enough that "rip off" wouldn't be my first instinct.
Robsoul
   Robsoul on Jun 30 '08 at 11:34am
ugh

I'm so tired of these witch hunts


claude.mercure
claude.mercure on Jun 30 '08 at 11:43am
It's not a witch hunt. I saw the design and immediately thought of that comic. I think ripping off an underlying concept is as bad as ripping off visuals. At best, one could say the design was "adapted" from the comic, except without giving it any credit.
ofthecoast
ofthecoast on Jun 30 '08 at 11:46am
i can't see it.
ginetteginette
   ginetteginette on Jun 30 '08 at 11:53am
yeah.. no one's ever done a comic about parallel universes before these two...
esprit2b
esprit2b on Jun 30 '08 at 11:55am
I agree that the ideas are the same, though I like Roz's version better. But the book is not terribly popular, right? Is it possible he thought it up independently?
fatheed
   fatheed on Jun 30 '08 at 11:55am
Whatever you think, it's impolite to use such an accusory tone.
ofthecoast
ofthecoast on Jun 30 '08 at 11:59am
fatheed on Jun 30 '08 at 11:55am

Whatever you think, it's impolite to use such an accusory tone.


that's what I was thinking.
EricDiaz
EricDiaz on Jun 30 '08 at 12:02pm
They're similar but i don't think it was ripped off.
kiLLyou
kiLLyou on Jun 30 '08 at 12:03pm
Very Similar
claude.mercure
claude.mercure on Jun 30 '08 at 12:14pm
fatheed: I've edited my post so that it begins with the words, "In my opinion".

I probably omitted to do so at first because the resemblance is so striking.
[+duracell-]
[+duracell-] on Jun 30 '08 at 12:20pm
both IMO (
[+duracell-]
[+duracell-] on Jun 30 '08 at 12:21pm
uh wtf?
anyway both are kinda dumb
but I see no physical resemblance or rip-off
mapmaker
mapmaker on Jun 30 '08 at 1:24pm
I'd have to say the evidence is pretty damning, enough that Ms. Chast could sic the lawyers on Budi if she were so inclined.
Robsoul
   Robsoul on Jun 30 '08 at 1:41pm
wha wha


tesco
   tesco on Jun 30 '08 at 1:43pm
GUILTY AS CHARGED!!!
GreenRabbit
GreenRabbit on Jun 30 '08 at 1:53pm
Aww, that's a shame.
Rock Deputy
   Rock Deputy on Jun 30 '08 at 2:02pm
In my opinion, this blog is essentially ripped off from this blog.
asfi235
asfi235 on Jun 30 '08 at 2:17pm
I got a 'forbidden' too.

This link might work:

Parallel Universes (book cover)

Roz Chast's book is from 1984. I'd be greatly surprised if this was the first 'parallel universes' cartoon.
Kookaberry
   Kookaberry on Jun 30 '08 at 2:18pm
I've seen cartoons like this before which is not the cartoon you posted. Maybe people just like the idea of parallel universes. Maybe sometimes the people who like them are also cartoonists. Call Ripley's! It's unbelievable!
vinnylo
vinnylo on Jun 30 '08 at 2:26pm
ok, the idea probably came from this comic, he just added his own twist to it. it is on the verge of copying, but......
opifan64
   opifan64 on Jun 30 '08 at 3:32pm
I have no trouble believing that two artists could come up with a similar idea based on the idea of parallel universes. anyway, concepts and ideas aren't covered by copyright law... otherwise no one would ever be able to make another movie featuring a great white shark again (a movie which itself was "ripped off" from Moby Dick, which in turn was... well, you get the idea).
Martini-Corona
Martini-Corona on Jun 30 '08 at 3:53pm
FWIW, Chast's cartoon is one of my favorite cartoons ever, and I totally feel like she's being ripped off.

Man, I would love to have the original 'toon on a shirt. Maybe Threadless should contact Miz Chast.
MrKawfy
MrKawfy on Jun 30 '08 at 3:53pm
Wow, that is the most blatant rip-off I've ever seen on Threadless.
lostlo
lostlo on Jun 30 '08 at 4:41pm
I think that it's a mistake to assume that it was an intentional, malicious rip-off. The original post about it was also pretty rude.

That said, I like the Chast cartoon better. The threadless sub is still creative on its own merit, though.
Aaria
Aaria on Jun 30 '08 at 4:52pm
it does kinda look like a rip-off =/
roadkill3d
   roadkill3d on Jun 30 '08 at 4:58pm
B-O
noobus
noobus on Jun 30 '08 at 5:14pm
the funny thing is, neither of these comics are funny.
xprivate_eyex
xprivate_eyex on Jun 30 '08 at 5:16pm
homage, not rip off.
restless_disguise
restless_disguise on Jun 30 '08 at 7:46pm
Yeah, I think it is a rip-off. Maybe an unconscious one... sometimes you don't realize you got the idea from somewhere else until someone points it out. The original is a lot better though...
ginetteginette
   ginetteginette on Jun 30 '08 at 7:47pm
i can't believe that so many people are claiming rip. you chumps don't know what you're talking about.
Monkey III
   Monkey III on Jun 30 '08 at 8:22pm
I don't think it's a ripoff -- I've seen this idea before.
And we will see it again.
Plus budi's illo is sweeeet.
whirzle1
   whirzle1 on Jun 30 '08 at 8:22pm
It looks like a really similar idea...I guess I just don't care that much
indyempire
indyempire on Jun 30 '08 at 9:29pm
The concept used in the comic and the shirt is not a new one. It's a relatively old metaphysical concept about how people can exist in many forms in various possible worlds. I'm pretty sure there are no copy rights on such a general philosophical idea...as a philosophical nerd myself, I like the shirt!
twee-tan
twee-tan on Jun 30 '08 at 9:35pm
I thought immediately of the Chast cartoon as well.
Her comic wasn't only in her book, either. It was run in the New Yorker as well.
redlinewk
redlinewk on Jul 01 '08 at 12:20am
In a parallel universe, the shirt ripped off the cartoonist.
redlinewk
redlinewk on Jul 01 '08 at 12:21am
FUCK

I mean the cartoonist ripped off the shirt.

FAIL

That was gold, too.
sonmi
   sonmi on Jul 01 '08 at 12:26am
hahahaha
igo2cairo
   igo2cairo on Jul 01 '08 at 12:44am
Yes, similar, but it's not such a stretch to think that 2 people could have come up with this idea. Actually, case in point, I was thinking of doing a design of a Victorian, Edward Gorey-style haunted house with glow-in-the-dark ghosts coming out of it. Someone just subbed that exact idea and did a great job of it. No doubt if I hadn't seen this and gone ahead with my design you'd be accusing me of plagarism. This kind of synchronicity happens all the time and it's good to give people the benefit of the doubt. Anyway, you can't copyright an idea, only the expression of an idea. I just ordered this shirt btw because I think it rocks.
littlem
littlem on Jul 01 '08 at 12:48am
i can't even see anything
igo2cairo
   igo2cairo on Jul 01 '08 at 1:08am
This isn't the first time I've experienced this either. Let's face it, when you have a bunch of creative people all trying to think of cool ideas, this is bound to happen. So no one should do owl designs anymore? You get my point. That's where the expression of an idea becomes important, and to me this is a very different expression of a similar idea.
Hinargaa
Hinargaa on Jul 01 '08 at 3:00am
Thats just as bad as saying two people who drew a puppy in a space ship copied eachother. I see the similarities but it's more concept, which as others said isn't such a new one.
Kryz
Kryz on Jul 01 '08 at 4:45am
Based purely on the facts, I have to agree with the original poster (Claude).

Obviously people have explored the idea of parallel universes before, that’s a given, but these have so much more in common than their basic concept. Just think about the startling similarities: the same title (Parallel Universes), a grid of simple, hand-drawn cartoon panels, the title above each panel depicting the universe number, the same figure and collection of objects in each frame, changing slightly per universe, the clock, the table, etc.

Come on people... this is nothing like two guys drawing a haunted house. That said, I do like both versions. It's just that this one needs a credit/citation for Roz Chast.
Monkey III
   Monkey III on Jul 01 '08 at 8:21am
okay
I must admit now -- that bothered me too a lil'
the panels and the universe #
brownstar
brownstar on Jul 01 '08 at 12:40pm
This is like when Elaine came up with a comic that accidentally ripped off a Ziggy.

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