A few changes and looking ahead

Copyright law is one of those things that I have been able to circumvent for the last four years because of my status and a student. This is because works can be copied and altered by students because they are doing so for non-profit purposes. The down side of this is that it forms bad habits of downloading images off of Google image search for use in a project. I did this during my internship and actually had to scrap and entire project because it would have gotten the company in a lot of trouble. Thankfully my boss, Joel Harss, was really understanding of this and laughed to himself while saying he made the same mistake when he first began working.
While reading the section “Respecting Others’ Rights” in Cynthia Baron’s Designing a Digital Portfolio, I became particularly interested in the section about derivative art and style. I actually had to read it a few times because I was confused about the difference between the two. Though I think that the difference lies in the content of the work. For example taking someone else’s work and modifying the details does not make it your own. However basing a design off of another, as long as your do not use and of the material (pictures, quotes, color schemes) featured in the original, then you are good to go. I think.
Reflecting upon this, I think that I need to alter my portfolio because it features an image that was taken from someone else’s work. I have this vector piece which features a character featured in the video game “Spartan: Total Warrior”. Now while I gave credit to Electronic Arts as the developer and explicitly say in the description that I drew this while looking at a screen shot of the game, I’m still nervous about featuring it because its not completely original. I drew it, added a bunch of interesting and original detail on top of it, but it is still not entirely mine. This really stinks because I really like this particular piece of work, but it’s not worth the risk of a lawsuit or seeming fraudulent at an interview. So bottom line is, I’m going to have to find another piece of work to replace it. Thankfully I have enough more than enough original pieces to present in my portfolio, so swapping one for another isn’t that big of a set back.
Another section in chapter twelve of Designing a Digital Portfolio that caught my attention discussed the idea of owning and protecting your creations. When employed by an agency, Cynthia warns that not all of the work you created is actually yours. Depending on the language of your contract you may actually be creating works for the company and thus only for company use. Meaning that you must first gain permission from your employer in order to use certain works in your portfolio. Cynthia went on to explain that his is largely dependent on your relationship with your boss. This worries me because I would much rather prefer to work for an agency than to work independently. I feel much more relaxed with the idea of working for an established firm than taking the (in my eyes unnecessary) risk of starting my own firm or working free lance. I think that free-lance designing is a good way to have additional income but I do not want it to be my primary means of supporting myself. It’s not daring, but it’s safe.