I have an artist account on Redbubble where I upload random images that I’ve created myself. Yesterday an email was sent to me by Redbubble stating they took down two images that are related to the Backrooms.
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WTF! Those images are not in anyway related to the Backrooms movie.
Technically, those images are from one of my books that are loosely related to the Backrooms, published in 2023, before the movie came out.
So what's really going on? Can A24 copyright the word: Backrooms?
No, the
word "backrooms" itself is not copyrighted. You cannot
copyright individual words, titles, or general concepts and the core concept
and aesthetic of the Backrooms (endless, empty, yellow-wallpapered rooms) are
largely considered public domain and cannot be copyrighted.
The
original premise of "clipping out of reality" into a labyrinth of
empty office spaces originated from an anonymous post on 4chan. Because it was
an anonymous, uncredited post, the foundational concept itself is in the public
domain.
The
Wikis:
Community-built Backrooms lore (such as specific "Levels,"
"Entities," and stories) hosted on major platforms like the Backrooms Wiki is typically released under a
Creative Commons (CC BY-SA) license. This means you can use or build upon the
lore, as long as you credit the original creators and share your work under the
same license.
Specific
Original Works:
While anyone can make a Backrooms story, specific creative expressions are
legally protected. For example, the visual style, specific characters, and lore
created by Kane Parsons for his The Backrooms movie and found-footage series are
protected.
(Yes, that’s true but other people create various literature, videos, and images related to the Backrooms lore. Is that now off limits?)
The base
concept of the Backrooms and everything said in the 4chan post falls into public
domain as it was anonymous, and no one can claim it with proofs.
So, there you have it, once again, I am writing this so everyone who had something taken down recently on a social media platform-for using the word, Backrooms, can see that using the Backrooms in your literature or anywhere else should NOT be illegal.
I'm not sure if I will confront Redbubble about what happened. Both images are mine, but they weren't exactly high-quality. Either way, it's concerning because thousands of other authors have written books using some elements pulled from the backrooms lore. Artwork, media creators, should be pissed off too.