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[HK-47]

In a quiet corner of a small studio in the city of Montreal, there lived a sad wall of little importance. Neither load-bearing nor fanciful in material or design, the wall simply stood where it was put, as walls are wont to do. And though standing still is an admirable trait to have in a wall—indeed the one thing that’s expected of it—this wall dreamed of more.

It was tired of the blank, expressionless faces on the game developers walking past. It was tired of sectioning space into rooms and hallways. It was even tired of being red. And as days turned into weeks that turned into months, the wall grew more morose.

Then a funny thing happened. It seemed the sadder the wall got, the more people noticed it. They would pause in the hallway and say things like, “My word, is that ever a sad looking wall.” Others would agree, “Dreadfully sad.” Soon it was hard for anyone to even think of the dreary patch of drywall without weeping with abject sorrow.

“This damned wall is ruining our day,” they said. “Something must be done!”

Of course, you can’t just paint a wall and expect it to be happy – and hiding it behind drapes would be rather silly. After much debate, it was decided that the best way to cheer up the weepy, old wall would be to cover it with joyful things: art and letters and photographs from Mass Effect fans who want to share their love for the franchise with the studio.

And so, in a rather roundabout way, we’re asking you, the Mass Effect community, to send us things to cover our wall. Send us pictures and postcards and paintings. Send us weavings and writings and watercolors. We’ve got a wall to fill, and we want what you make.

The saddest wall you’ve ever seen.

To partake, send your Mass Effect creations along with a signed release to:

BioWare Montréal
3, place Ville Marie
Suite 200
Montréal, Québec, Canada
H3B 2E3

*All fan art must be your own original work, and cannot contain any images from third parties. For photographs, please include a signed release form for all parties involved.

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[Swagger7]

Do you really need a signed release to put something up on a wall that's just for personal use?  Copyright law has become insane. 

[Thomas Andresen]

Do you really need a signed release to put something up on a wall that's just for personal use?  Copyright law has become insane. 

I would imagine it's more to do with respect and trust. And as a way of telling people "don't send us stuff you don't want us to use publicly." Because there are people who'd be inclined to do just that.

[Swagger7]

I would imagine it's more to do with respect and trust. And as a way of telling people "don't send us stuff you don't want us to use publicly." Because there are people who'd be inclined to do just that.

Respect and trust are the exact opposite of a signed release form.

[Thomas Andresen]

Respect and trust are the exact opposite of a signed release form.

I would rather not go down that road and be responsible for thread derailment.

[Swagger7]

I would rather not go down that road and be responsible for thread derailment.

Good point.  It's not Bioware's fault anyways if the law is screwy.  I will leave it at that.

[Maria Caliban]

Do you really need a signed release to put something up on a wall that's just for personal use?  Copyright law has become insane. 

If it's in their place of business then it's not personal use.

[Swagger7]

If it's in their place of business then it's not personal use.

I'm pretty sure that only applies if it could somehow be construed as advertising to the public.  Since the Bioware studios are not open to the public, anything there could be considered as used for the collective personal use of the company's employees.  I don't need signed releases to post comics in the break room of my place of employment, which is a library.  Then again, Canadian law might be different.  Whether required by law or not, it just seems excessive.  Again, I'm not blaming Bioware.  I'm blaming the excess of copyright law and lawsuits that have sprung up in the past few decades and show no signs of stopping.

 

I know I said I'd leave it at that in the interests of not derailing the thread, but it's been up for nearly a week with no other discussion, so it's safe to say I'm not derailing anything.