Clown Registration, Is there such a thing? Options

[Righteous]

Okay, I've been Tragick the Clown for about five years now. I figure it's about time to get my clown name and likeness registered and/or copywritten. The thing is, I've no idea on how to go about doing that (or if it's even possible). If anyone can hook me up with something like an international clown registry or something, that would be much appreciated.

I highly doubt someone would use my name or likeness, but I'd rather be safe that sorry.

[You deny me fres...]

OK. ALL clown names & faces can be easly copyrighted using the same method as normal copyrighting.
All you'll need is
1) Potos of your face in full make up - idealy from all sides- this'll give you a permanant record of what 'Tragicks'' face is.
2) Proof that 'Tragick' is yours - this basicly means getting a document that says you(full name, etc.) created Tragick (as shown in the photos) on whatever date. This will probably need to be sigined by witness and someone legal.
3) All of the above will then need to be checked by a copyright lawer and several copys made and placed in several places. Tragicks face (and all likeness rights thereof) will then be yours!! (oooh the power!!)

[CommieBastard]

"normal copyrighting" doesn't have a method to it - anything you write or create is automatically copyrighted. No copyright lawyers need be involved.

The Code - that a clown has a right to a unique costume and make-up - isn't legally enforced. Your clown face is yours - get a photo record of it so you can prove it, but you don't need a license or anything.

That said, there are places where you can register.

Clowns International is UK-based, but not exclusively so.

This place smells of a scam to me, because of its constant talk about "officially" registering as if there's some kind of central clown authority.

The one I've heard most about is the Department of Clown Registry, which doesn't seem to have an Internet presence - try writing to:

Department of Clown Registry
P.O.Box 12 - Buchanan
Virginia 24066

[Sir Psycho Sexy]

I know there is a place where they have huge rooms of eggs each with a different face paint design on them, each one different and belonging to a different clown. Like Sean said there's a no method to copyrighting. That being said something along the lines of freshmaker's idea would be useful if it came to proving it belonged to you in a court of law (should it ever come to that), however, it is something of an overkill and lawyers are damned expensive. The easiest way would be to get a couple of photo's some information basically your name and any such info about tragick, then just bung it in the post to yourself, if you wanna be extra certain make it a recorded delivery so there is a clear mark of the date (this is the important part) it has been sent. When you recieve it, it's very important you don't open it or it won't count for diddly.

[CommieBastard]

I know there is a place where they have huge rooms of eggs each with a different face paint design on them, each one different and belonging to a different clown.

That would be the Department of Clown Registry, yeah Should've mentioned that.

[Righteous]

Thanks guys. I'll be sure to do that.

Hey, you don't think that they'll have issue with how I do variations, do you? It's nothing major.

I always have the same basic layout (though I've inverted the colors before) and in the original incarnation, had a cross under one eye and an "X" over the other. I've even used red and gray. EH, well. I'll take multiple pics and see what happens.

I just hope I'm not rejected because I do poetry and singing instead of magic and balloon sculpting. I guess I'll just write a long, drawn-out letter about how I'm an entertainer and not into that ICP crap.

[I_am_the_best]

Can't you just take pictures of yourself and write down your likenesses then post it to yourself and never open the envelope?

[oscarhilton]

man i have to get one.

[Sir Psycho Sexy]

Can't you just take pictures of yourself and write down your likenesses then post it to yourself and never open the envelope?

....isn't that what I said?

[I_am_the_best]

Oops, didn't see, sorry!

[Sir Psycho Sexy]

...i'm becoming more and more convinced someone's developed a plug-in for firefox that filters out my posts

[Jonman]

...i'm becoming more and more convinced someone's developed a plug-in for firefox that filters out my posts 

*heads directly to Mozilla.org and starts frantically downloading*

[oscarhilton]

i hate microsoft. Thank god for firefox

[Moosh]

...i'm becoming more and more convinced someone's developed a plug-in for firefox that filters out my posts 

Guilty

[Greeneyes]

Hey, you don't think that they'll have issue with how I do variations, do you? It's nothing major.

I always have the same basic layout (though I've inverted the colors before) and in the original incarnation, had a cross under one eye and an "X" over the other. I've even used red and gray. EH, well. I'll take multiple pics and see what happens.

I was under the impression that clowns did not copy the face of another as a kind of professional curtesy. It's just not done.
Also, You may want to consider finding something you like and sticking with it. There's different types of clown faces, as you might be aware. 'White clowns' generally have white faces and are highly decorated over one eye (and are usually the ones pulling the prank), whereas Auguste(?) clowns are usually the butt of the joke and have the more widely recognised bright faces. Yours appears to be of the latter style, but more gloomy looking. So yeah, if I were you I'd find something good and stick to it. Clown's faces are meant to be unique. That's just part of being a clown (I realise this isn't uite the case here). That said, I'm no expert on the matter, just thought I'd add my two cents.

[Righteous]

The way I've seen Tragick since he happened (and I seriously mean happened) was that, first and foremost, he saw himself as an artist, a tortured artist at that. Your standard clown character isn't aware of the fact that he/she is an entertainer (not the person; the character). Tragick recognises this and, thus, separates himself from other clowns. He doesn't do magic or balloon sculpting; he reads poems and sings songs (another difference). He feels a wide range of emotions instead of your standard happy or sad clowns. Tragick smokes Djarum blacks. Tragick is aware of his sexuality (I read aloud a poem about my sexuality and have flirted as Tragick), personality (he can laugh at himself because of his personality, not doing goofy things), emotions (streaming black tears, themes of poems and songs), and beliefs (crosses, God poems and songs). He is a highly atypical clown.

What makes Tragick a clown (aside from my love of face paint) is that he is, as one definition puts it, a vulgar fool (though I very rarely swear as Tragick), but not a fool in a silly or disgusting sense, but in a sense that we're really just all fools who take ourselves too seriously. You can take that to mean that he sees life as one big circus of sadness (I've pumped a lot of depression into the evolution of this character) and we're all clowns in some form or fasion.

As for being an Auguste clown, the poems and songs I write are, often, about the things that have gotten me down. Once again, if life is a circus, then we're all the butt of its jokes.

And clowns usually don't steal each other's likenesses, however it's possible that someone may use my name and/or look. For example, someone could do a makeup job very similar to mine or use the name "Tragic" or something. I realize that if this were to happen, it would be entirely coincidental I'm trying to prevent that (that and I'd rather not get Hell from Tragic the Clown who registered a few months before I did).