Did MIT Steal An Image From A Comic? This article in Wired claims that some folks at MIT simply "borrowed" an image from a comic book without bothering to credit the creators--or bothering to get their permission to use it. One would think that MIT more than other places would have some concept of Intellectual Property and respecting the rights of creators. Apparently not.
In a letter dated May 3, MIT attorney Mark Kelly admitted that MIT had used this drawing of "Val" in its grant proposal to the Army. But Kelly says because "MIT reproduced a very small number of copies (approximately 25 copies)," of the document for "educational activities," the school did not violate the Lais' rights.
Apparently simply asking the creators for their permission to use the image would have been too much effort. One MIT professor even lied and claimed that his daughter had drawn the image so one gets the feeling that they (MIT) may have had a sense that they were on shaky ground. The lawyers will hash out the legality of this; it's just surprising that an institution of higher-learning like MIT would have so little respect for artists' work.
6:05:44 AM 
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