Well, and that's just it EsnRedshirt, most of the large fansites have gained permission from New Line Cinema, and it's a refreshing thing to see that they are following the rules and actually asking for permission instead of just thinking that if it's out there they can use it. And frankly even if they did take a hard line, I don't think that it would effect the movies one iota. Why would we as fans, as artists, complain about them trying to protect their copyright? When we would do the same if it were our images? My concern is the taking of the images and putting them into artwork and them displaying them in the galleries, whether it be here, or another gallery. However innocent, it is copyright violation. There is no explaining that away. Fan Art is a highly volitile subject right now, especially at SciFi/Fantasy conventions...the minute it goes up for display it becomes a copyright violation. You can render/draw/paint and keep it for yourself and hang it in your house to your heart's content, or give it to a friend for a Christmas present, but the moment it's on public display it is a violation of their rights. NLC is very explicit...even putting in the word "uploading" And to make it a bit worse, Gollum is a 3d/digital composition so we are in fact in this case, violating a copyright of several digital artists...that kinda sucks doesn't it? There was another one the other day, very blatent..the image of Arwen holding Frodo on her horse at the river...this one had a Poser face superimposed on it..the rest was pure NLC's image. Everyone thought that was great too, even asked how they did the clothing. The author of that violation never even said "oh it's an image" but rather through her silence took the kudos and the oohs and ahhhs and never once admitted that it was not her own work. It took me 10 seconds to realize that it was an image and not a poser render...and my eyes are not that good...and yet either no one else noticed or they didn't care. And this is a good artist in her own right. Several of us posted about it and the image was taken down. The point being through this crazy rant is this....a copyright violation, is a violation,is a violation. Just because we bought a movie ticket doesn't mean we own the movie. I do not understand why we think it is okay to do this, when it's not okay to take someone else's image, rework it and put it up, whether or not we admit it is not our work or not... Oh and Poppi, I've not done a Vikki in the temple image, although I'm really tempted...just so I can use all the temples I seem to have accumulated/purchased LOL!! xoconostle is correct (by the way I remember that image you did it was a nice job) when he says there are some of us that don't really do them. The problem is tho, since most of us that don't do them aren't in that Poser "class" that always gets lots of looks and lots of comments, our works go pretty much unnoticed and uncommented on. That would probably explain why I hadn't posted anything in my gallery for six months until the other day. Where I got a whopping 3 comments on it...guess my Vic3 wasnt nekkid enough.... Okay, I'll shut up now...but this could be a really good discussion on copyright etc...and where we all draw the line and where we should as artists draw the line. And actually this does bring up another point...if we were to make a 3d model that was the likeness of Gollum....could we sell it? Thanks for listening :) Pendy