The image is called Spice DAO.
A group of fans pooled millions of dollars to buy a copy of the story bible for the never-made adaptation of Dune. The group voted last week on a direction for the project, and got roasted online for not knowing what they had bought. Buying a copy of a script or storyboard doesn't give you the right to shoot your own version of an animated series, as any good collector knows.
Critics are suggesting that the situation is more ambiguous than it is. The owners of the Dune story bible, known as Spice DAO, are aware they don't own Dune. They are committing to an original series that is inspired by the book. The whole scheme might help illustrate why art can't be reduced to a neat series of copyright licenses, rather than simply showing that "crypto bros aren't sure how rights work."
A lot of them probably are.
We won the auction for 2.66M. Our mission is now:
>
>
>
1. The book can be made public to the extent permitted by law.
>
>
>
2. Sell an original animated limited series inspired by the book to a streaming service.
>
>
>
3. Contribute to derivative projects from the community.
>
Spice DAO (, ) is on January 15, 2022.
95 percent of token-holding voters approved the governance proposal that outlined Spice's future plans. In addition to choosing a core management team, it commits the DAO to four other goals, including gaining physical custody of Jodorowsky's Dune book by arranging shipping and storage, scanning every page of the book, and hiring a social media account. The series was announced in December. Spice DAO said it would sell it to a streaming service in the long term.
Buying Dune's script earns you a lot of publicity.
The Next Web, Gizmodo, and some critics think that this is a fake, because they think that they have the rights to make their own Dune. The group has acknowledged that they don't own the intellectual property behind Dune, and the term "original" typically refers to something that is not officially part of an existing intellectual property franchise. It sounds like the script team wants to follow in the footsteps of Jodorowsky, who reworked several of his additions to Frank Herbert's Dune novel into an original comic series called The Incal. Spice DAO says that they don't own the intellectual property to Frank Herbert's masterpiece, but that they are uniquely positioned to create their own addition to the genre as an homage to the giants who came before them.
The Dune bible wouldn't be needed to make a Dune-like series that wasn't explicitly derived from Jodorowsky's work. I haven't seen public statements indicating that the central parties believe differently. The auction purchase looks like a publicity and funding strategy, not a bungled attempt to buy a copyright. If you want your script to get noticed, hooking up with a group of fans to purchase a rare collector's item is a good way to do it.
It is difficult to tell how many people are on the same page about what they are funding. Ryan Broderick has a Garbage Day newsletter that outlines some significant confusion around voting, copyright, and what adapting the script should mean.
The DAO is reticent to clarify what it is doing. I asked if the governance proposal referred to a series that was explicitly based on Dune or one that was indirectly inspired by it, and if it would still be advertised as "inspired by Jodorowsky's Dune." Even if the Dune series wasn't violating their copyright, this would still antagonize the various parties who own the franchise.
The account replied, "Why would we share with you before we share with community?" It is not clear whether the account was simply declining to comment or if Spice DAO community members haven't been told whether they are getting a Dune series or simply a Dune-flavored series.
A lot of projects are bad at explaining what ownership of cryptocurrencies is. You should keep your expectations in check. Making an animated mini-series is not as easy as mailing a book, and the DAO may be overlooking a lot of legal challenges it would face even with an original script. If a bigger studio wants to shut down something that looks and sounds like Dune, even a careful and competent team could face a long court battle.
Many creative projects start with a favorite book or movie, even if they use systems like a DAO. The assumption that people can only do this if they buy permission is not helpful.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
