Talk:David Horsey

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[edit] Reagan cartoon

I should begin by confessing that I am not familiar with David Horsey's work, although if the Reagan poster is an example of it then I like it. It [the accusation of plagiarism] was removed from this biog not because I contend that the cartoon was not David Horsey's work, but because the contributor who inserted his allegations did not provide any evidence (reliable or not) that the cartoon was Horsey's work. If it can be positively shown that it is indeed Horsey's work them I would be happy to see it re-inserted, with more appropriate captioning. But it must meet the Wiki requirement of verifiability. That is an absolute non-negotiatable requirement. Not mine, but Wiki's.

A few words about where the digitised version originated. I possess the colour poster from which the digitised version was made. The original has no Horsey signature, only the printer/publisher's name and date. These posters were widely sold in the United Kingdom in the mid-1980s by various campaigning groups, including the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and the British Peace Assembly (from where my copy was obtained). None were accredited to Horsey. And its arguable that the Finnish colour print was distinctively or qualitively different from a black and white version printed elsewhere. Its also arguable that the proper time to challenge the Finnish version as a copy (if it was a copy) was in 1984; twenty-two years ago. A challenge here in the UK courts would fail because of that time lapse in pursuing any claim, and the wide distribution of the Finnish version.

It was much too large to be scanned, so to digitise it, the map outlines were first traced onto several smaller sheets which were then scanned into computer and re-assembled in a black on white outline-only image. The colours were added later using MS Paint. The colours differ slightly from the original print, especially in the Middle East parts and the pink of Europe and the Eastern USA. This was necessary to differentiate them from adjoining areas of deep red, that did not appear as well on-screen as the original print. So its not really a copy, because its not alike; more a re-construction. But as the digitiser I am content for it to be seen widely. In this digitised format on Wikipedia, being seen more widely is more likely than was ever possible in the original printed format.

The accuser should also note carefully, that as the digitiser, I was careful to make no claim for myself to any rights over the cartoon. The accuser, having read the small print very carefully, should also abide by Wikipedia's policies about assuming 'good faith' on the part of other contributors, unless proven otherwise.

Now ... how about "The World According to George Dubya Bush". It would need to include some Rummyisms though to account for the latest version of the New World Order. Space would have to be found for two Europe's, one "Old" one "New". And then there is NORK and IRAK to fit in. Brian.Burnell 15:29, 25 October 2006 (UTC)

An afterthought worth considering. If, as you assert, the original was a black and white imprint in a book, and you were to photograph that imprint for use here or elsewhere, the copyright of that image would then be yours, the photographer, and not the copyright of David Horsey. So how is that so different from an image created by pencil and computer software? Think about it. 81.156.91.48 21:00, 25 October 2006 (UTC)

Another afterthought. If the cartoon did indeed originate with Horsey, did Horsey syndicate it to other publishers (including the Finns)? I believe that this is a common practice with political cartoonists, and may well explain how a reputable Finnish publishing house came to produce it in poster format. Although there may be other explanations. It is surely the responsibility of an accuser to ascertain the truth before making unsubstantiated allegations. Neither is it my responsibility to police the world. That's a task that Americans seem to have self-elected themselves to. Brian.Burnell 10:10, 27 October 2006 (UTC)