Advice on open species?

[spartanwerewolf.livejournal.com]

I've been wondering, if someone creates an open species and offers it up to whoever wants to create a character of that species, do they have the right to dictate who can create a fursuit/sculpture/plushie of the character you've created?

For example, if someone creates an open species, and I made a character of that species, does the species creator have the right to say “You can only have a suit/sculpture/plushie made by this certain maker”?

What if the maker they’ve selected is someone I don’t want to commission, for whatever reason? Can I then get another maker to create my suit/sculpture/plushie, or do I need permission of the person who created the species to begin with?

Basically, what are the "rules" of an open species? Does the creator retain any sort of control over the outcome of people using said species or do they just have to accept that people are going to do what they wish with their characters?

My understanding is that the species creator retains the copyright of the species itself, but when it comes to individual characters, they don’t have much say. The owner of the *character* is not obliged to adhere to the rules the species creator laid out, at least when it comes to commissioning physical items. If I’m spending the money on a commission, I don't want to spend it on a product I'll ultimately be unhappy with, simply because whomever created the species decided I had to use a certain maker.

Help me,A_B Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope!

Advice on open species?

[spartanwerewolf.livejournal.com]

I've been wondering, if someone creates an open species and offers it up to whoever wants to create a character of that species, do they have the right to dictate who can create a fursuit/sculpture/plushie of the character you've created?

For example, if someone creates an open species, and I made a character of that species, does the species creator have the right to say “You can only have a suit/sculpture/plushie made by this certain maker”?

What if the maker they’ve selected is someone I don’t want to commission, for whatever reason? Can I then get another maker to create my suit/sculpture/plushie, or do I need permission of the person who created the species to begin with?

Basically, what are the "rules" of an open species? Does the creator retain any sort of control over the outcome of people using said species or do they just have to accept that people are going to do what they wish with their characters?

My understanding is that the species creator retains the copyright of the species itself, but when it comes to individual characters, they don’t have much say. The owner of the *character* is not obliged to adhere to the rules the species creator laid out, at least when it comes to commissioning physical items. If I’m spending the money on a commission, I don't want to spend it on a product I'll ultimately be unhappy with, simply because whomever created the species decided I had to use a certain maker.

Help me,A_B Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope!

Advice on open species?

[spartanwerewolf.livejournal.com]

I've been wondering, if someone creates an open species and offers it up to whoever wants to create a character of that species, do they have the right to dictate who can create a fursuit/sculpture/plushie of the character you've created?

For example, if someone creates an open species, and I made a character of that species, does the species creator have the right to say “You can only have a suit/sculpture/plushie made by this certain maker”?

What if the maker they’ve selected is someone I don’t want to commission, for whatever reason? Can I then get another maker to create my suit/sculpture/plushie, or do I need permission of the person who created the species to begin with?

Basically, what are the "rules" of an open species? Does the creator retain any sort of control over the outcome of people using said species or do they just have to accept that people are going to do what they wish with their characters?

My understanding is that the species creator retains the copyright of the species itself, but when it comes to individual characters, they don’t have much say. The owner of the *character* is not obliged to adhere to the rules the species creator laid out, at least when it comes to commissioning physical items. If I’m spending the money on a commission, I don't want to spend it on a product I'll ultimately be unhappy with, simply because whomever created the species decided I had to use a certain maker.

Help me,A_B Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope!

Unfinished commission: need advice

[elmenora.livejournal.com]

This is my first post here, so please let me know if I need to include any more information.  It's not a beware, I just need a bit of advice on an unusual commission situation.

I advertised some painting slots almost a year ago, and one of the people who responded was someone I'd worked with a few times before.  We discussed general things about the painting, gave her a quote, and she sent payment in full ($30) with a note that she'd email me references later.  A couple weeks went by and she still hadn't sent the images, so I emailed a reminder that I still needed refs.  She replied saying family stuff was going on, she'd send the files soon, etc.  After another few weeks I sent her another email and got no response. 

Since then I've tried emailing both addresses I know of, leaving a message on her LJ account and sending a note on FA, but haven't gotten any reply.  What's the proper thing to do for a situation like this?  I didn't think to include anything in my ToS about it.  Should I just keep the money and wait for her to get in touch?  Refund her?  I'd rather not leave this hanging, but don't want to accidentally do anything unprofessional or rude.

Unfinished commission: need advice

[elmenora.livejournal.com]

This is my first post here, so please let me know if I need to include any more information.  It's not a beware, I just need a bit of advice on an unusual commission situation.

I advertised some painting slots almost a year ago, and one of the people who responded was someone I'd worked with a few times before.  We discussed general things about the painting, gave her a quote, and she sent payment in full ($30) with a note that she'd email me references later.  A couple weeks went by and she still hadn't sent the images, so I emailed a reminder that I still needed refs.  She replied saying family stuff was going on, she'd send the files soon, etc.  After another few weeks I sent her another email and got no response. 

Since then I've tried emailing both addresses I know of, leaving a message on her LJ account and sending a note on FA, but haven't gotten any reply.  What's the proper thing to do for a situation like this?  I didn't think to include anything in my ToS about it.  Should I just keep the money and wait for her to get in touch?  Refund her?  I'd rather not leave this hanging, but don't want to accidentally do anything unprofessional or rude.