Category: News Blog

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Criminal Charges Dropped in Canada Customs Manga Case

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The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and the Comic Legends Legal Defense Fund are pleased to announce that the Crown has withdrawn all criminal charges in R. v Matheson, the case previously described as the “Brandon X case,” which involved a comic book reader who faced criminal charges in Canada relating to comic books on his computer. The defendant, Ryan Matheson, a 27-year-old comic book reader, amateur artist, and computer programmer has been cleared of any criminal wrongdoing.

The total legal costs of this case exceeded $75,000. After taking the case last summer, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund contributed $20,000 to the defense, and the Comic Legends Legal Defense Fund contributed $11,000. The CBLDF also participated in shaping the defense, including recruiting expert testimony for the trial. The organization is currently seeking funds to help pay off the $45,000 debt Matheson incurred as a result of his case, and to create new tools to prevent future cases. To make a contribution to these important efforts, please visit www.cbldf.org.

Full details and resources are available after the jump.

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Ryan Matheson’s Personal Statement

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After being cleared of any wrongdoing, Ryan Matheson speaks out for the first time about the injustices he suffered at the hands of Canadian authorities because of the comics he had on his laptop. After the jump, he details the mistreatment he suffered in Canada and the profound trauma involved in defending himself against a monstrous, false accusation. He also expresses his gratitude to the many supporters who made contributions to aid his defense. Read Ryan’s full statement after the jump.

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CBLDF’s Member Appreciation Events At WonderCon!

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This weekend the CBLDF is heading out to WonderCon in Anaheim, California, where we’re offering two exclusive thank yous for new and returning members!

Current members or members who sign up during the show get their choice of the CBLDF exclusive cover of Glory #23, signed by writer Joe Keatinge, or a signed Frank Quitely sketch variant of the 2011 CBLDF Liberty Annual.

During the show, CBLDF will also be running our ever-popular Live Art Jam, featuring Jim Lee, Rebekah Isaacs, and Eric Powell. All art from the jam will be auctioned and we’ll have artists sketching at the booth throughout the weekend, so you have a chance to take some amazing art home with you!

After the jump, CBLDF Executive Director Charles Brownstein takes you through some of the great things the Fund has planned for WonderCon 2012!

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GONE TO AMERIKAY Launch Party Benefits CBLDF

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Gone to Amerikay, the new Vertigo original graphic novel by Derek McCulloch and Colleen Doran, will have a book launch party, benefiting the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. McCulloch and Doran will both be at Harbor Lights Restaurant in New York City on March 30 from 6 to 8 pm, celebrating the release of their new book and demonstrating their support of the CBLDF’s mission. All are welcome to join the celebration; admission will be free, though donations to the CBLDF are suggested. There will be complimentary hors d’oeurves, and special guests from the comics community will be on hand to inaugurate Gone to Amerikay. Copies of the book will be on sale, courtesy of Midtown Comics.

Click through for more details and a preview gallery of the book…

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PayPal Lifts Ban on Erotic Content

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After widespread protest from free speech advocates around the nation, including CBLDF, PayPal has rescinded its overly broad threat to suspend the accounts of e-book publishers that release erotic material featuring incest, pseudo-incest, rape fantasies, bestiality (including non-human fantasy characters). Early word of PayPal’s revised policy was spread when e-book publisher Smashwords announced that they would be returning to their original terms of service, but PayPal has now made it official with an announcement on their blog.

Click through for the official statement for PayPal and the response from ABFFE and NCAC.

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Brandon Graham’s King City Supports CBLDF

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Brandon Graham is no stranger to boundary pushing comics. He cut his artistic teeth making experimental sex comics before going on to create his idea heavy works Prophet and King City. His groundbreaking collection King City just came out from Image, and he’s supporting the Fund by providing signed & sketched bookplates to raise money for our work. Brandon spoke out on why the Fund matters to him on his blog last summer. He wrote:

The idea of just getting in trouble for having a comic book on you is nuts, with no victim and the crime being an offensive combination of words and lines. It’s like trying to prosecute thoughts you don’t like.

I have a hard time wrapping my brain around the idea that something you could draw could lead someone else to be locked up just by having it on their person. And just looking at the list of books CBLDF has on their site that have had problems at the border (how awkward would it be to have to explain why you are carrying a copy of The bone ranger)
–I’ve read a lot of these, I have friends and have myself probably drawn worse things than what’s in most of these books.

You can get your copy of King City with a signed & sketched Brandon Graham bookplate now for a $60 donation to CBLDF.

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Smashwords Restores Content Policies

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Smashwords, one of the independent e-book publishers at the center of the PayPal erotic content censorship scandal, announced that they are returning their terms of service to what they were before PayPal sent letters threatening to close their account if they continued to sell certain types of erotic content. CBLDF was one of many free speech organizations that signed a letter in protest of PayPal’s policy to ban erotic content that featured incest, pseudo-incest, rape fantasies, bestiality (including non-human fantasy characters).

Click through for Smashwords’ full statement.

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This Week’s Doonesbury Strips Relocated or Scrapped by Several Newspapers

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If you usually read Gary B. Trudeau’s “Doonesbury” comic strip on the comics page of your local newspaper, you may find the latest strips moved to the op-ed page or missing entirely this week. This week’s strips feature a young woman who visits an abortion clinic in Texas, a state that requires compulsory ultrasounds before an abortion, and the strips liken Texas’s practice to rape. Because of the contentious nature of the topic, several newspapers have elected to not run the series, or they moved it to their opinion pages or online.

Keep reading…

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Forbes Contributor on Potential Reason for PayPal Erotica Ban: Credit Card Companies

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CBLDF has joined a coalition of free speech advocates in protest of PayPal’s new policy regarding the sale of erotica, banning the sale of material that depicts incest, pseudo-incest, rape fantasies, and bestiality (including non-human fantasy characters). Over the weekend, Suw Charman-Anderson with Forbes.com wrote a pair of articles about what many consider the real culprit behind PayPal’s move to ban the sale of certain types of erotica: credit card companies. The connection to the credit card companies was rumored early on, and further analysis as the story has developed has reinforced the conclusion among many observers. However, at least one credit card company has already denied involvement.

Keep reading…

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THIS WEEKEND: CBLDF & Neil Gaiman Thank Members With Exclusive Signed Poster!

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This weekend only, the first ten members to sign up for CBLDF membership at the $100 Advocate level or higher will receive “A Study In Emerald,” a poster edition of Neil Gaiman’s Hugo Award winning short story, illustrated by Jouni Koponen and signed by Neil Gaiman! You’ll receive this special signed thank you gift in addition to all the other great incentives we offer for our members, and you’ll have the peace of mind knowing that you’re helping protect the First Amendment! Don’t delay, this thank you is only available while supplies last!

UPDATE: This item is no longer available!

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