This week finds your intrepid CBLDF team headed home after a fantastic three days at C2E2 in Chicago, Illinois! We spent most of the weekend chatting with convention attendees at the CBLDF booth, talking up Free Speech and the Fund with an astoundingly attentive audience of supporters, new and old. If the weakened state of our voices is anything to go by, we probably talked to all 34,000 C2E2 attendees over the course of the weekend!
CBLDF is committed to supporting the comics community. Fill out our form to request assistance or report censorship today!
CBLDF is committed to supporting the comics community. Fill out our form to request assistance or report censorship today!
CBLDF Advisory: Legal Hazards of Crossing International Borders With Comic Book Art
The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund today published the advisory document “Legal Hazards of Crossing International Borders with Comic Book Art.” The advisory was created in response to an increasing number of reports from travelers who have been stopped, searched, and/or detained by customs agents because of comic book art they carried in print and electronic forms. CBLDF legal counsel Robert Corn-Revere prepared the advisory for the Fund’s constituents and members.
“Most people do not know that their constitutional rights are not guaranteed, even from U.S. Customs agents, when they cross international borders,” Corn-Revere said. “Their books, papers, laptop computers, and even cell phones are subject to routine search and possible seizure by the government, even without any suspicion of criminal activity. This is important to know in an age when many people carry with them a great deal of highly personal information in electronic form.”
The CBLDF’s advisory shines light on Immigrations and Customs Enforcement policies pertaining to the search of information, and also explains how border searches lack traditional legal protections otherwise afforded to speech. Finally, the document offers suggestions for avoiding intrusive border searches and protecting the safety of your information.
The CBLDF Advisory is available here as a Word document, and here as a PDF file.
Meet The CBLDF At C2E2!
This weekend the CBLDF team will be kicking off the convention year at the Chicago Comics & Entertainment Expo, C2E2, at McCormick Place! We’ve brought out a fierce array of signed graphic novels, art prints, and membership rewards to thank you for donating. Saturday night we’re hosting a party at Reggie’s Music Joint featuring music by Adam WarRock, live art, and a terrific raffle. We’re also appearing on programs. The whole CBLDF team will be there: Charles Brownstein, Brady Bonney, Alex Cox, and me, your humble web editor, Betsy Gomez! Come on by and say hello at booth 231. After the jump, check out full details of our events!
C2E2 Liberty Jam! This Saturday!
The Good Fighters: Terry Moore
Terry Moore doesn’t mind the spotlight, but he seems much more comfortable being the one doing the watching. If you’ve seen him at a convention, he’s sincere and gracious to the people who come up for autographs or sketches or a hug to thank him for the way his work has affected them. But in the quiet moments behind the table, when it’s just Terry and a sketchbook, you’ll occasionally spot him looking at the crowd when a mischievous gleam enters his eye and his pencil starts gliding along the page. In those moments, he looks vaguely like a schoolboy in the middle of doing something naughty. Maybe that’s why he’s such a strident advocate for the CBLDF.
Terry is the the Eisner and Harvey Award-winning mastermind behind the hit independent series Strangers in Paradise, which concluded its 107-issue run in 2007, and Echo, his soon-to-conclude sci-fi superhero series about two women who share the same body. His work is informed by his keen observational nature, which manifests with work marked by an emphasis on realistic characters, both in appearance and in how they respond to obstacles.
Terry believes in giving back and likes to go that extra mile, frequently going out of his way for his fans. In doing so, he always makes time for free speech and CBLDF. He’s a perennial fixture on CBLDF panels, charming his way through sketch jams, auctions, and more. At conventions, you’ll often find Terry and his partner Robyn proudly reaching out to their fans to help the Fund.
Recently, Terry took a moment to reflect on why the CBLDF is important to him in the latest installment of The Good Fighters.
Supreme Court to Hear Case on Copyright vs. the First Amendment
The Supreme Court recently agreed to hear Golan v. Holder, a case that could redefine the relationship between copyright and the First Amendment. CBLDF takes a look at the First Amendment Center analysis of the case, and inquires about how it can affect comics.
Full story