This Entry is old and potentially out of date. I am leaving it up as a reminder of the kinds of issues artists have faced and will likely face again here on deviantART. Please keep these things in mind and do your own research to stay up to date with the happenings of dA and the dA policy.

The newest revision to the deviantART submission agreement leaves the artist more prone and unprotected than ever before, and grants deviantART full and virtually irrevocable rights to the artist's work, to do with as they (or anyone else they allow) please, all at the expense of the artist should a disagreement arise. This agreement is simply unacceptable, and dangerous.

Things you (the artist of deviantART) need to read regarding this agreement:

1. a [comment], outlining one deviant's points of disapproval - where the policy goes astray, and exactly what rights deviantART is taking as opposed to what is acceptable.

2. a three-part article, titled "Submission DisAgreement", by senior member and deviousness award recipient `justthorne. The article serves as a breakdown of the shortcomings of deviantART's agreement, and how it could affect you. The article is here: [Part 1: The Devil in Details] [Part 2: The Missing Loophole] [Part 3: Draw Your Own Conclusions].

3. ~Sugarmanx's appraisal of deviantART's sublicensing and contract termination agreements [link]

Please read these... and if you decvide to stay at deviantART, I cannot express how important it is for you to know EXACTLY what to watch for and how to protect yourself and your work from this agreement... read it, learn it, know it.

I am not up to the challenge... I will now be systematically removing my deviations from storage and deleting them, as well as virtually all of my journals and information. It is less likely than before that I will ever return now, as I would need to start over with nothing if I did.


From the previous revision of this journal entry, on my leaving: information and goodbye below (as posted Jan. 20th, prior to discovery of this most recent issue):

I am leaving deviantART.

This time, it is with a measure of finality; I have no current plans to return again, and all of my deviations will be stored indefinitely.

As many of you are already aware, I was recently banned from dA for an untrue submission violation. For those who know anything of the recent series of events concerning me here, let me assure you that my reason for leaving is not based solely on my banning, and has nothing to do with any conflicts between me and other members here.

The conflict is between me and deviantART. I will not go into full detail here as I have in my Open Letter to the deviantART Community, but in brief, the main reasons follow:

The policy does not protect the artists on dA from either third parties or the corporation itself
DA abusively exploits artists and members
The dA staff are biased and irresponsible, with no respect for their members
Bugs, Bugs, Bugs and Unreliability
Stress, Aggravation and lack of time
The system is incapable of appreciating art for its true value or artists for their talents; in my year here, no attempt has been made to change this

My being banned was simply the final straw, and in my week away from dA, I have come to the conclusion that leaving is what is best for me.


What this means:
I will no longer be reachable at deviantART. My art will be similarly unavailable. I have no plans to join another site to a similar end. To my many watchers, and all the people I watch, I am very sorry. Those who have spoken with me on the matter know that this was a very difficult decision for me, and I deeply regret leaving everyone here.

For those who have contact with me elsewhere, I will be seeing you around, just not here.

For the rest, if you wish to keep in contact with me, my e-mail is listed at the top of my [Main Page] as my MSN handle, and my other IM handles are there as well. Please let me know who you are via e-mail before adding my IM if I'm not likely to know, as I have configured my IM client to block any unrecognized e-mail addresses or handles.

Now, I need to take the time to say Thank You and goodbye to everyone. I feel privileged to have met every one of you whom I have made acquaintance with, and while I cannot hope to name you all here, know that I appreciate you all. I do, however, think I owe a special goodbye to *balaa, who made my whole stay here worthwhile.

*balaa: I will never forget the advice you gave me, and I will miss seeing your work. Thank you for our many conversations and your ever-meaningful wisdom and insight. You have made my time here truly special, and it has been an honor to have you both as a friend and a critic of my work. You helped me to see the beauty in my own art, as well as in all art. Godspeed you on your journey, and I hope you one day receive more of the recognition and respect that you deserve as a wonderful artist.

=============
Final Notes:

I do have [my own website], at which you will still be able to find some of my most prominent journal entries (past ones, I will for now at least, keep here as well for your reference). Do not, however, expect this website to be maintained or updated with anything resembling frequency, as I simply don't have time for its upkeep. In the distant future, I do hope to migrate it to an ad-free location and begin regular services. For now though, it's pretty much just a placeholder. Find it here: [link]

Some of you may know of another site where I am keeping an account with some (VERY limited) work. I will not give out its location here, though if you would like to know, feel free to contact me.

Thank you everyone, for everything.

Goodbye.

~Cunjo


P.S. I'm moving on... I've had enough of the drama, much of it regretable. I simply have other things to devote my time and attention to than dA, and while I will miss most of the community, there are some things I won't miss - being harrassed by a selection of sophmoric deviants and staff being one of them. I'm sorry to everyone who had to suffer through the drama, and it's time to move on... I'm moving on.

P.P.S. If anyone has an interest in picking up the pieces and running FFA here on dA< contact me via IM and we can talk... I hate to leave that legacy dead like this.

P.P.P.S. dAv5 is a steaming pile of--<test pattern tone>