BiNet USA Is Slinging Copyright Infringement Threats At Artists Using The Bi Pride Flag

BiNet USAIn a year that’s already moved past “dumpster fire” and is fully into “landfill inferno” territory, one more piece of absolute madness has surfaced. BiNet USA, a non-profit bisexual advocacy group, has declared themselves the sole copyright owner of the bi pride flag- yes, THE WHOLE FLAG. They’ve even begun publicly tweeting queer creators with copyright infringement threats.

It sounds absolutely ridiculous that a BISEXUAL ADVOCACY GROUP would start attacking small creators for using a pride flag, but that’s exactly what BiNet USA is doing. Take a look:

 

Jayne B Shea is an LGBTQ+ activist who sells merch on a website and at Pride events. They started creating bisexual-specific items after finding very little on offer at Pride events. They’re a community creator making things for other community members… so why is BiNet USA going after them? 

On the surface, the group is pretending this is about “fighting commercialization” of the bi pride flag. They did tag Target in a post asking why they sold bi flag items. Who knows, maybe they started with good intentions?

However, attacking small artists and creators has swung public opinion pretty strongly against BiNet USA. Most concerning to me is the Twitter post where they urge LGBTQ+ community members to report any “unauthorized usage” so BiNet can get their pound of flesh.

Sure, because what the community needs is to promote distrust within our ranks. 

As a point of fact, the bi pride flag was created by Michael Page. He was a volunteer for BiNet USA but not under contract to them in any way that should transfer copyright to them. He specifically stated that it was NOT copyrighted, saying in the BiFlag.com introductory article, “The Bi Pride Flag is the only bisexual symbol not patented, trademarked or service marked.”

The community is also bringing this up:

 

So how does BiNet USA claim ownership of this? They claim that it was created by “a collective” specifically to be the intellectual property of their group. They don’t even mention Michael Page or offer any proof that he transferred ownership to them. 

 

Now, Target is not going to have a problem with this. Their lawyers will easily smack down any lawsuits BiNet USA puts out. Not only did the flag’s creator not want it copyrighted, the flag itself doesn’t meet US copyright standards.

On top of that, you have vigorously defend a copyright to hold it. Even if the group did hold it and it was something that could have been copyrighted, after 22 years that copyright has been long since been abandoned. 

However, small fan artists and queer creators are going to suffer from this. They’re the ones who don’t have the money or the legal savvy to fight this. They will be scared into stopping usage of a flag which belongs to the bisexual community, not a group.

That’s not something we need right now, when a lot of creators are losing money from cancelled conventions. Online art sales are the only thing keeping those creators going.  A lot of them will just drop their Bi Pride prints to be safe.

Imagine a world where you can’t have geeky Pride swag because small creators can’t afford the licensing fees and big creators aren’t interested in catering to your fandom. 

This is a betrayal from a group that should be proudly supporting bisexual creators. We look forward to a statement from BiNet apologizing for their overreach and its effect on the community.4

Update (29 April 3:01pm): Reader Terra Joy has found this “aged like milk” Tweet from BiNet themselves:

 

Update (29 April 5:24pm): Looks like BiNet USA has deactivated their Twitter and is actively tidying up their Facebook page to pretend this never happened. You can still see people leaving reviews, but the most recent post up is from April 5.

While looking for more context on how a group that’s done great things would even consider this move, we found this interesting thread from a former board member:

 

Update (29 April 7:50pm): As it turns out, it seems like BiNet USA has been planning this for a while. Two accounts were created in March and have not yet Tweeted: @CollectiveBi and @binetcollective . While it’s not sure these are backup accounts… it does seem a little odd that they have were so quick to ditch their Twitter after the very natural outcry against their behavior, then had these accounts standing by.

Are you an artist who’s gotten a cease and desist letter or a threatening Tweet from BiNet USA? We’d love to hear from you! Reach out to us on Twitter at @TheGeekiary!

Author: Khai

Khai is a writer, anthropologist, and games enthusiast. She is co-editor (alongside Alex DeCampi) of and contributor to “True War Stories”, a comic anthology published by Z2 Comics. When she’s not writing or creating games, Khai likes to run more tabletop RPGs than one person should reasonably juggle.


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4 thoughts on “BiNet USA Is Slinging Copyright Infringement Threats At Artists Using The Bi Pride Flag

  1. Yes, this has been an absolute mess that is being left to bi+ activists on the local level to attempt to sort out and clean up in the continued absence of an official statement from BiNet USA that we have been repeatedly assured by Board member Dr. Lauren Beach, is coming, though as of 12:05pm PST on May 1, 2020 has yet to be released nor any time frame given. A petition has been started and is circulating calling on the BiNet USA Board to hold its President Faith Cheltenham, who has proportedly acted alone in this endeavor, accountable via her removal from the board. http://www.change.org/remove_faith_cheltenham Please sign and share to support the bi+ community as this situation continues to unfold.

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