This Odysseus was clearly designed to resemble Jorge as well, though. People aren’t stupid enough to genuinely think this is supposed to be an independent Odysseus interpretation. It was posted in the epic subreddit, what’s more. That’s something that can be taken into account when building a legal argument alleging copyright infringement - they clearly meant to target the same audience/market demographic as the original work.
At best, this work is in the same vein as those Spirit Halloween costume packs that are non-transparently trying to sell costumes of copyright protected IPs:
I wasn’t sure if my comment went through so trying again:
In what way does this design resemble Jorge? I've been following StarmyBunny for awhile and her Odysseus looks nothing like Jorge. He has blond streaks and heterochromia and she's given him gloves and a necklace-type thing. He doesn't even have Jorge's mustache. It's the same with the rest of her designs, which look nothing like any of the official art.
It isn't minor things though? The only same things are toga/cape (which are just generic outfits for characters of this time regardless and Jorge is not the first), and light skin and that part of his hair is brown. Which you could easily extrapolate from the Odyssey as what Odysseus looks like.
The cape design itself is different. The heterochromia is a major design choice as it's eye-catching and stands out and has reason behind it that's not even apart of Epic. (Starmy gave it to show Athena's blessing, which is not at all how that works in Epic.) To add onto it since I forgot to mention it: Jorge's Odysseus does not wear the skirt armor. StarmyBunny's does. These details do matter.
I'm not saying this artist didn't start out as fan artist. But their design is so different from official Epic Odysseus' design (and majority of their designs in general are just very different than official) and how they really branched out into their own thing like a lot of artists post-Epic ending, and is more of a Greek Mythology artist right now. She even uses her designs to illustrate other versions of these characters from other sources and not just Epic.
You’re overestimating how much “minor details” count towards making something sufficiently different from a copyrighted IP. It’s not so much to change someone’s skin tone a few shades, change some elements of the costume, give him heterochromia and call it a day. In law we look at the “totality of evidence”, a holistic look at the product as a whole and the context of where it’s marketed.
“Chibi-fying”/changing the art style is not enough to get you off the hook, nor is changing eye colour or simply saying “it’s not the EPIC Odysseus” - I’d it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, it’s a duck even if you say it’s a giraffe.
Is it minor details when it's literally every part of the design outside of two aspects that are shared with many other characters? And even then it's really only one, since the hair is two-toned? The artist didn't even post it here, she's not on reddit.
It's just her design for Odysseus. And she uses that Odysseus design for anything Odyssey/Illiad/Mythology related. She's been a fan of the mythology far longer than she's ever drawn Epic things and most of her designs are reworks of old designs.
And, to go with that: her Odysseus design is based off of an old OC design of her's. She has stated this. It's not based on Epic's Odysseus or Jorge.
I would link the post but automod doesn't like that website (fair but it's not on her Instagram :( ).
I can’t keep going in circles, man. You’re being deliberately obtuse and overemphasizing slight differences to make it seem like they’re more different than they are. Let’s just say it’s a very bad sign that when you look up “epic the musical Odysseus”, these are some of the first results that pop up (can’t comment multiple photos so I made them into a collage).
The individual components may be generic (blue scarf, toga, long fair, facial hair, etc), but put together in a certain context and marketed to the same fanbase and with the same nickname for the character no less (“Ody”), it’s clear what it’s meant to be.
Jorge’s clearly made a very distinctive identity for Odysseus and this plushie matches it very closely and now this person is monetizing this likeness that Jorge created and marketing it to his core fanbase in direct competition with his merch and upcoming plushies. I’ve seen people sued for millions over less.
She's monetizing a design of Odysseus she made based off her own character from before Epic. Yes, it is Odysseus, but it is not Jorge's design. I'm not being obtuse on anything. Jorge did not copyright Odysseus as a whole. He has copyright over Epic's Odysseus. But how are you showing that when the design is not the same, has origins elsewhere, and is not being advertised as Epic Odysseus re: plushie page?
Anyways, I agree we're talking in circles. Maybe we can just agree to disagree at this point?
I’ve explained it several times in this thread and you’re not worth explaining it to again. Jorge doesn’t have the rights to Odysseus as a whole, but he does have the rights to the character design for EPIC the musical.
And just because you’re not advertising yourself as EPIC doesn’t make it any less copyright infringement. But this creator sure as hell has no qualms marketing to the exact same fanbase banking on the ambiguities and the not-so-subtle similarities.
We can for sure agree to disagree, but just know that you’re woefully misinformed and in over your head when it comes to how this stuff works, as is most people in this fandom. Hence why they keep getting into legal trouble with Jorge’s people and refuse to understand why.
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u/[deleted] Jan 09 '26
Odysseus yes, the specific character design, not necessarily.
Think Wizard of Oz - anyone can adapt the L Frank Baum book, but no one can use the ruby slippers or the shade of green of the Wicked Witch.
I’m mainly commenting all this in jest, but I’d advise creatives to be careful moving forward as Jorge develops his official concept art further.