Free The Fremont Troll

Look again. Is that a mischievous grin on the face of the giant Fremont troll who lives under the Aurora bridge? Or is it a painful grimace? He is now the subject of a copyright-infringement lawsuit brought by his creators against a local firm. The suit is unreasonable, unnecessary, and decidedly un-Seattle.

The artists who designed the quirky concrete landmark took legal action last week against Prolab, a Fremont-based photofinishing company, which used the troll's image in direct-mail advertising without first obtaining permission. As soon as the firm realized the error, says Fremont Arts Council member Lyle Morgan, it immediately apologized.

Based on market rates in similar cases, Morgan says, the firm should pay between $300 to $500 for the infraction. But the troll's creators decided to go after the big bucks instead. They are now demanding $100,000 - an absurd and excessive fee, according to the arts council, which had supported the artists in past copyright complaints. "We definitely support artists' rights," Morgan said. "But we don't support greed regardless of who engages in it."

Amen. This suit is unnecessarily punitive. The troll is a unique creature of the community, selected by public vote and paid for in part by a city neighborhood matching grant. Its creators should not be allowed to reap huge private gains every time a neighborhood firm makes an honest mistake about copyrights and is willing to make reasonable amends.

If the troll's creators want to sell their rights (for a price determined by an independent appraisal), they should just do so. Or they should simply renounce those rights altogether. A similar decision by the creator of another of Fremont's landmarks, "Waiting for the Interurban," has helped the community avoid litigious conflict over that sculpture.

Either way, the troll sculptors should relent and agree to a more fair and amicable resolution. Public art shouldn't be held hostage to such petty bickering. Free the troll, and restore the good vibes in the Republic of Fremont.