Cardiff Kook copyright will help pay for garden’s upkeep

CARDIFF-BY-THE-SEA — Cardiff 101 Mainstreet copyrighted the Cardiff Kook statue in 2007, when it commissioned the work. The copyright hasn’t been actively enforced, but that’s changing. 

Any attempt to monetize the Cardiff Kook will now need to go through Cardiff 101 Mainstreet.

The image of the famed statue, often the target of pranks and tributes alike, will be licensed to help fund maintenance efforts for Carpentier Parkway, according to Morgan Mallory, one of the directors of Cardiff 101 Mainstreet.

“Our intent, succinctly, is to maintain the park for our community,” Mallory said.

Paralleling the railroad tracks between Birmingham Drive and Chesterfield Drive, Carpentier Parkway is a volunteer-driven public garden that emphasizes sustainable practices. Carpentier Parkway draws from a few other sources of funding, and Mallory said the Cardiff Kook licensing will “further aid the park.”

“If people decide to make Cardiff Kook T-shirts or charge for a web app where people dress the Kook, they will need to contact us to talk about licensing opportunities,” Mallory said.

Mallory added that some people using the Cardiff Kook’s likeness for commercial purposes don’t realize it’s copyrighted.

As for how much it is to obtain licensing rights, Mallory couldn’t give a ballpark number because it varies greatly depending on the product’s use of the license.

Cardiff 101 Mainstreet has licensed the image for the annual Cardiff Kook run and the Cardiff Kook calendar in the last year. Mallory said he’s “looking forward to more partnerships like that.”

In addition to the licensing funding Carpentier Parkway, Cardiff 101 Mainstreet recently agreed to give Matthew Antichevich, the statue’s creator, a portion. Mallory said Cardiff 101 Mainstreet is still working out how much Antichevich will receive, but said most of the licensing fees will go to Carpentier Parkway.