Blossomsoft and Me – Part 3
21Jul2010 Filed under: Spotlight Author: ElderMy desire to be known as Elder Prince rather than using my real name dates back to my teenage period when I discovered that my vocation would be that of an artist and creator. Naturally every skill that I learned converged into game creation :)
Why a pseudonym?
There are many reasons why artists use a pseudonym: distinctiveness, privacy, gender disguise, marketing presentation, etc.
Well, for me there’s an additional explanation.
The name Elder Prince makes me feel different, special. When I’m suiting this fictive persona my creativity and inspiration are greater. That said, I wouldn’t feel capable to attain that same inspirational degree with my real name associated with my creations. Elder Prince is like some sort of magical avatar to me. It’s powerful. That’s strange how a person’s name (fictive or real) can give a sense of purpose :D
In the legal system, operating under an artist pseudonym has certain particularities. Preserving confidentiality is one of the advantages. It’s well known that a successful artist can gather a very large crowd of fans during his/her career. There are also haters in the crowd, unfortunately. If the topic of a creation is controversial or likely to stir up emotions, this can endanger the life of the artist. Believe me, no one want to make his or her legal address available to furious stalkers. It happened to Stephen King!
That’s why, here in Québec, the government adopted a very special exemption in their Law to solve this issue. An artist operating under a pseudonym isn’t enslaved to register to the “Enterprise Registrar’, thus the artist’s name can remain hidden from the mass in order to preserve his or her anonymity.
- Tags: Project Management
Elder
August 4th, 2010 at 8:19 pm
I hope this article is useful to other artists who, just like me, are using a pseudonym in their profession and who are residing in the province of Québec or in lower parts of Canada. Apparently this law is the same for the United-States. I can’t tell about Europe or other countries.
I have used reliable sources of information (documents with official status, lawyer, etc) to write this entry.
For example; The “Act Respecting the Legal Publicity of Sole Proprietorships, Partnerships and Legal Persons” clearly specify this exception.
Anyone doubting about this law can call at this toll-free (Québec only) number 1 877 644-4545 and request about it. Given that this exemption isn’t common in practice you need to make sure that the person at the other end of the line knows about it, otherwise ask him/her to search further.
The fact is real:
An artist operating under a pseudonym isn’t enslaved to register to the “Enterprise Registrar’, whether it’s sole proprietorship, partnership or legal person.
Elder
August 5th, 2010 at 10:23 am
I’ve found this resourceful French website, the Québec Law Network, this page clearly confirms what I’m saying:
Original Text :
Google Translation: (slightly improved by me)
Alicex123
August 19th, 2010 at 7:12 pm
Elder, I really doubt anyone would even think of hating you after playing Eternal Eden! Anyone that hates you for making such an awesome game is a big fat fool! But I’m not saying concealing your birth name is unnecessary, I actually think that the Elder Prince is also your name, as is your birth name. I agree, calling you Elder makes you feel like a genius, a wise man, or even a god to me. As if you live in a fantasy world that specially creates super games like Eternal Eden!