Yeah, Tapas added something that's basically, if you want to pitch your comic to someone else, or if someone else wants to publish your comic, you would have to contact Tapas first and see if they wanted to make an offer.
In and of itself, it's a clause I don't feel comfortable with (I don't like the idea of having to ask mommy before I can sell my stuff) but could see others being fine with. It's unlikely to affect those uninterested in publishing with someone else, and even if you are, you could just send Tapas the 30-day-notice, reject their offer if it doesn't blow you away, and then be free to do whatever you want. It's not the end of the world, but those aren't rights that I want to give to something that is, for me, a mirror site.
They've mentioned that they're removing that clause, and are working on an official announcement now, last I heard.
The main issue, to me, is the way it was introduced without mention, and when people DID notice and start raising some alarm, Tapas' response was an extremely worrying "Oh we just want to HELP you!!! we have connections, and we're doing this for your own good!!!!" For me, this is the third or fourth time in a year on Tapas that something has come up that's made me uncomfortable with the way the company treats creators and the trend of pretending nothing is wrong afterwards. I don't blame the folks who feel uneasy staying.
