Jim's stand on fic?

[Infamous as Elle!]

Oh yeah, never thought of it that way.  Even though I think a majority of people would say that as the author's creation, it's their ball game, there would be some jerk out there trying to turn things around by saying the author was copying them.  *sighs*

At least it's not fashion design.  With fashion design, the only thing you can claim rights over, is material that has the name of the designer woven into the fabric.  So there is free license on anything cool you can come up with to wear.  Say you draw out this really funky original design on a coat and show it to your best friend or even put it up on the net.  Your best friend could turn around and draw pretty much the exact same thing and claim it was their original idea.  Worse, you could both make the same outfit and both could claim it as an orignal design.  The only way you could say that it was definitely your pattern and exclusive to you is if you took that same coat and made it out of material that had your name all over it.

It's why it's so hard to bust people for knock offs.  The only way the law can really crack down on them is if they copy the logo letter for letter.  Which is why you'll see purses that look like Chanel but the C's on the purses are changed to turn inward instead or Disny instead of Disney apparel. 

For me, I don't see any harm in someone going out and getting their own materials to make an outfit on their own that would be ridiculously out of their price range but I think it's wrong for those same people to start making copy after copy and then selling them to the mass market for a quarter of the price.

[Starbeam]

There are also some authors who will allow fan fiction.  But then they also have very strict guidelines for it and have a form you have to fill out for them to approve, and then it also basically says that they own the work.  Mercedes Lackey did that, I don't know if she still does, and got the form from Marian Zimmer Bradley.  While searching for Mercedes Lackey and finding that out, it looks like at least one fan fic she approved was actually published.  I can see how using that form would be a good thing, because it keeps the person who wants to write the fan fic from changing the characters.

[Kali]

Here's a link to one of the better articles written on the subject.  Make sure you also read the notes at the bottom, they're interesting, too.  There are quotes from popular authors, from fans, and from fanfic writers/readers.

Fan Fiction, Novels, Copyright, and Ethics by Michela Ecks

[the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh]

yup, like Robert Jordan's last 3!!

Jordan had the whole series plan down before he started writing; the middle grew in the telling, but as I understand it there was never any doubt about there the end would be. So "holding pattern while he figured out where he was going" is not the failure mode there.

[the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh]

Yeah....not that the sex is bad...just that there's way too much and it seems, for any reason.
Oh, your son needs to be brought into his power?
He must need to screw Anita.
You need more power to take on your enemies....screw Anita.
Perhaps they should just advertise....."Need more metaphysical muscle? Try Screwing Anita"

I actually find this morally preferable to "Anita needs to have more interesting sex, so let's enable her to do it guilt-free by having horrible things happen to other people until and unless she does it", fwiw.

[the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh]

Parodies are safe, although I don't remember exactly how they, and satire, are okay.  That's how you can get away with stuff like Bored of the Rings, Spaceballs, This is Spinal Tap, etc.

Parodies are safe provided they're not too close to pastiche; look up Mickey Mouse and the Air Pirates sometime.

[the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh]

The sad truth about fanfic writers is, like so many other things, it only takes one to ruin it.  Anne McCaffrey initially allowed Pern fanfics, until (as I recall the story) something that was written in one of her novels had been portrayed in a fanfic.  Rather than accepting that she'd simply had the same idea, the fanfic author claimed McCaffrey had copied her and looked into legal action.  In the end, McCaffrey had no choice but to officially demand that no fanfics be done based on her work.

It may be worth noting that Pratchett and Gaiman have AIUI given specific individual fanfic authors permission where Good Omens is concerned.

[Tribblechomper]

Well, that's the other thing.
EVERY male she sleeps with is impressively well endowed??

I mean....let's be realistic here.

It's the Extense...

[Infamous as Elle!]

Does anyone know the specifics of say....a relative taking over and finishing novels?   Does the money go to the relative for finishing the writing and putting out the work or does it go to an estate of some kind?  Or is it split even?

I know Tolkien's son put out work along with other author's kids or brothers or sisters.....

[the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh]

Does anyone know the specifics of say....a relative taking over and finishing novels?   Does the money go to the relative for finishing the writing and putting out the work or does it go to an estate of some kind?  Or is it split even?

Depends entirely how the author's will is set up.

[Yeratel]

I beleive the relative would have to have inherited the author's copyrights in order to work on their existing characters. 

[DragonFire]

Jordan had the whole series plan down before he started writing; the middle grew in the telling, but as I understand it there was never any doubt about there the end would be. So "holding pattern while he figured out where he was going" is not the failure mode there.

If he had the plan down, then why the 3 or 4 books of nothing happening and pointless meandering?

Sorry, but it IS a failure....he trailed off into minutae in the middle of his story...that is a story telling 'DON'T'.

If he couldn't figure out where he was going, then in my opinion, he needed to sit down and work that out, not just write more books with the idea that eventually he'd work it out.

Knowing the end is important, but just as important, or possibly more, is HOW you get there.

We know Dresden is going to survive, in The Dresden Files books, we KNOW that ending. It's what he does to solve the problem and how he does it that suckers us in!

[Infamous as Elle!]

Ha ha!  So it becomes kind of like what some said about the second Matrix movie?  That it could have been easily integrated into the last movie, still been viable and not been such a waste of money or time with very little plot?

[Shecky]

But... but... you would've deprived moviegoers of all that CGI goodiness?!?

[DragonFire]

Ha ha!  So it becomes kind of like what some said about the second Matrix movie?  That it could have been easily integrated into the last movie, still been viable and not been such a waste of money or time with very little plot?

Nah, I liked the 2nd Matrix movie....I just think they shot themselves in the foot with their ending of the first one.

Jordans books dragged...plot points didn't move, characters stagnated, a whole host of new minor characters were introduced....and some of them started out as more powerful than a bunch of the mains, who were already far more powerful than the norm.

Basically, it seemed like he'd lost the thread of his story and it was flailing everywhich way, like a firehose that's turned on with no one holding it.
Some water hit the fire, but it wasn't a concentrated stream.