a fanwork section?

[Sway]

So she's new and already starting with the questions.. I'm sorry

I was just wondering if it was possible to have, say, a fanworks section?
I know there are a bunch of people who do fanarts and such. And I've started working on fanfiction.

Well. that's it

[Priscellie]

AVERT YOUR EYES, JIM!

On the original McAnally's rules, it states that you can't post fanfic anywhere that Jim might see it, or even let Jim know that it's being written.  Otherwise, he's obliged to get litigious, and that's not fun for anyone.  It's a bit of a "don't ask, don't tell" policy.  I think it's a great idea to have a section for fanart, but I'm at a loss for how you could share your fanfic (I know I'd be interested in reading it!) without it getting to Jim.  I'm fairly sure that he doesn't read the Dresden Files LiveJournal, if that helps.  Or maybe you could try posting at The Pit of Voles, where even the bravest fear to tread?

[Sway]

Thanks for letting me know.

Though I never though that writing fanfiction is actually illegal. Or at least, it sounds like it. I mean, I've been writing for BtVS for quite some time and nobody every said a peep. But who am I to argue. I don't want to get sued....

I have already posted over at LJ. And I was in fact aiming to post it on the Dresden Files sites I'm putting together as I write this..

Well then...  I'll keep it hidden

[Rages]

i don't know about the illegal part but the problem with an author reading a fan's work is that they might actually copy a plot or story line from you without them realising they've done it. so you can see the problem for them if they publish a book with someone else's idea, they could get hit by a lot of legal issues from an irate fan who say's they've pinched their ideas. so obviously for the author that's bad bad bad, hence no fan writing!

hope that makes the situation a little clearer for you sway!

[Sway]

Yeah well.. it's getting clearer and I seem to be to only klutz out there who didn't know. I mean, I get the point but...

There are so many archive sites and such and their content is illegal. That's just confusing me. I mean.. I get that it would pull a big I-sue-you-cause-you-stole-and-I-sue-you-back-cause-you-stole-from-me-first thing but still...

I have just discussed this with some people over on my LJ. Apparently, we were all lucky 'cause Joss Whedon is a friend of fanfic supports it.

Oh well.. I'll stop pondering and post my writing in a secure place then

[Priscellie]

The policies are different for every fandom, but it more or less boils down to what Rages said.  Though according to the old McAnally's rules (are they still online anywhere?  The Wayback Machine is being buggy), I don't think it would be an issue putting your fic on a personal site as long as you don't advertise it anywhere Jim frequents. 

Mods, please correct me if I'm wrong in my assumptions.  After all, when you make an assumption, you could make an ass out of yourself, and the "ump" will "shun" you.

[Sway]

I guess I can live with that. I doubt that he'll frequent his own fansite

And if I'm asked to take my stuff down, so be it. I don't wanna get sued

Thanks for letting me know, though.

[iago]

Yeah, the fanfiction stuff is pretty simple: if Jim knows about it, he has to do something about it.  He's legally responsible to do something about it, because to fail to do that, would mean that he's giving up what is, essentially, his trademark, to stuff that he's created.  He can't fail to do that.  So on anything we know Jim to frequent, he can't be exposed to it.

[Sway]

Yeah, I get that.

Apparently, it's different for each fandom. Not the legality-part but what I've heard just now is that e.g. Joss Whedon encourages fanfiction.

But hey.. I kinda understand that though I wasn't aware of it to that extend. As I said.. I'll do it quite-like and when I'm asked to take it down, I will. There are only a few people who will visit me in prison if I get sued

[Mickey Finn]

Yeah, the fanfiction stuff is pretty simple: if Jim knows about it, he has to do something about it.  He's legally responsible to do something about it, because to fail to do that, would mean that he's giving up what is, essentially, his trademark, to stuff that he's created.  He can't fail to do that.  So on anything we know Jim to frequent, he can't be exposed to it.

Which brings up an interesting question about the MUSH being created off his works. Hrm. *


*An honest Hrm. No implied snarkiness.

[iago]

I don't think a MUSH qualifies as "publication", and I do think that one has already asked for Jim's blessing, and gotten it.

[Mickey Finn]

*nods* She has (gotten his blessing).  I was just curious as to the legal ramifications. I know Zelazny and Brust gave permissions for the MUSHes based off their works, but I also know lawyers  came in and harrassed Amber's wizards regarding the use of another author's characters in Amber*, so I was curious.
I want SemiAutoMagicMUSH to do well, with no problems.


*For those of you who don't know Amber, it's a universe in which anything exists in infinate shadows (aka dimensions), so the works of other authors would exist out there somewhere. On AmberMUSH (a real-time text-based online rpg), some players brought other characters from other authors into the game. One author's lawyers took exception to this.

[Minion]

Most authors don't mush so stand little chance of seeing what's done there.

I'm doing my best to skirt around most issues by moving the game to a new city entirely and under no circumstances allowing canon characters.

A lot of authors don't want MUSHes for their works for all sorts of copyright violation issues or general 'it's my sandbox get your ownness.' Others welcome them so long as you get and ok and post up copyright news files. The first news file I put in clearly said that all things Dresdenverse are copyrighted to Jim and all things FATE to Evil Hat.

While this may not hold legal value, it's good enough for most authors when it comes to allowing a game to run. I'm lucky since Jim's a gamer himself and I didn't have to explain what a MUSH is before getting his ok.

It is something of a grey area I think as it's playing in his world without his characters in it. It all comes down, in these cases, to the author and their lawyers.

[thomasfan]

I write BtVS fanficton, too, and never heard that it was illegal.  I always put disclaimers on mine.  Anyway, I think it would be hard writing something about Harry and the others.  I mean in first person like Butcher does.     Once you do that then they lose their " life " as it were.  They're not the same.

Carol

[Dom]

I think the difference with Buffy/Xena/Marvel Comics/DC Comics/etc. is that all of those are already shared worlds.  Both TV and the big print comics have multiple writers--tv is, in fact, required to hire freelance writers I think.  So it'd be stupid for those mediums to pester fanfiction writers, since those fanfic writers will grow up to be the next generation of scriptwriters and the like for those mediums.

Book fandom, however, is different.  It's not collaborative in most cases.  Therefore, hush on the fanfic.

Or at least, this is how I read it.