Links Roundup for 23 March 2011

[allisonmorris]

We've got a bumper crop of recent news items that are of interest to fans — a victory for fair use, a refreshingly positive take on fanworks and popular entertainment, and the reversal of a wrongful takedown.

• Copyright troll Righthaven achieves spectacular "fair use" loss
  Ars Technica reports that Righthaven, known for their indiscriminate lawsuits on behalf of rights owners, lost a recent case when a federal judge ruled that the reproduction of an entire news article by a non-profit group was fair use. Righthaven follows a business model that relies on scare tactics, skipping over the cease and desist step entirely in favor of the spectre of a potentially costly lawsuit. Their gamble that targets will pay to settle out of court didn't pay off this time, and may actually and ironically have strengthened fair use in the US.


• 5 Reasons Pop Culture Is Run by Fan-Fiction
  Cracked.com puts fanfiction into context, and presents a refreshingly positive spin on the topic, looking at the history, range, and omnipresence of fanworks. Hypocrisy is a theme of the article, as it points out again and again that there's little that divides many oft-mocked fannish tropes from oft-used (and highly successful) entertainment staples.


• How I Fought a YouTube Takedown and (Eventually) Won
  When Anita Sarkeesian's remix video critiquing sexism in video games was removed by YouTube not for copyright violation, but for an unexplained Terms of Service violation, she googled, tweeted, and sought help. The tale of the takedown's reversal is a heartening example of a victory over wrongful removal of content, but the time, effort, and expert help she needed to overturn the miscategorization of her fanwork as spam is sobering.

We want your suggestions! If you know of an essay, video, article, event, or link you think we should know about you can submit it in three easy ways: comment on the most recent Link Roundup on transformativeworks.org, LJ, or DW, tag a link with "for:otw_news" on Delicious or give @OTW_News a shoutout on Twitter. Links are welcome in all languages!

Submitting a link doesn't guarantee that it will be included in a roundup post, and inclusion of a link doesn't mean that it is endorsed by the OTW.

Mirrored from an original post on the OTW blog.

Links Roundup for 23 March 2011

[allisonmorris.livejournal.com]

We've got a bumper crop of recent news items that are of interest to fans — a victory for fair use, a refreshingly positive take on fanworks and popular entertainment, and the reversal of a wrongful takedown.

• Copyright troll Righthaven achieves spectacular "fair use" loss
  Ars Technica reports that Righthaven, known for their indiscriminate lawsuits on behalf of rights owners, lost a recent case when a federal judge ruled that the reproduction of an entire news article by a non-profit group was fair use. Righthaven follows a business model that relies on scare tactics, skipping over the cease and desist step entirely in favor of the spectre of a potentially costly lawsuit. Their gamble that targets will pay to settle out of court didn't pay off this time, and may actually and ironically have strengthened fair use in the US.


• 5 Reasons Pop Culture Is Run by Fan-Fiction
  Cracked.com puts fanfiction into context, and presents a refreshingly positive spin on the topic, looking at the history, range, and omnipresence of fanworks. Hypocrisy is a theme of the article, as it points out again and again that there's little that divides many oft-mocked fannish tropes from oft-used (and highly successful) entertainment staples.


• How I Fought a YouTube Takedown and (Eventually) Won
  When Anita Sarkeesian's remix video critiquing sexism in video games was removed by YouTube not for copyright violation, but for an unexplained Terms of Service violation, she googled, tweeted, and sought help. The tale of the takedown's reversal is a heartening example of a victory over wrongful removal of content, but the time, effort, and expert help she needed to overturn the miscategorization of her fanwork as spam is sobering.

We want your suggestions! If you know of an essay, video, article, event, or link you think we should know about you can submit it in three easy ways: comment on the most recent Link Roundup on transformativeworks.org, LJ, or DW, tag a link with "for:otw_news" on Delicious or give @OTW_News a shoutout on Twitter. Links are welcome in all languages!

Submitting a link doesn't guarantee that it will be included in a roundup post, and inclusion of a link doesn't mean that it is endorsed by the OTW.

Mirrored from an original post on the OTW blog.

Transform the OTW

[meganwest]

<a href="http://transformativeworks.org/how-you-can-help/support"><img src="http://transformativeworks.org/sites/default/files/March-Drive-2011.jpg" alt="23-29 March 2011 OTW Membership Drive" /></a>
Please repost this graphic by copying the text below the image and pasting it into your journal or website! If there’s one thing we know in fandom, it’s how to craft a good story — in words, in pictures, in sounds, in all three and more. We know that a good story involves showing, not telling, and we believe the OTW shows its members, year-round, the good works and good will of the many staff and volunteers who are devoted to communicating our core message: that fanworks are transformative and transformative works are legitimate.

But we're going to ask you to bear with us for the next week as we come right out and tell you about what we do, why we do it, why we need your help, and how you can support us. The best way to support the OTW is by becoming a member. If you haven’t joined yet, or if it’s time to renew your membership, or if you can spare a little more to keep us running, now is the best time to donate. Why? Because while the cost of an OTW membership will always remain low, for the next week — the length of the March Drive — we're offering special OTW premiums, and making them available at lower donation levels than ever before. Check 'em out. Tell us what you think.

There are other ways to support the OTW that we treasure dearly. Volunteer opportunities are available across all of our projects. We always welcome new perspectives, fresh enthusiasm, and eager minds.

Another way to help is by spreading the word about the OTW's mission and projects. The collective creativity of fandom is powerful — it's what binds our communities together, and it's what created the Organization for Transformative Works. This week, use that creativity to share the story of the OTW. Please support us using your words, your images, your multimedia, and your voices. Share the story of the OTW.

Transform the world; transform our future; transform the OTW.

Mirrored from an original post on the OTW blog.

Transform the OTW

[meganwest.livejournal.com]

<a href="http://transformativeworks.org/how-you-can-help/support"><img src="http://transformativeworks.org/sites/default/files/March-Drive-2011.jpg" alt="23-29 March 2011 OTW Membership Drive" /></a>
Please repost this graphic by copying the text below the image and pasting it into your journal or website!
If there’s one thing we know in fandom, it’s how to craft a good story — in words, in pictures, in sounds, in all three and more. We know that a good story involves showing, not telling, and we believe the OTW shows its members, year-round, the good works and good will of the many staff and volunteers who are devoted to communicating our core message: that fanworks are transformative and transformative works are legitimate.

But we're going to ask you to bear with us for the next week as we come right out and tell you about what we do, why we do it, why we need your help, and how you can support us. The best way to support the OTW is by becoming a member. If you haven’t joined yet, or if it’s time to renew your membership, or if you can spare a little more to keep us running, now is the best time to donate. Why? Because while the cost of an OTW membership will always remain low, for the next week — the length of the March Drive — we're offering special OTW premiums, and making them available at lower donation levels than ever before. Check 'em out. Tell us what you think.

There are other ways to support the OTW that we treasure dearly. Volunteer opportunities are available across all of our projects. We always welcome new perspectives, fresh enthusiasm, and eager minds.

Another way to help is by spreading the word about the OTW's mission and projects. The collective creativity of fandom is powerful — it's what binds our communities together, and it's what created the Organization for Transformative Works. This week, use that creativity to share the story of the OTW. Please support us using your words, your images, your multimedia, and your voices. Share the story of the OTW.

Transform the world; transform our future; transform the OTW.

Mirrored from an original post on the OTW blog.