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otw_news2008-01-25 08:30 pm
ciderpress.livejournal.com) wrote in otw_news2008-01-25 08:30 pm
Entry tags:
Upcoming events: International Outreach
Last week's anti-fanfic bingo voting had a fantastic turn out. If you didn't have the chance last week, please swing by to check out the questions and answers and tell us which ones are your favourites.
*
There has been a great deal of discussion during and after our "Why OTW?" week, not only about OTW, but also about what it is to identify as a fan, what fandom means to different people and how individual fans and groups shape their own fannish experiences.
It's evident from what we've read that there have been some misconceptions about what our org is and what we hope to do. We apologise if we have been unclear about some of the concepts and policies, and we hope you will understand that we are still in the process of setting up policies and honing language. We don't have all the final, polished answers yet and we need time, hard work and your help to do that. In fact, our content policy will be up for discussion and feedback in a fandom-wide setting before we set our policies in stone.
This week, we have been discussing and working on plain language FAQs which address some of the concerns and rumours making the rounds. For example, the rumour that we will ban men from using the archive and other org services -- not only is that rumour completely untrue (and on the internet, how would we even know if you're a man?), we'd like to remind everyone that we have men among the staffers at OTW. We welcome all fans, regardless of gender, race and age, who wish to use the archive and wiki or need advice. (Plus, we don't eat babies, no matter how much ketchup there is and how tasty they look.)
Keep a look out for those FAQs as well as some interviews with some of the board members in the next few weeks!
*
Finally, we need your help. We're kicking off our outreach campaign this March. One of our outreach goals is to make the archive and website accessible to a wide population. The archive is being built so that fanfiction in any language can be uploaded and read.
We know that there are a huge number of fandoms across the world: German fandoms, Spanish fandoms, Japanese fandoms, Korean fandoms etc... all kinds of different language fandoms. If you are currently in fandoms that are conducted in a language other than English or have been in these fandoms, we would appreciate your advice and your experience! We want to know about archiving, we want to know about legal situations in different countries, we want to know about how large the fandoms are, and what kind of fandoms there are.
Currently, we would like to start off by translating the OTW website into different languages so that people who speak various native languages can find out about us. We've also realised that organising chats in different time zones can be tricky. We're planning to open some discussion posts conducted in different languages where various native speakers of those languages can ask questions more easily.
We need volunteers who can give us a hand with international outreach. If you are interested, please read the Volunteers post following this post for more info.
ETA: changed "this spring" to "this March". My gravest apologies, Southern Hemisphere.
*
There has been a great deal of discussion during and after our "Why OTW?" week, not only about OTW, but also about what it is to identify as a fan, what fandom means to different people and how individual fans and groups shape their own fannish experiences.
It's evident from what we've read that there have been some misconceptions about what our org is and what we hope to do. We apologise if we have been unclear about some of the concepts and policies, and we hope you will understand that we are still in the process of setting up policies and honing language. We don't have all the final, polished answers yet and we need time, hard work and your help to do that. In fact, our content policy will be up for discussion and feedback in a fandom-wide setting before we set our policies in stone.
This week, we have been discussing and working on plain language FAQs which address some of the concerns and rumours making the rounds. For example, the rumour that we will ban men from using the archive and other org services -- not only is that rumour completely untrue (and on the internet, how would we even know if you're a man?), we'd like to remind everyone that we have men among the staffers at OTW. We welcome all fans, regardless of gender, race and age, who wish to use the archive and wiki or need advice. (Plus, we don't eat babies, no matter how much ketchup there is and how tasty they look.)
Keep a look out for those FAQs as well as some interviews with some of the board members in the next few weeks!
*
Finally, we need your help. We're kicking off our outreach campaign this March. One of our outreach goals is to make the archive and website accessible to a wide population. The archive is being built so that fanfiction in any language can be uploaded and read.
We know that there are a huge number of fandoms across the world: German fandoms, Spanish fandoms, Japanese fandoms, Korean fandoms etc... all kinds of different language fandoms. If you are currently in fandoms that are conducted in a language other than English or have been in these fandoms, we would appreciate your advice and your experience! We want to know about archiving, we want to know about legal situations in different countries, we want to know about how large the fandoms are, and what kind of fandoms there are.
Currently, we would like to start off by translating the OTW website into different languages so that people who speak various native languages can find out about us. We've also realised that organising chats in different time zones can be tricky. We're planning to open some discussion posts conducted in different languages where various native speakers of those languages can ask questions more easily.
We need volunteers who can give us a hand with international outreach. If you are interested, please read the Volunteers post following this post for more info.
ETA: changed "this spring" to "this March". My gravest apologies, Southern Hemisphere.
Re: tidbit of German legal info
I wonder why that is. I mean it's not something I'm only picking from people, but from the stuff I found, too. And, I don't know. Maybe the "art" scene in Europe is staying further away from pop culture than in north America? And it just hasn't come up much?
Fanfiction is even less well known around here.
But I can easily see how the grey areas could become protected. And even get limited copyright. (As in, yes, the original thing belongs to you; no, that doesn't mean you own all the derivative work and can money off it)
I have seen references to something like 'still unknown uses' which maybe could apply here, but I haven't looked at any of the laws for that and if they're of any use to us.
I think a huge part of the problem is that we're doing something which most people who have something to do with copyright do haven't done - we're not out for money or any equivalent to that, like say, status within the scientific community by using other people's work.
... are there any other areas that compare to what we're doing? Maybe precendents there would be helpful to our situation.
And the whole situation is rather paradox. Copyright law is supposed to protect the theft of ideas - which we aren't doing. We're all recognizing that we didn't come up with those characters and universe and give credit to the creators. And to protect the material interests of what comes off it.
At least that's how understand it.
Fanfiction doesn't touch upon either of those, in my opinion.
*sigh* I'd love to talk to an actual judge, lawyer or professor to gauge their opionion. Because logical/legitimate and legal can be two vastly different things. Unfortunately, my cousin who is a lawyer deals mostly in family law (and what I like to call annoying petty stuff; wills, the odd insurance stuff. I mean, it's important when you actually deal with it. But it's not the most exciting stuff in the world from an outsiders perspective) And the professor my family is friendly with, I'm pretty sure he deals more with the constituational side of law. Neither of which is helpful.
Still, I might talk to the professor next time we're having dinner or coffee together. Dude might possibly know everything about anything.
I find I think best when I have somebody to bounce ideas and questions off on, preferably somebody who has some kind of knowledge about the subject.
And on European copyright law, last I heard it is getting more unfriendly. mostly because law makers are starting to follow the lead of the US.
I found myself outraged at a few bits and pieces I heard about, but mostly I just started to ignore it as much as possible. Which is stupid on so many levels, but pick and chose your battles. And I chose to hide under a rock and hope it all went away at some point.
I may reconsider that stand point now.
Re: tidbit of German legal info
Fanfic was never considered, because tiny clots of fans exchanging comments or story fragments among themselves was no danger to the author's income--which is the indirect purpose of copyright law. (The direct purpose is "to promote progress in the arts and sciences"--securing economic safety encourages people to publish more widely.)
It's only very recently that noncommercial works can get widespread publication or display. And copyright law that was designed (in part) to deal with "giving away flyers with a picture copied from a book to promote your bookstore" (which should require the artists' permission/residual payments/whatever) is suddenly facing excerpts of the orginal being used to promote the original in an unauthorized fashion. Which sometimes the IP holder objects to, but doesn't seem to be doing a damn bit of harm to the IP holders' income, nor to artistic progress in general.
Plus, there's the nightmarish truth that the entire web is full of "copies"--that in order to visit a website, its content is copied on various servers and your own hard drive. These are authorized copies... but it's entirely unclear how or if someone can "unauthorize" them. (Removing your webpage doesn't remove it from Google. And you can't enforce "my content may not be copied to AOL-owned servers.")
Copyright law is very confused right now. Pat it on the head. Give it cookies. Make no sudden movements; confused laws can lash out unexpectedly.
Re: tidbit of German legal info
That's why I asked somewhere if anybody as ever done anything like fanfic. In other areas of law. At least I think I asked
(re: promotion. they might argue that a lot of the fanfic messes with the image they branded their product with. Which will make them drag out the... uh.. quirkier stories. Ignoring all the other stuff that plays right into it. (and they should really get off their asses and give us more gay characters. I have a secret wish that one of 'my' shows, when/if they get cancelled reveal the undying love between my favorite slash couple in the final episode. I have favorite het couples, too. But that's been done.))
Re: tidbit of German legal info
Also, saying "thousands of squeeing fangirls buy our stuff because they think our villain & hero should be getting it on" fails as a claim of damages.
Re: tidbit of German legal info
And if we argue that we're promoting their stuff, they will hit back with saying, we do not want people telling viewers that the two main characters have mad hot buttsex all the time, thank you very much.
Of course, I think personally think they're full of shit, but some "brands" are more than a little touchy about the image associated with them.
Mostly I think people should just grow up and realize that different people percieve things a different way and what the hell do we care how somebody else sees it? Sadly, most of the world does not seem to agree with me. Maybe I'm just cynical.