HIGHLA-L Digest - 25 Jul 2001 (#2001-219)
Automatic digest processor (LISTSERV@LISTS.PSU.EDU)
Wed, 25 Jul 2001 22:00:02 -0400
There is one message totalling 98 lines in this issue.
Topics of the day:
1. bootleg tapes & more
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Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2001 12:46:24 -1000
From: Geiger <geiger@maui.net>
Subject: Re: bootleg tapes & more
Bridget--
>>>But really, writing fanfiction and not distributing it is a silly
idea on the face of it. The reason people write fanfic is because
people want to read it, not just because a (smaller) group of people
want to write it.>>>
Really? Usually, people say they write fanfic because their muse MAKES
them, the creative force is so strong, yada, yada, yada. (And, of course,
because it's fun.)
>>>I hardly see how distributing material on
subscription-only lists or even on Web sites is "flagrant" in any
sense of the word.>>>
Of course, it is. Once something's on the Net, the author has zero control
of where it goes. The fanfic's "out there" for anyone to see, worldwide,
indefinitely. That's flagrant (a flouting of the law or morality). I find
it especially bizarre in light of the silliness people spew about fanfic
keeping a low profile to avoid irritating TPTB. Low profile & Internet just
do not go together.
>>> Emailing fanfic directly to Panzer-Davis or their
lawyers--that would be "flagrant." >>>
No, that's suicidal. But still the more honest approach.
>>>I write fanfic, but I also enjoy reading material that other people
write. What would be the use of simply writing stuff that I then
kept hidden under my pillow? It smacks of mental masturbation, and I
don't think that's why people write or read fanfic.>>>
Actually, I think that IS a large part of the scenario for some. But, even
if it's not the case for a given writer, I have no sympathy for someone
whose creative muse forces her to write fanfic. The price for using a
universe created by & belonging to others should be not being able to profit
from her work--& that includes showing it off publicly & getting whatever it
is people get from that, as well as $$$ rewards. If she wants to publish--&
free self-publishing is exactly what the Internet allows now--then try
writing something original of her own.
Lynn--
>>>TPTB upset about fanfic? Feeling stolen from, creatively raped
and morally outraged? I suppose it's possible, but I see no
evidence that's actually the case, in media fandom anyway.>>>
Well, too bad Reunion disallows questions about fanfic, so people can't ask
& find out what HL's PTB really think. So, I guess you & I will both just
continue to speculate.
Marina--
> Fanfic will *always* exist. Whether it exists on people's hard
> drives or in scrapbooks they keep in their desk drawers, or just
> in their heads, it will *always* exist. You cannot stop people
> from adding to the modern mythologies, even if it's only in
> their own heads.
No one cares what's in your head. Or even what you scribble down. But,
_distribute_ stuff based on another's creative work w/o permission, & that's
a problem.
> Ah, but they can't stop us. They could maybe stop us from
> distributing fanfic.
Yes, they could.
> another fan, who will send it to another fan... (Much like
> the way Professionals fanfic was distributed before the advent
> of the Net.) And they can't stop that either. Very soon, we're
> right back where we started.
And they could stop you again. The fact people keep stealing stuff in
general doesn't mean society has given up & repealed all the laws against
theft.
> You cannot chain up somebody's creativity, and the urge to
> share it. You just cannot.
No one's trying to chain up creativity. But, if the creative urge is so
blasted strong, I do wonder how come it isn't up to creating a unique
universe, rather than horning in on someone's else creativity? As for
sharing fanfic, the owners of the underlying creative material have every
legal right to stop that, when & if it ever pleases them to do so.
Nina
geiger@maui.net
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End of HIGHLA-L Digest - 25 Jul 2001 (#2001-219)
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