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PoweroftheBook
Joined: 20 Aug 2003
Posts: 80
Location: Appalachin Mountains of North Carolina
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 Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2004 1:21 am Post subject: How Lucky We All Are... |
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Being a fan of Anne McCaffrey's series The Dragons of Pern, I was slightly disappointed to see that she was one of the authors that forbade any fanfiction about her novels being posted on the net. I can understand her feelings about not wanting to see her characters abused, and it is, after all, her right.
But when I looked at her website for the first time in a long time, I found that she has created a Fan Fiction Forum - you pay her money to post and read Pern fanfiction, and the material then comes under her control. On the subscription page, Ms. McCaffrey states that she never truly realized how large the fanfiction-writing base was in the world. I could make several unkind comments here, but I'll refrain. 
It's her right. It's enough to turn me off of her series and sell the Dragon paperbacks, even though I know it's her right.
Really puts into context though, how lucky we are to have the gracious Tolkien Estates in control of the copyright-legal-mumbo-jumbo. We can write endless fanfiction and not have to pay a dime for posting it for others to read.
In the meantime, is anyone interested in purchasing fifteen or so McCaffrey paperbacks?
Thoughtfully,
The Power of the Book  |
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sindohte
Joined: 13 May 2003
Posts: 1621
Location: Rubbing up against an Elf
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| Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2004 8:45 am Post subject: |
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While I can understand her wanting to protect the characters that she created, what exactly is she doing with the fanfic submitted to her site by the general public? Is she possibly using it as source material for future books?
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abandon thought, and let the dream descend... |
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KhazarKhum
Joined: 02 Sep 2003
Posts: 234
Location: Quartz Hill, CA--USA
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| Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2004 8:48 pm Post subject: |
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What would be nice is if the Tolkien estate permitted publication of approved work, or perhaps licensed work. Such an arrangement would keep it under their control, and the works would not have to exist in legal limbo.
khazar |
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BittenBuggy
Joined: 27 Dec 2003
Posts: 2108
Location: Busy Being the Queen Of Everything.. And Trying to Catch the Yoda-Copter
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| Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2004 9:33 pm Post subject: |
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Oh, thats such a shame! Hearing that ruins it for me too.  I really enjoy her writing, but I don't think I'll be able to read with the same enthusiasm anymore... Pity....
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-The Queen of Everything - so dubed by Aerin
-"My ultimate fantasy is to entice a man to my bedroom, put a gun to his head and say, 'Make babies or die'."
-"The Pope! how many divisions has he got?" - Stalin |
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sindohte
Joined: 13 May 2003
Posts: 1621
Location: Rubbing up against an Elf
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| Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2004 9:35 pm Post subject: |
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That raises an interesting question - which current authors might be capable of maintaining the spirit of Tolkien's work, if they were granted the awesome opportunity and responsibility of writing a Tolkien estate approved book?
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abandon thought, and let the dream descend... |
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Roisin
Joined: 11 May 2003
Posts: 449
Location: U.S.A.
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| Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2004 10:56 pm Post subject: |
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The only fantasy writer other than Tolkien with whom I am familiar is Marion Zimmer Bradley.
Roisin |
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PoweroftheBook
Joined: 20 Aug 2003
Posts: 80
Location: Appalachin Mountains of North Carolina
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| Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2004 12:04 am Post subject: |
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Ugh...Sorry about not replying earlier to your question, sindohte. A stomach virus attacked me this morning with unmitigated viciousness. Dragged myself to the computer this afternoon to post a chapter, promptly collapsed.
Per the question of Anne McCaffrey's Fan Fiction Forum, I no longer am 100% certain that payment is a requirement to post. Reading the Rules and Regulations part of the Subscription page, the repeated use of the term 'subscription' was used, which I have always thought meant a paid service. It is similar to the 'Registration' used at this Archive and on FF Net, but with some differences.
Subscribers are limited to one posted chapter, one-shot story, or poem per month, under a word limit. All posted works come under the 'Work For Hire' clause that makes these works the legal property of Anne McCaffrey. Anne McCaffrey has agreed never to read or look at the work posted on the site to ensure that she does not plagiarize these writers.
For posting information that was based on the assumption of a definition, I humbly apologize to all Open Scrolls members.
Apologetically,
The Power of the Book |
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miriel361
Joined: 10 Jun 2003
Posts: 417
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| Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2004 2:04 am Post subject: |
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I love the works of both Anne McCaffrey and Marion Zimmer Bradley. Especially AM's Botany series. That almost inspired me to start writing fanfic as too did MZB's Darkover series. Science Fiction with strong female roles. Oh and AM wrote a wonderful book called Elvenbane with wickedly naughty and handsome elves...
Anyway back to the question as to what these authors do with the stories. Both have edited anthologies of stories and given new authors the chance to get published. Perhaps the stories come from here...
As to who writes like Tolkien... MZB would probably be up there for me. Darkover, like MiddleEarth is a complete world with a real history, and very believable too. |
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Maram68
Challenge Admin
Joined: 11 May 2003
Posts: 535
Location: West from East
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| Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2004 9:42 am Post subject: |
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| miriel361 wrote: | | As to who writes like Tolkien... MZB would probably be up there for me. Darkover, like MiddleEarth is a complete world with a real history, and very believable too. |
I am a fan of Marion Zimmer Bradley as well. Though I am more hooked on the whole Avalon series, since I always was nuts for the Arthurian tale (as far as I can remember)
My own OFC was loosely inspired upon Mists of Avalon/The Firebrand and some research I made on the theories about the Amazons which were involved in the Trojan war.
MZB is a genius. 
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KhazarKhum
Joined: 02 Sep 2003
Posts: 234
Location: Quartz Hill, CA--USA
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| Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2004 12:13 pm Post subject: |
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I will probably alienate a lot of you, but here goes.
MZB died in 1999.
And before lighting candles for her, please check out this site.
http://stephengoldin.com/mzb/index.html
Having witnessed first-hand what this does to the victims(my
nieces, 2 & 5 at the time) I can no longer regard her with anything
other than disgust.
khazar |
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Maram68
Challenge Admin
Joined: 11 May 2003
Posts: 535
Location: West from East
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| Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2004 1:47 pm Post subject: |
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| KhazarKhum wrote: | I will probably alienate a lot of you, but here goes.
MZB died in 1999.
And before lighting candles for her, please check out this site.
http://stephengoldin.com/mzb/index.html
Having witnessed first-hand what this does to the victims(my
nieces, 2 & 5 at the time) I can no longer regard her with anything
other than disgust.
khazar |
Thank you for the info, Kazhar. You are right. MZB the woman belonged to the kind of people that one would rather lock up somewhere instead of letting them do or allow things like that.
Nevertheless, and while I will see the author in a different light. her work is still treasured in my heart ... until I find anything better .
Thanks, I am always open to learn a bit more everyday 
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Lord, grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the Courage to change the things I can and the Wisdom to hide the bodies of the people I may have to kill because they piss me off. |
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Viv
Challenge Admin
Joined: 24 Apr 2003
Posts: 71
Location: Texas
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| Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2004 2:22 pm Post subject: |
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| PoweroftheBook wrote: | | All posted works come under the 'Work For Hire' clause that makes these works the legal property of Anne McCaffrey. Anne McCaffrey has agreed never to read or look at the work posted on the site to ensure that she does not plagiarize these writers. |
Technically, according to US copyright law, the original copyright holder for any work registered in the US retains exclusive rights to any and all derivative works. That includes fanfiction. Most authors are so hungry for the readership and so nervous about alienating their fans that they don't see the point in pursuing their legal rights with regard to fic. But all of us who write fic do so only because the original authors choose to let us. |
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sindohte
Joined: 13 May 2003
Posts: 1621
Location: Rubbing up against an Elf
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| Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2004 8:23 am Post subject: |
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| PoweroftheBook wrote: | Subscribers are limited to one posted chapter, one-shot story, or poem per month, under a word limit. All posted works come under the 'Work For Hire' clause that makes these works the legal property of Anne McCaffrey. Anne McCaffrey has agreed never to read or look at the work posted on the site to ensure that she does not plagiarize these writers.
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Thanks for the info PoweroftheBook. It is only fair that Anne McCaffrey promises to not read or use the material posted on the site as a basis for her own work. But it is still interesting that anything posted on her site becomes her material, even though she will never use it and the original author of the fanfic can never publish it for fear of a lawsuit. I guess that goes to show the old adage of - if you can't beat them, join them - is alive and well. Thank goodness we are allowed to gently use Tolkien's characters for our sometimes naughty purposes. Because if that was not the case, I would be writing a story about an Elf prince named Leegolass who lives in Murkwood. 
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