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Language English In late December, 2015, Paramount and CBS sued the makers of Axanar, a Star Trek fan film that is intended to be professional quality and has been funded in significant part by Kickstarter and Indiegogo crowdfunding. The OTW ... [More] has no relationship with Axanar or its makers, and we don’t know what the film will be like, so we can’t speak to the merits of this suit in particular. But we are troubled by much of Paramount’s Complaint, which we believe is based on a fundamental misunderstanding of fair use law. U.S. copyright law identifies several factors to consider in determining whether a new work based on a preexisting work is fair use, including (1) whether the new work transforms the meaning or purpose of the original, (2) whether the new work is noncommercial (that is, not made for profit), (3) how much of the original work the new work copies, and (4) whether the new work competes in the market with the original work. Fair use favors works that are noncommercial and not sold for a profit; that are transformative, adding new meaning or messages to the original; that are limited, not copying the entirety of the original; and that do not substitute for the original work. None of these factors is absolutely necessary for fair use, but they all help, and we believe that noncommercial fan films that use discrete elements from original works and add new meaning to them are precisely the kinds of works that the law should encourage. The fact that the hosting or creation of a work may be funded by one person, or crowdfunded by many people, doesn’t make the resulting work commercial. And the fact that a fanwork is high-quality or expensive to produce does not undermine the fact that it is fair use. We hope that copyright owners agree with us: fanworks often add to the markets for original copyrighted works, rather than competing with them. The OTW strongly believes that Paramount should be supporting the creators of noncommercial fan films, not threatening them. For more information on the OTW’s position on copyright, fanworks, and fair use, see the “Legal” section of the OTW FAQ. OTW Legal will continue to watch the progress of this lawsuit. News topic tags: Entertainment IndustriesIntellectual PropertyMoviesFanfilmsMessage: Announcement [Less]

Language English An article at The Mary Sue proposed talking to leaders in the fanfic and fanart worlds to get a better sense of what inspired them to create, how they feel about the higher profile, and how they see their work being ... [More] devalued—not just in the media but from within the assumed safe space of fandom." The article discussed community, representation, bullying, and mocking of fanworks. MTV.com promoted a video produced by Amplify with fangirls defining themselves by what they weren't, including taking a stand against RPS, and stalking celebrities. Amplify promotes music performers and is a Twitter-specific outlet that will utilize its auto play video. "As the ultimate live platform, we see Twitter as the ideal distribution network to reach a global audience instantly with the content they want to see and can’t get anywhere else. We want to create the MTV of 2015, reacting to news, music, technology, pop culture, and influencers within the hour.” Following the trend of an increasing number of music and social media personalities, Officially K Music promoted VAV's selection of a fandom name after voting took place on their social media accounts. However originality is becoming a problem. "Since Vamps was already chosen as a fandom name for another band, they changed the “s” to a “z” and viola! Vampz was created!" The New Statesman reminded people that fandoms aren't exclusively for any one gender. "[Y]ou might not have noticed that you were surrounded by female Star Wars fans all these years because you were the one who rendered them invisible. Women who like things such as Star Wars, or comics, or anything else that leads journalists to write those painful 'not just for boys anymore' trend stories, have had to take it from all sides. Enthusiasm for something seen as the province of men clashes with mainstream perceptions of femininity. Even women liking this stuff in the context of traditionally feminized fan spaces, like fanfiction, find themselves fending off assumptions from men and women alike, perhaps the accusation that they are sexualizing something too much, or they are placing too much weight on the emotional elements of a storyline. Basically, that they’re liking the thing the wrong way." Fanlore was created on the principle that having fans define themselves and include their many points of view was the best way to create a fandom resource. Help build it by starting an account and adding in your own experiences! We want your suggestions! If you know of an essay, video, article, podcast, or link you think we should know about, comment on the most recent OTW Fannews post. Links are welcome in all languages! Submitting a link doesn't guarantee that it will be included in a Fannews post, and inclusion of a link doesn't mean that it is endorsed by the OTW. News topic tags: TelevisionFannish PracticesFanfictionFannish CommunitiesMessage: News of Note [Less]

Language English The release of two books has continued to spread discussion about fanfiction. The Guardian wrote about Stephanie Meyers' genderswapped Twilight. "Life and Death is apparently a demonstration of how anyone, male or female ... [More] , would react in the same way to a sexy, immortal love interest. But I'm not sure it exactly plays out like that. The idea of a moody teenage boy going gooey over a centuries-old, mysterious, super-strong woman who can fly feels revolutionary. Add in the fact that the book is from his point of view, allowing pages of moping about whether or not this powerful older woman actually likes him, and a pack of lady werewolves, and this is sounding like the book I’ve been waiting to read all my life." Rainbow Rowell's Carry On has been featured in many an article that draws attention to its fanfic focus, though not necessarily in depth. The L.A. Times instead focused on the growth of diversity since Harry Potter debuted. The Guardian notices similar pushbacks but ties them closely to fanfic. "Carry On is in conversation with much of our popular culture... characters and plot points in Carry On can feel like direct rebuttals at times. Like the best fan fiction, this is one of the book’s chief pleasures: the way it simultaneously talks to these texts, pushes back at them and challenges them critically, while still letting the reader get lost in the world that Rowell has created." Slate also focused on the positive influence of fanfic. "You’re able to see the characters in the moment, rather than burdened by years of history. You skip the world-building and get right to the drama and emotion. And you’re definitely able to just go with it when the story takes a turn for the slash. In Fangirl, at one point Cath gets in trouble in her creative writing class for turning in fan fiction. Her professor insists that it doesn’t count if she didn’t create the characters and the world in the first place. But Carry On makes a case for fan fiction’s literary legitimacy. It’s not easy to mimic, deconstruct, and remix the elements of a magical world in the way Rowell has here." The Daily Dot most directly used the novel to discuss fanfiction at large. "Carry On isn't just fanfiction; rather, fanfiction itself is never just fanfiction. This is the thing that we who write fanfiction have so much trouble getting across to people unfamiliar with the medium. Carry On contain's Rowell's own original work, her own branching-off into something new--new characterizations, character dynamics, ways of thinking about the tropes that started with Rowling, and takes on magic and worldbuilding. It's absolutely fanfiction, but it's also something entirely her own. This is what we mean when we call fanfiction transformative work." What have you seen as the most direct influence of fanfiction on literature? Write about it in Fanlore! Contributions are welcome from all fans. We want your suggestions! If you know of an essay, video, article, podcast, or link you think we should know about, comment on the most recent OTW Fannews post. Links are welcome in all languages! Submitting a link doesn't guarantee that it will be included in a Fannews post, and inclusion of a link doesn't mean that it is endorsed by the OTW. News topic tags: BooksFannish PracticesFanfictionMessage: News of Note [Less]

Language English Welcome to our Events Calendar roundup! The Events Calendar can be found on the OTW website and is open to submissions by anyone with news of an event. These can be viewed by event-type, such as Academic Conferences, Fan ... [More] Events and Fests, Legal Events, OTW Events, or Technology Events taking place around the world. Fans of Sherlock Holmes have a lot to celebrate this month. The BBC!Sherlock fandom has been eagerly awaiting The Abominable Bride, which finally airs tonight, 1 January, in both the UK and US. This special episode will be set in Victorian London and will stand alone. Sherlock Holmes's birthday is commonly celebrated on 6 January, although Sir Arthur Conan Doyle never specified the date. Will you be honouring the great detective on the sixth? Let us know in the comments! The Baker Street Irregulars (BSI) are holding their annual Baker Street Irregulars and Friends Weekend 14-16 January in New York City. The event is open to the public, excluding a special dinner exclusively for BSI members. More of a sci-fi buff than a Sherlockian? National Science Fiction Day is an unofficial holiday is marked by some sci-fi fans in the United States. It is celebrated on Isaac Asimov's birthday, 2 January, and is beginning to be noted on many calendars. The OTW encourages anyone to submit an event that's not already listed, and to check out the calendar throughout the year! News topic tags: BooksTelevisionFan ConventionsFannish CommunitiesMessage: Event [Less]

Language English Canada's National Post reported on the 141st birthday of Lucy Maud Montgomery by citing not only the various incarnations and tributes to Anne of Green Gables but also its fanfiction. "Anne fans are pretty prolific in the ... [More] fan fiction department, filling up the corners of the Internet with stories devoted to Anne’s experiences with postpartum depression or Anne and Gilbert’s romance (some are not as...chaste as the originals)." Tech Times reported on a Hannibal anthology of fanworks. "So, why focus on fan fiction surrounding Hannibal? 'It was a combination of both my interest in starting a fandom press in general and my love and admiration for the show,' Fleck said. 'After doing Brooklyn last year, I knew I wanted to eventually attempt another fanbook, but I had planned on waiting at least another year before doing it due to the time commitment. Watching Season 3 of Hannibal unfold changed that plan — the finale was the nail in the coffin, I knew Hannibal was something really special and I wanted to do a Hannibal book.'" WhoSay wrote about the short film "Fan Friction” produced for RocketJump: The Show. "The opportunity to have a story about two female characters and their friendship was really important, particularly because in geek and nerd culture there's a lot of hostility towards women historically. So it was an important and deliberate choice to make it two female characters. The goal with the short was to make it a love letter to female fans of nerdy stuff. Ideally that will make them feel included into a world where they are often excluded from." Deadline wrote about a planned documentary focusing on Phantom of the Paradise fandom. "Phantom of Winnipeg will tell the story of that fan community and how it’s still going strong today. Like a concentrated and highly idiosyncratic Rocky Horror Picture Show, the film found in Winnipeg a devoted audience of, weirdly, 9 to 13-year-olds, who bought hundreds of tickets. Phantom actually outsold Jaws in its initial release, and local sales of the soundtrack helped the album go gold in Canada. The film also spawned 'Phantompalooza,' a local festival held biannually since 2004." What fandoms and parts of fan culture do you think should be remembered? Write about them in Fanlore! Contributions are welcome from all fans. We want your suggestions! If you know of an essay, video, article, podcast, or link you think we should know about, comment on the most recent OTW Fannews post. Links are welcome in all languages! Submitting a link doesn't guarantee that it will be included in a Fannews post, and inclusion of a link doesn't mean that it is endorsed by the OTW. News topic tags: BooksMoviesTelevisionFannish PracticesFanfictionFanfilmsGender and SexualityRace, Ethnicity, and NationalityMessage: News of Note [Less]

Language English Hypable kicked off the end of year list tradition with an article on fandom things to be thankful for. "I knew that I wanted characters that I could relate to, but I had no idea the sort of self-assurance and confidence that ... [More] female characters like Peggy Carter, Kimmy Schmidt, Jessica Jones, and Trish Walker could inspire. Watching these ladies on screen made me feel like I wasn’t alone. That the things I feel and the way I see the world isn’t just an isolated view. Peggy Carter’s 'I know my value' line makes me burst into tears whenever I hear her say it because it feels like she’s talking to me. These complex women believe in themselves and give me the confidence to do the same. I’m so grateful that there’s finally a surge of women like them in media because I need them. We all do." Contributors to Star Wars.com discussed why they were grateful for the franchise. "More than anything, I’m thankful for the catharsis and moral center Star Wars has provided me, and the friends it has given me over the years. Without Star Wars, I’m not sure where I’d be and I can’t even imagine what my life would be like. Just about every person in my life that’s stuck around and been there for me I met because of Star Wars. I really don’t know who I’d be without it. It’s gotten me through all the toughest times and I know it’ll be there to do more of that in the future, too." MTV.com suggested that Hamilton was revolutionizing fandom and mentioned some aspects to be thankful for. "More importantly, the cast reflects what America looks like today, bringing both diversity and women into the forefront. (Werk.) The story is every bit Eliza Hamilton’s as it is Alexander’s — some would say even more so." They also noted that many in the fandom had been unable to see the show but that "doesn’t make them any less of a fan. Like most fandoms, the Hamildom has spawned a giddy plethora of fan fic, fan art — mostly using the likeness of the Broadway cast, not the historical figures themselves — and even more impressively, it’s pretty drama-free." One poster at Geek & Sundry wrote about their love for a Dr. Who fanfic and what the future might bring. "Star Hopping, as well as other great Whovian sagas, could be the beginnings of the next great Doctor Who showrunners and creative minds behind the scenes. But, even if they don’t take over the Whoniverse, they are still adding another interesting layer to the massive fandom." What are the fandom events that made you thankful in 2015? Keep fandom history alive in Fanlore! Contributions are welcome from all fans. We want your suggestions! If you know of an essay, video, article, podcast, or link you think we should know about, comment on the most recent OTW Fannews post. Links are welcome in all languages! Submitting a link doesn't guarantee that it will be included in a Fannews post, and inclusion of a link doesn't mean that it is endorsed by the OTW. News topic tags: MoviesMusicTelevisionTheaterFanfictionGender and SexualityRace, Ethnicity, and NationalityMessage: News of Note [Less]

Language English Bahasa Indonesia • català • dansk • Deutsch • English • español • français • italiano • magyar • Nederlands • polski • português brasileiro • Русский • suomi • svenska WesleyFanfiction.net, a Buffyverse fanfiction archive ... [More] , and its subsite Innocent Lies, an Alexis Denisof RPF fanfiction archive, are being imported to the Archive of Our Own (AO3). In this post: A bit of background explanation What this means for creators who have work on WesleyFanfiction.net or Innocent Lies And what to do if you still have questions Background explanation WesleyFanfiction.net is a fanfiction archive for fanworks centering on the character Wesley Wyndam-Pryce from Buffy and Angel. Originally created by Liz Harris in 2003, then hosted by DJ in 2004, Versaphile took over the hosting in 2005 and added an Alexis Denisof RPF subsite called Innocent Lies. Open Doors will be working with Versaphile to import WesleyFanFiction.net and Innocent Lies into two separate, searchable collections with their own identities. Eventually the links going to the old site will re-direct to the collection on AO3 so the works can continue to be found with their old URLs. We will begin importing works from WesleyFanfiction.net and Innocent Lies to the AO3 collection in January 2016. What does this mean for creators who have work on Wesleyfanfiction.net and/or Innocent Lies? This is the part where we ask for your help! 1. If you already have an AO3 account and have posted your Wesleyfanfiction.net and/or Innocent Lies works there, please contact Open Doors with your Wesleyfanfiction.net or Innocent Lies pseud(s) and e-mail address(es), so that we won’t import your works. (Please include "Wesleyfanfiction.net" and/or "Innocent Lies" in the subject heading.) For instructions on mass-adding works to the new Wesleyfanfiction.net collection or the new Innocent Lies collection on the AO3, please see the Open Doors website. 2. If you don’t already have an AO3 account but would like one to import your works yourself, please contact Open Doors with your WesleyFanfiction.net and/or Innocent Lies pseud(s), and the preferred e-mail address to send the AO3 invite to. (Please include "Wesleyfanfiction.net" or "Innocent Lies" in the subject heading.) For instructions on importing works and adding them to the new Wesleyfanfiction.net collection or the new Innocent Lies collection on the AO3, please see the Open Doors website. 3. If you don’t already have an AO3 account but would like one, as well as assistance importing your works, please contact Open Doors with your WesleyFanfiction.net and/or Innocent Lies pseud(s), and the preferred e-mail address to send the AO3 invite to. (Please include "Wesleyfanfiction.net or Innocent Lies" in the subject heading.) Once your account is set up, let us know your AO3 name, and we can transfer your works to you once imported. 4. If you would NOT like your works moved, please contact Open Doors with your WesleyFanfiction.net and/or Innocent Lies pseud(s) and e-mail address(es) so that we will not add them. (Please include "Wesleyfanfiction.net" or "Innocent Lies" in the subject heading.) If you would not mind your works being preserved but do not want your name attached to them any longer, please let us know that too--we can orphan your works instead of leaving them behind to be deleted. All works archived on a creator’s behalf will be attributed with the creator’s name in the byline or the summary of the work. As we import works, we will e-mail notifications to the address associated with the work. When all works have been accounted for, the Open Doors committee will set up the URL redirects, and we will permanently close down the site. All imported works will be set to be viewable only by logged-in AO3 users. Once you claim your works, you can make them publicly-viewable if you choose. After 30 days, all unclaimed imported works will be made visible to all visitors. If you no longer have access to the email account associated with your WesleyFanfiction.net and/or Innocent Lies account, please contact Open Doors and we'll help you out. (If you've posted the works elsewhere, or have an easy way to verify that they're yours, that's fantastic; if not, we will work with the mod to confirm your claims.) If you still have questions... If you have further questions, visit the Open Doors FAQ page, contact the Open Doors committee, or leave a comment on this post and we'll respond as soon as we can. We'd also love it if fans could help us preserve the story of WesleyFanfiction.net and new visitor portal, or ask the Fanlore Gardeners for tips. We're excited to be able to help preserve both WesleyFanfiction.net and Innocent Lies! - The Open Doors team News topic tags: FanfictionOpen Doors CommitteeMessage: Announcement [Less]

Language English Hypable reported on how a The 100 fanfic went viral in non-fanfic communities. "It’s absolutely hilarious to see how non-fandom has responded to this fictional argument, and how people have even taken sides — but the fact ... [More] that Clarke was immediately assumed to be a male does say a lot about our heteronormative society, doesn’t it?! Despite this somewhat depressing factor, The 100 fans are having a blast with this, and are fully embracing the ridiculousness of #ClarketheHusband. We’ve never been more in love with this fandom." Hypable also reported on a less happy example of a fanwork crossover, the appearance of yet another practitioner of the fanworks ambush stunt. "The segment started out fine, with Corden showing off brilliant, iconic pieces of artwork. But then… well. They start mocking fan art from artists who might have had less practice, or are younger. And Corden, especially, finds it all hilarious. And, sure. It’s amusing. Until you realize that there are people out there who drew them — and that these works are reproduced without consent or warning. The context of these pieces is stripped back; the smug hosts reduce them to a mockery, the butt of a joke. And these creators could be watching this show, without expectation, only to be accosted by unwarranted abuse." Of course, the print media is increasingly moving in on RPF fandoms' turf by creating their own fanfic, focusing on anyone from local figures to politicians to celebrities. Huffington Post pointed out how fandom's use of social media had made their interaction with celebrity family members ever more likely. "But perhaps the best use of social media is the ability to know her son is safe wherever he might be in the world, thanks to the hundreds of thousands of fans almost 'stalking' their every move. 'If they’re flying, I’ll do a search for “5SOS airport” and I’ll see they’ve landed and I’ll know they are safe...I would do that when I was looking after them too on tour, if they’d gone out on a particular night and I wanted to know if they’d come home to the hotel -- it would be on Twitter -- it’s kind of like they’ve got lots of little mums out there checking up on them.'" What have been examples, for better or worse, that you've seen on fandom and fanworks crossing boundaries? Write about them in Fanlore! Contributions are welcome from all fans. We want your suggestions! If you know of an essay, video, article, podcast, or link you think we should know about, comment on the most recent OTW Fannews post. Links are welcome in all languages! Submitting a link doesn't guarantee that it will be included in a Fannews post, and inclusion of a link doesn't mean that it is endorsed by the OTW. News topic tags: Entertainment IndustriesNews MediaMusicTelevisionFanartFanfictionGender and SexualityMessage: News of Note [Less]

Language English Bahasa Indonesia • català • Čeština • dansk • Deutsch • English • español • français • italiano • magyar • Nederlands • português brasileiro • português europeu • Русский • 中文 The Organization for Transformative Works and the ... [More] Archive of Our Own are proud to announce AO3 has reached 2 million fanworks! That's right -- a little less than two years after hitting the 1 million fanwork mark, the Archive has doubled in size. The exponential growth of AO3 over the six years since Open Beta is a testament to the passion and creativity of our users, both registered and unregistered, and your enthusiasm inspires the volunteers who manage the Archive and OTW each and every day. Without you, none of us would be here! Thank you, thank you, thank you! We couldn't have done this without your continued support and engagement. As part of our celebrations for the 1 millionth fanwork, we launched International Fanworks Day. We'll be celebrating again this February 15th, and will be sending out a news post on January 15th with our plans. But we also want to know how you'll be celebrating so let us know in comments! Message: AnnouncementProject: Archive of Our Own [Less]

Language English A write-up at Patheos reported on several papers presented on fandom and religion. "We see there, and in Star Trek fandom's rejection of a sexist interpretation of 'Turnabout Intruder,' examples of liberal or liberationist ... [More] prooftexting. Historicism is used selectively in the service of constructing an imaginal world. Raphael mentioned wanting to teach a course that imagines that a religion has been constructed around Star Trek, without some of the evidence that we have, in order to illustrate what happens in interpretation and imaginal world construction." A writer at The Christian Century looked to find similar connections at a fan con and came to a different conclusion. "Sociologist and media theorist Stig Hjar­vard argues that citizens of postindustrial societies find the most significant experiences of enchantment in pop culture. In his studies of Danish culture, fantasy texts like Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and the Chronicles of Nar­nia were eight times more likely to be named significant in shaping moral and spiritual ideas than the Bible or other traditional religious texts. This is why I went to Comic Con: to learn about the religious nones or those who find their religion in hobbit costumes and manga fan clubs. Then I found the panels, the sub­terranean heart of Comic Con, in the basement of the convention center. The panels revealed Comic Con as less alternative religious gathering and more professional convention." The Cincinnati Art Museum is among those who understand the importance of fandom commerce, and it's begun a series to capitalize on it. "Fandom, a new monthly gallery conversation, aims to bring together fans of art and popular culture in a playful and humorous exploration of the Art Museum’s galleries. Each month, a different pop culture topic will inspire an interactive tour in the permanent collection. Join us this month as we explore the connections between the CAM collection and a galaxy far, far away with our resident Star Wars expert Anne Buening." The Guardian hosted an opinion piece about the overlap of high art and pop culture. "Critics...have suggested that Griffiths’s exhibition isn’t about Murray per se, but is a way for the artist to explore a number of concepts – including scale and the relative status of people and objects...It’s all wonderful theorising – but when it comes down to brass tacks, don’t Griffiths et al just simply love Murray? Crafting an entire exhibition around his image could be thought of as an extension of doodling his name on your notebook or cutting pictures of him out of a magazine and putting them in a scrapbook." How does fandom and fanwork cross over into other cultural spaces? Tell us about it in Fanlore! Contributions are welcome from all fans. We want your suggestions! If you know of an essay, video, article, podcast, or link you think we should know about, comment on the most recent OTW Fannews post. Links are welcome in all languages! Submitting a link doesn't guarantee that it will be included in a Fannews post, and inclusion of a link doesn't mean that it is endorsed by the OTW. News topic tags: AcademiaFan ConventionsFannish CommunitiesMessage: News of Note [Less]