[FFML] Re: [fanfic][rerepost][Ranma]Thyself Known Ch.9: Second Chances

Gary Kleppe <gary@garykleppe.org> wrote: Quoting The Eternal Lost Lurker :

  DISCLAIMER: |^|_||^^|1|<0 15 +3|-| 5|_||>|^3|^^|3 4|_|+|-
  |0|^Z0|^!!! <|-|4|^4<+3|^5 4|^3 |-|3|^5, |&|0+ |^^|1|\|3.


You fail life.

Dunno that I'd go that far, but... yes, delete this piece of nonsense
and in its place credit Takahashi plus anybody else whose work you are
borrowing from.

You have the entire rest of the fic to impress us with your sense of
humor. The disclaimer is for giving credit where it's due, a gesture
that costs you nothing and shows respect for the author whose
characters you are using. If I wrote a fanfic that took off from one
of yours, you'd want me to acknowledge that, right? So do unto others
and save the jokes for the fic itself.

I understand the position, and since it seems to be the prevailing one I'll try to make more formal disclaimers when I post to the FFML in the future, but here's my view on the issue, if it can be called an issue:

1.Regardless of whether a disclaimer exists or not, fanfiction is still, technically, illegal.

2. Therefore if Kitty and/or Shogakukan and/or Viz video and/or Rumiko Takahashi and/or whoever actually owns the copyrights for Ranma right now were all that worried about it, EVERYONE writing Ranma fics could potentially face legal action. The same goes for fic writers in other universes.

3. Therefore the disclaimer is a courtesy, rather than a necessity. A way of saying "Thank you for not suing me!" In advance, by acknowledging where some portion of the credit lies.

4. If some one is crediting me, and is genuine about it, I don't care how they do it. In fact if they can do it in a humorous way I'd prefer it to some legal sounding disclaimer included as if it justified the raping of my work. If some one steals my wallet and says "Yew R coolerz!" to me while he's doing it, I think I'd be a little less upset than if he said "This wallet is the property of you, the victim and I am requisitioning it for my own amusement."

The way I see it, fanfiction takes an author's wallet and gives it back later with more money in it. It works as free advertising for the author, but it's still a bit dubious.

If you aren't going to go through all the hoops necessary to make your work truly legal, then you might as well have fun with it.

5. I get bored with writing disclaimers. I consider it a challenge to find a new and humorous way to write each one. Sometimes I meet the challenge, sometimes I fail. But it adds a new dimension to the fic chapter, even if it is rolled up and hidden behind the other dimensions.

Just thought I'd give a counterargument.

-Z

---------------------------------
Get your email and more, right on the new Yahoo.com