In the News

Fan fiction runs wild on the Web, Allan Hoffman, The Star-Ledger, April 11, 2004
Abstract: In "There Will Be Love," Livia Soprano, Tony's mother, whispers into Carmela's ear on her wedding day: "Anthony will get bored with you within a month. I think he'll be with another woman so fast, your head will spin." Don't freak out. You didn't miss an episode of HBO's "The Sopranos." The story can be found online -- a work of what is known as "fan fiction."

Sexually explicit dolls may be a fair use of Barbie, John Woods, New York Law Journal, November 07, 2002
Abstract: Sexually explicit dolls made with a Barbie doll product may be a fair use of Barbie and Mattel can't get summary judgement against the creator.

Nominet Overturns Scooby Doo Decision, September 13, 2002
Abstract: An appellate panel in the Nominet dot-uk dispute resolution process has overturned a decision involving scoobydoo.co.uk. While the fan site was successful in the first action, the appellate panel has reversed that decision and ruled that the name should be transferred. The panel engages in a detailed discussion of the treatment of fan sites and possible commercial activity on those sites. Decision at http://www.nic.uk/drs/appeals/hannabarbera-v-hay.html.

'Star Wars' fans clash with Lucas over film contest, Amy Harmon, New York Times News Service, April 26, 2002
Abstract: When word began circulating on the Internet in December that Lucasfilm would be a co-sponsor of a Star Wars contest for fan-made films, to be judged by George Lucas himself, members of the growing digital underground felt as if the Force was finally with them. But when the winning entries are announced on May 3 in front of some 20,000 fans expected at a Star Wars convention in Indianapolis, many of the most popular online movies will not be among them. Citing a need to protect its copyrights, Lucasfilm limited the contest to spoofs and documentaries, shutting out some of Lucas' most ardent fans, many of whom have reinterpreted his famous storyline to create online comedies, dramas and light-saber duels of their own.

Copy Catfight, Jesse Walker, Reason Online, March 01, 2000
Abstract: On one hand, as information has grown more valuable, copyright and trademark law has become increasingly restrictive. At the same time, there has been, in the words of MIT media studies professor Henry Jenkins, an "explosion of grassroots, participatory culture," a new high-tech folkway that not only draws on pop culture but appropriates from it more easily than ever before, and disseminates itself on a wider scale.

Lucas Loses Porn 'Toon Tiff, January 18, 2002
Abstract: This time, the Force wasn't with George Lucas. The Jedi mastermind's Lucasfilm empire has struck out in the first round of its legal battle with some upstart pornographers. At issue: the X-rated Star Ballz cartoon. Last week, a federal judge in San Francisco decided against blocking the sale of the animé saga of "Wank Solo," clearing the way for Star Ballz creator Media Market Group to resume sales of the video online.

'The Future of Ideas': Protecting the Old With Copyright Law, Daniel Zalewski, New York Times Book Review, January 06, 2002
Abstract: Thanks to digital technology, a delightful new art form emerged this year: the fan edit. Devotees of the pop singer Bjork, for example, have begun running her songs through their computers, tweaking the beats and instrumentation, then posting hundreds of ''remixed'' versions on the Web. Some of these edits are tone-deaf; others, however, trump the original arrangements. And this summer, Mike J. Nichols, a ''Star Wars'' addict living in Santa Clarita, Calif., used his Macintosh to make a series of merciful cuts to ''The Phantom Menace'' -- most notably, the virtual elimination of the irksome Jar Jar Binks. Fans who obtained a copy of Nichols's ''Phantom Edit'' through the Internet hailed the arrival of a vastly improved (if not yet good) movie. This nascent genre might not be around for long, however. Although the Bjork remixes remain openly posted on a Web page, ''The Phantom Edit'' has met a more predictable fate -- it's been squashed by lawyers. George Lucas's production company, Lucasfilm Ltd., has threatened to sue the pants off anyone who dares to set up a Web page permitting downloads or trades videotaped versions on eBay. Why? ''We can't allow them to duplicate and distribute our films for profit,'' a press officer has explained.

Who Owns Xena?, Andrew Leonard, Salon magazine, July 03, 1997
Abstract: So far Universal is not cracking down on the fans that post "slash" fiction about the character Xena and Gabrielle, a sub-genre of homosexual romance fan fiction. In an odd twist, Universal officials say they do not read fan fiction on the net for fear of being accused of stealing a fan's ideas on their own copyrighted characters. There are lots of interesting links to other fan fiction sites, and the article is a nuanced and colorful story which discusses the fan fiction genres as well as of some of the legal implications of fan fiction.

A Fan's Compilation of Fan Fiction Sites, November 08, 2001
Abstract: This site is a compilation of other fan fiction sites on the Internet. It would be a good place to browse around to get an idea of what the fan fiction writer community is like or to see examples of what others have written.

The Barbie images that sparked a controversy..., Tom Forsythe's artist statement and photographs, Creative Freedom Defense Organization, November 08, 2001

Court Allows Artist to Sell Barbie Art, Maria F. Durand, ABCNews.com, February 23, 2001

Who owns fandom?, Sarah Kendzior, Salon.com, December 13, 2000
Abstract: Independent Web sites devoted to pop culture icons like "The X-Files" and "Star Trek" used to flourish on the Net. Now they're an endangered species.