Fanfic info Options

[Xahn Borealis]

So I've written some SR fanfic. Where's a good place to upload it, what sort of disclaimer do I need to add so I don't CnD'd by CGL, etc?

I'll copypaste here if you like, too. It's adapted from On The Run, but goes into a bit more detail about some of the aftermath. I'm also working on a series of stories featuring the team, known as The Warm Bodies.

[CanRay]

Well, my FanFic is in my Sig here, and so far, no issues. But I'll let the folks in Legal handle this one.

[Xahn Borealis]

I noticed this in your stories, CanRay.

Shadowrun is a registered trademark of WizKids Inc. All Rights Reserved. This work is not intended to infringe on any copyright, and is used without permission.

That would be enough?

[CanRay]

As I said, I haven't hidden them from anyone (And even posted links on the official forum FanFic section.), and no issues have been brought up.

You might want to replace the first part with: "Shadowrun is a registered trademark of The Topps Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved." (Copied from the Shadowrun Official Website). I posted those stories a few years ago, before they were bought out.

I doubt that the officials have time to check out FanFic, myself (I might be wrong.), but, typically, as long as you don't claim the IP as your own, and state that you're not trying to steal it... Well, free advertising. Be a major dick move to piss off your fans after all, but we're talking about Corporations, and look at what Sony did with their Music Root Kit.

Again, I'd advise waiting for some kind of official statement. Or, if you feel safe with what I did, go right ahead and post up.

[Xahn Borealis]

Here it is.

[KarmaInferno]

Well, if an intellectual property owner really wants to go after you for copyright or trademark infringement, no amount of disclaimer text is going to protect you. Fan fiction "published" without the original owner's permission is a form of violation, no matter how people try to spin it.

That said, it is the unspoken policy of many publishers of works that tend to generate fan fiction to more or less pretend it doesn't exist. This is due to the way current IP law is structured - basically, if a property owner can be proven to know about a violation, and still did nothing to stop it, they run the risk of the courts declaring the property "generic" or public domain, since the owner clearly wasn't interested in protecting their property.

The catch is, the owner has to know about it. If they can plausibly assert that they didn't know that the violation existed, they aren't required to take action. Which, as stated, is how many IP owners approach the issue of fan fiction and the like.

As long as your fan work doesn't get TOO prominent such that the owner of the IP can no longer justifiably pretend not to have heard about it, you're probably okay.

Case in point - I used to help administrate a RPG convention-based 'living' campaign based on Forgotten Realms. We were fine up until the campaign started getting so popular we were appearing in many major game conventions across the US. At which point WotC contacted us and politely asked us to stop. (In our defense, we HAD permission when we started, but that was from TSR, and WotC declined to honor the written agreement. But that's a whole 'nother story)

Some companies and owners take a more pro-active approach - they establish an actual detailed open license for fans to legally create fan works. So, as the fans have "permission", no legal problems exist for either the fans or the owner. Actually, doesn't Shadowrun have one of these? I cannot remember.



-k

[Angelone]

Well they have a fanfiction section on the official site so I'd guess they have no problems with fans writing their own fiction.

[CanRay]

OK, I found Legal.

Basically, they've given written (Online) permission for "Fan Sites" to be created. I guess Fan Fiction that's published is covered under that, but I'm not a Lawyer (Thank $Deity!).

After I finish my current work, I think I'll update my legal disclaimer, and start work on another Nas story, because some folks are chomping at the bit for him, apparently.