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PostPosted: Sun Oct 06, 2013 1:38 am 
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So, right now the Organization for Transformative Works, which runs the fanfiction site Archive Of Our Own (AO3) and which works to defend fans from legal action, takedown notices, &c., is currently running a membership drive to raise funds for more servers and so on. That's worth mentioning on its own, of course.

But in addition to that, OTW is looking for stories about how current copy monopoly law and prosecutions thereof have affected your participation in fan communities:

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The U.S. National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) are seeking public comments on copyright policy issues, including the legal framework for the creation of remixes. The window for these submissions is short — they must be in by October 14, so we need to act now.

The Legal Committee is thus looking for stories of how fandom has helped fans in day-to-day life. We need you to share your individual stories with concrete examples. For example, perhaps being in fandom has helped you to learn a language, helped you in school, or helped you improve skills that you use elsewhere — skills such as writing, video editing, coding websites, audio editing, or anything else. We don’t need personal information from you, but the more specific the story, the better.

Our attorneys will use your stories to explain to these agencies, which are likely to propose new legislation about copyright, why any change in copyright law should favor freedom to make transformative works. We succeeded before with the DMCA remix exemptions, but only because we were able to share specific stories from vidders. Now we need stories of all kinds.


Considering this is a forum in part founded on the premise of supporting and encouraging fan works based on Wizards of the Coast materials, I think a lot of us should have stories the OTW could use. This might not seem like a big deal now, but Wizards (and Hasbro) have been quite draconian in the past when the mood hits them, and it might help us down the road to know that the OTW is around... and maybe even that they know we exist.

The letters have to be in by the 10th. I think this is definitely worth doing, and something that has particular relevance to this board's long term goals.


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PostPosted: Sun Oct 06, 2013 12:41 pm 
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Was that a question? Because the answer is yes. They're also involved with litigation on remixes and sampling. Often stuff that should be acceptable under fair use but that companies can litigate anyway because they have the money to do it.


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PostPosted: Sun Oct 06, 2013 6:10 pm 
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Ah. Um. Well, yes, your observation was correct.


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PostPosted: Sun Oct 06, 2013 6:15 pm 
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How useful would it be for a non-American to send a letter?

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PostPosted: Sun Oct 06, 2013 6:50 pm 
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Impersonate one.

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PostPosted: Mon Oct 07, 2013 11:50 am 
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I can't answer for them, really, but I'd say that since you're a part of an international project, your opinion is still going to be of use even though this is an American court thing. I'd just be up front about the fact that you're in Belgium but you're part of an international project. In fact, that might make your letter particularly useful to them since it shows how global fandoms are, and how they can draw people together across the globe!


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PostPosted: Mon Oct 07, 2013 5:57 pm 
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Sure, I'll look into it tomorrow.

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PostPosted: Mon Oct 07, 2013 6:45 pm 
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*Looks through his stuff*
...
*Thinks about what he's put on the web*
...
About all I've got is stress relief.

I haven't really put out much of anything for years now (though part of that has been meatspace), besides my photography and I was interested in that before and apart from any fandom. The only game I've actually made & put out I did before I ever watched Extra Credits -- and I don't even know if "gaming community" counts as a fandom for this case (especially since the best ones {Extra Credits, Moviebob's The Big Picture, etc.} aren't actually based on any particular game). I could say I've grown as a person, I suppose -because I actually can point out things that people in a fandom have given me perspective on- but I don't know if that counts, either. There are a lot of things I'm a fan of that I haven't even looked into the fandom for -- Doctor Who, Discworld, H2G2, Homestuck (to a large extent).

I feel I'm like Yxoque, when he said he's more of a media consumer than a media creator.

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PostPosted: Mon Oct 07, 2013 8:02 pm 
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Lord LunaEquie is me wrote:
I feel I'm like Yxoque, when he said he's more of a media consumer than a media creator.

Even so, being part of the Expanded Multiverse did improve my writing and reading skills. I've learned how to effectively communicate to a diverse team. I learned how to voice my opinion effectively.

And being part of the HPMOR fandom has also enriched my life. And even if I wasn't part of the fandom, the fanfic alone would be worth it.

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