Comments | spoiled_alumni: repressive or what??

crazyjane13 in spoiled_alumni

repressive or what??

Aug 09, 2007 17:38

I guess by now you all might have heard about the French guy arrested for posting his own translation on the net.

Along with the "LJ purged my account" cry from whathisname who apparently posted a play-by-play, this is the second internet prosecution I've heard about. And yet these spoiler communities seem to be immune - hell, spoil_me_dh was featured on ( Read more... )

Comments 3

ladystrange2000 August 9 2007, 12:42:32 UTC

On LJ, it's really easy to avoid detection: lock your post. Now, whether we like it or not, do-it-yourself translation and distribution of a a book that is eventually coming out in the same foreign language IS illegal, and IS about copyright. The problem is fandom has been allowed to get away with so much for so long that certain members think they are allowed to do anything they want and if anybody tells them otherwise they're being evil censors. Sorry folks, that's not the case. Fanfic is technically illegal. You can argue all you want, but that's the truth. Fair Use applies to academic study and parody of a copyrighted work. Online fandom and fanfic in particular is allowed to exist because most entertainers and their 'people' realize that it's free publicity, but if they decide the publicity isn't worth it for whatever reason, then it's all over but the whining.

crazyjane13 August 9 2007, 22:23:11 UTC

Well, I think an interesting case could be made for fanfic falling under the definition of "parody", but that's not really the point of my post.

It seems that the crackdown on DH stuff is entirely arbitrary. Whole communities advertised the fact that they made reference to a copyrighted work, in detail that was virtually retelling. Page-by-page summaries, full versions of the epilogue, the Carpet Book etc ... there is no secret made about it. These groups aren't touched - aren't even deleted, yet individuals here and there are getting stomped on, to the point of being sued.

The consistency - or rather the lack of it - is the issue.

ladystrange2000 August 10 2007, 01:21:30 UTC

A lot of it is simply a matter of who gets caught 'red handed'. If they can trace that carpet book leak to you, then yes, you will feel the heat. Some people are smart or technically adept enough to cover their tracks real good, hence it's harder to find them.