Slash Fans Take Note

[blpurdom at yahoo.com]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at y..., rainy_lilac at y... wrote:  
 
> What if I choose to write an offensive parody of HP? For Saturday 
> Night Live or David Letterman? Is that protected speech, or is it 
> the dilution of copyright? What is the difference between this and 
> fanfic?
 
It is ironic indeed that people doing parodies of this sort, which 
are less likely to be complimentary to the source material and are 
being done for profit are protected speech, while many are saying 
that fanfic is not.  In contrast to an SNL parody, much fanfic is 
really more of an advertisement for the source material.  Fanfic has 
sustained an interest in the HP universe for many people who are 
frustrated at the long wait for both the new book and the movie (the 
Comic Relief books were good for information for fanfic writers, and 
funny, but hardly the same as a new book).  The movie has the 
potential to be very, very big right now.  HP slash fanfic is 
extremely unlikely to erode the existing fan base that is looking 
forward to the film.

I hope someone with the ACLU gets interested in this and considers 
taking it on if it goes as far as I think it might.  Slash aside, if 
any fanfic is attacked, it's basically all being attacked.  It's a 
slippery slope.  And that goes for fanfic in ALL fandoms.  This isn't 
just an HP slash issue.  My husband grew up as a babe in arms at 
science fiction conventions since his dad's an SF writer; he 
remembers the days when fanfic was something exchanged between 
visitors to cons on cloudy, mimeographed pages.  The internet has 
changed all that.  

The other possibility I can think of for WB doing this at this time: 
It's not that they just discovered this.  I find that highly 
unlikely.  It is, however, a suitable amount of time before the film 
opening to get a controversial HP story into the headlines, to 
increase interest in the film.  I'm being very cynical about this, I 
know.  But I also think it's realistic cynicism.  This looks like a 
huge publicity stunt to me.  Unfortunately, it could also prevent 
ANYONE from distributing ANY kind of fanfic on the net ever again if 
they actually prevail.

--Barb