Slash Fans Take Note

[Amy Z]

Suzanne wrote:
 
> What interests me more is what the larger ramifications would be in 
> WB decided to pursue writes of slash fiction while leaving otehr fan 
> fic writers alone. 
> 
> It does indeed bring up some issues.

I'm no legal scholar either, but I would assume that WB can pick and 
choose which fanfiction to suppress based on what it judges to be 
damaging and what it judges to be okay.  The very fact that 
"moony-moony"* slash garners this kind of attention and shock, while 
more explicit hetero fiction doesn't, would probably prove their 
point: slash fiction hurts the franchise.  It's hypocritical for 
people to faint dead away when m/m couples walk by holding hands while 
not blinking at the sight of m/f couples sucking face, but as long as 
there is a double standard in the public, I would think that WB could 
exert a double standard in its lawsuit, public perception being the 
entire point.

JKR has known about fanfiction of all kinds for a long time, and 
unlike other authors, has not seen fit to forbid it even though it's 
within her rights (with possible exceptions in gray areas, as Suzanne 
pointed out, e.g. parody).  But the property no longer belongs solely 
to her, so who knows what will happen.

Take heart, fanfic fans: underground fiction will always continue.

Amy Z

*The MSNBC writer obviously isn't too familiar with HP, or he'd know 
that this sounds like autoeroticism on the part of Remus Lupin