OPINION: Buffy Needs to Treat it's Online Fans Better.

I hope you're wrong, N4H, but I have that spidey-sense tingle in the back of my head that says you are probably reading the signs correctly. In the litigious society we live in here in North America (Canadians too are suing at an alarming rate) it would seem the best defense is a good offense--thus, production houses are trying to prevent plagarism lawsuits (frivolous or not) by aggressively pursuing suits against anyone they deem as infringing on their copyright. They don't seem to care about the fans, they just wanna keep as much of the money they make as possible, without regard to the consequences. This shortsighted strategy will eventually backfire (I hope) when the fans just unplug...although I'm still waiting for the average pro sports fan to unplug. Bloody spoiled rotten, infantile millionaires (**more mumbling under breath**).
 
some script sites have survived!(try saying that 5 times fast lol)
like , http://uk.geocities.com/slayermagic/Scripts.html I would also like to hear what Josh would say on this subject!
 
Yeah, people put those sites up from time to time. They generally get taken down pretty quick though. Here's the message I get when I click on your link for instance:

The web page you are trying to access doesn't exist on Yahoo! GeoCities.
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As far as those scripts go, a person wants to say, "Why shouldn't the writers make a little extra cash on the scripts if they can. They wrote them".

Here's the thing though: It's highly doubtful the writers make any money from the selling of those scripts. They were written on contract. The writers (with the possible exception of Joss) would most likely have written the rights away in their contracts.

So now you've got a situation where Big Industry owned something they didn't even know there was a market for. Fans discovered them and used them like a library. If the big bucks guys had cared about their fans they should have had no problem in allowing the practice to continue. Let's face it they're not going to get noticeably richer selling scripts. The return would be nominal.

I use that as an example of how little big business cares about the people that make them rich.
 
I can understand why they (FOX) are trying to protect their right, cause they don't mind fans, but they do mind other ppl trying to make money out of it. So it that perspective I understand, but nevertheless, they're still a bunch of rotten old capitalists!
 
I understand it too. In fact, I expect it. In this case though, no-one was making money from free script sites. They were offered more like a library service.

Did you ever hear this one:

It was this reasoning that inspired ASCAP to send thousands
of letters to summer camps across the country, demanding
hundreds of dollars in annual royalties from, among others,
Girl Scouts, presumably for songs sung around the campfire.
An ASCAP official explained, ''They buy twine and glue for
their crafts... they can pay for the music, too.'' He was
right as a legal matter - indeed, it is against the law to
sing ''Happy Birthday'' in public without paying a royalty.
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Copyright Excesses
 
Maybe back when everyone was talking about 'Buffy' and the ratings were pretty high, the execs were looking the other way. By that time, they hadn't shut down shooting script sites yet, then when 'Buffy' mania had died down, the execs thought they could make more money from the franchise.

It will take a long time before all the script books come out!
 
I just logged onto a fanfic website and it turns out that FOX is prohibiting use of any images shown on the shows. Computer graphics can't be used in fanfic stories.
 
Are you talking about the one here:

Fox Attacks Fanfic

Just got a "Cease and Desist" from Fox:


November 5, 2003

VIA CERTIFIED AND ELECTRONIC MAIL

/Name and address removed/
Thanks for reminding me, Starchaser!

admin@denialbubble.com

Re: UNAUTHORIZED USE OF TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX PROPERTIES
www.denialbubble.com

Dear Ms. Fowler:

We are writing to you on behalf of our client, Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (hereinafter "Fox"). Fox is the exclusive owner of all copyright, trademark and other intellectual property rights in and to the world-famous "Angel" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" television series (hereinafter the "Fox Copyrights and Trademarks"). No one is authorized to reproduce, transmit, copy or otherwise utilize the Fox Copyrights and Trademarks without the express written permission of Fox.

Fox has dedicated tremendous time and resources to the creation of quality entertainment programming such as "Angel" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and greatly values the comments and suggestions of fans that enjoy Fox's programs. However, the development and distribution of Fox's programs requires a collaboration with many different entities, including guild organizations representing actors, directors and writers, as well as local, national and international television stations and cable and satellite programming services. Based in part on these relationships, Fox has a legal responsibility, including many contractual obligations, to prevent the unauthorized distribution of its proprietary material.

We recently discovered that your web site (www.denialbubble.com) contains image galleries, as well as unauthorized derivative works of the Fox Copyrights and Trademarks in the form of "buttons." Attached hereto are printouts from your site.

Fox tries to support its fans whenever possible. However, after reviewing your web site, we must request that you immediately remove all image galleries. Furthermore, we request that you remove all "buttons" relating to "Angel" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" from your web site as soon as possible. You are hereby put on notice that the unauthorized use of Fox's proprietary material, as well as the reproduction, sale and/or distribution by you of such unauthorized and/or derivative materials (including providing such items for free on the Internet) constitutes copyright infringement and trademark infringement, and your continued activity, after receipt of this letter may potentially subject you to liability.

We also request that you remove any and all links to other sites containing infringing "Angel" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" material. You are hereby put on notice that liability for contributory copyright infringement can emanate from your providing such links.

In addition, we note that your site contains "Angel" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" stationary-frame images. We must inform you that the unauthorized display and distribution of such images constitutes a copyright violation. While we are not asking you to delete these images at this time, we must nonetheless request that you prominently display the following on every page of your site exhibiting any of "Angel" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" images:

1. Legal Notice

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel" TM and 8 (or copyright) Fox and its related entities. All rights reserved. Any reproduction, duplication or distribution of these materials in any form is expressly prohibited." and

2. Disclaimer

"This web site, its operators and any content on this site relating to "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel" are not authorized by Fox."

While we expect that you will want to accede to our requests, please understand that if you do not remove these infringing materials without delay, we will be forced to recommend to Fox that it take appropriate legal action against you to have them removed. Thank you for your cooperation in this regard.

Your interest in "Angel" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" is most appreciated. Fox will continue to do its best to bring you quality entertainment.

Nothing contained in this letter constitutes an express or implied waiver of any rights, remedies or defenses of Fox, all of which are expressly reserved.

Very truly yours,

/s/

Dennis L. Wilson
Keats McFarland & Wilson LLP



Enclosures
cc: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation


Sorry, but I just don't have time to sift through and figure out what is "Infringing" and what isn't. So that's the end of that.

You're quite welcome for all the free publicity, Fox, you cheap, petty *******s.

@Ducks@
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There's more about this here:

Excuse Article for Fox

where they say

The weird thing is - why hasn't Fox gone after more websites? So many have images.

Well, the Ducks did something no one else does - they put out a huge ad in Hollywood Reporter using a doctored image of Buffy and Angel - which they may not have gotten the rights to, and that was taken from the series, and below that picture they put their website. They also suggested in the ad that they did not like the direction the series was going.

If you are doing an ad to thank actors or for the show, I suggest you clear the rights for the picture you plan to use first. (Now the Ducks may have done this, I don't know, but if they didn't - my hunch is that is what caused Fox's attorneys to check them out.) Also be careful about the web site you put under the ad. You must have permission for anything you place on a website, magazine, or newspaper which is "not" your own personal work or does not fit within the educational fair use clause. Otherwise you could get a nasty letter from the owner of the work.
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Personally I think this is the way it begins. There will be test cases like this, gradually leading to an eventual Industry takeover of fansites.
 
I think FOX is really really really dumb. Fan sites are a big asset to fandom, and attacking them will eventually only have negative effects on them. The problem just is there are also 'fan'-site's that actually make money. And that's not fair, Buffy is FOX' and other people can't go around makin money of it.
 
I hope that they'll stop closing them down(besides ones making profit). Another point is that more and more people want to visit the fan sites as it is said they might get closed.The whole thing is also a cheap commercial for Buffy....
 
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