Tag Archives: Fanworks

J.K. Rowling and the Boy Scientist

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We have read a lot about the legal issues which burden J.K. Rowling in the wake of her successful Harry Potter series. Striphas emphasizes two major market behaviors threatening Rowling’s copyright: first, he discusses the pre-releasing of Potter books internationally before moving to the international knockoffs such as Tanya Grotter. All this reading of Harry Potter calls to mind another possible copyright influenced work on the famous wizard.

The fanfiction Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality is, if my friends are any indication, an incredibly popular text. I believe that fanfictions rarely stand out, this one being a remarkable exception for its pleasing storytelling, interesting premise, and wonderful use of popular literary devices. A disclaimer on the fan-fiction’s original site reads “J. K. Rowling owns Harry Potter, and no one owns the methods of rationality*.” Interestingly enough, though the author credits Rowling, he does not credit himself. This fascinating political ploy epitomizes the divide between fanfiction and knockoffs. Though knockoffs seek to exploit the popularity of a work for profit, fanfiction only borrows a text’s popularity in order to create an interesting adaptation. In fact, “borrow” might not cut it here. A person who writes fanfiction deliberately plays on the popularity of a work for a purpose higher than profit or their own popularity.

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*Although in the following sentence I take the phrase “methods of rationality” in the disclaimer to mean the title of the fan-fiction, I have discovered a second meaning. Yudkowsky probably also refers to the general methods of rationality, the process of rationalization, which are owned by no one since they are innate in all people. Thus, he is commenting on that higher purpose which closes my blog entry by promoting his own philosophy epitomized in the blog Less Wrong.

Free Translations

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Ever since I’ve been in this class, it seems like these things keep finding me. My friend (who did not yet know I was taking this class) sent me a link to show me “a bubbling pot of stupidity.” Degree of intelligence aside, the page regarded IP and copyright. The article writer talks about a game translation that was being done by a group, and how they asked to not have their work taken and used for an illegal patch of the game. The writer then states to ignore that due to being hypocritical. “You cannot disrespect someone else’s intellectual property and then turn around and stamp your feet at others who disrespect yours.”

This statement incited an argument between the writer and and readers who felt insulted by the statement. Due to the nature of people on the internet, the argument quickly decayed to insults and name calling, but the point still stands: should the free translation made by a group of their own free will be protected from stealing through respect, or does the lack of actual copyright make it free game to take and modify?

For those interested, and to get a better idea of the debatess that occurred, the page is here, with the long list of comments/arguments at the bottom.

Law and Anime

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As if it were made for me to use in this class, I came across this feature which directly regards copyright along with the large and international fanbase of anime. It is fairly long and has two parts (with more to come), but in summary, it first defines and elaborates on the nature of a copyright. It continues to discuss how copyright can affect the fandom, from drawing pictures to sell at a convention, to making full blown doujinshi (in essence fan fiction) series.

In the end, the question still lingers: Is it right/okay to participate in these activities, despite them having many instances of infringing on copyright? And even if it is not right, does that mean they should be stopped?

Copyright and Fan Works

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Copyright is both a safety measure and a restriction. It prevents work from being stolen or used without consent. But it also prevents fans from drawing too much inspiration from a work. In the various media communities, fan fiction plays a big role in maintaining and strengthening a community. However, copyright prevents these fan works from being easily distributed without gaining legal attention.

Once again, as a fan of anime and manga, I have seen things function differently in Japan. It not only seems like the copyright law is more loose, but fan works are even encouraged. Many places are known to hold conventions for the distribution and selling of fan made parody works. And these don’t just include books, but games, and even animation. Despite working on preexisting and copyrighted works, artists and writers are discovered and make themselves known.