Marvel Every Star Destroyer and TIE Fighter in Marvel's Star Wars: Allegiance is a fan copy

[ShadowsOfParadox]

IIRC this was actually just a threatened lawsuit or the plaintiff lost.

AFAIK the author could prove that they didn't have the opportunity to copy, aka, the reason authors stay away from fanfic.

 

[LindyAF]

AFAIK the author could prove that they didn't have the opportunity to copy, aka, the reason authors stay away from fanfic.

How would you possibly prove that? I can't find anything about this lawsuit when searching about it, if it exists at all. I'm inclined to believe this is an internet legend until proven otherwise.

 

[Husky_Khan]

There was a similar case brought up by George RR Martin on his blog a long time ago, where he was talking about why he personally disapproves of fanfiction:

Most of us laboring in the genres of science fiction and fantasy (but perhaps not Diana Gabaldon, who comes from outside SF and thus may not be familiar with the case I am about to cite) had a lesson in the dangers of permitting fan fiction a couple of decades back, courtesy of Marion Zimmer Bradley. MZB had been an author who not only allowed fan fiction based on her Darkover series, but actively encouraged it... even read and critiqued the stories of her fans. All was happiness and joy, until one day she encountered in one such fan story an idea similar to one she was using in her current Darkover novel-in-progress. MZB wrote to the fan, explained the situation, even offered a token payment and an acknowledgement in the book. The fan replied that she wanted full co-authorship of said book, and half the money, or she would sue. MZB scrapped the novel instead, rather than risk a lawsuit. She also stopped encouraging and reading fan fiction, and wrote an account of this incident for the SFWA FORUM to warn other writers of the potential pitfalls of same.

That was twenty years ago or thereabouts, but that episode had a profound effect on me and, I suspect, on many other SF and fantasy writers of my generation.

Someone Is Angry On the Internet

My position on so-called "fan fiction" is pretty well known. I'm against it, for a variety of reasons that I've stated previously more than once. I won't repeat 'em here. My position is not unique. It is not universal either, I realize. Some writers actually encourage fan fiction (I know some of…

grrm.livejournal.com

Turned out that it's a super convoluted story but the threat of a lawsuit by a fanfic author didn't kill the novel... AFAWK. But it is a story that has been popularized by folks like GRRM and JMS as well as other writers who unlike some actually knew MZB and supposedly the issue firsthand so it's still fuzzy in spite of all of it.

Marion Zimmer Bradley Fanfiction Controversy - Fanlore

fanlore.org

 

[ShadowsOfParadox]

How would you possibly prove that?

Don't have a presence in places with lots of fanfic I assume.

 

[bintananth]

Don't have a presence in places with lots of fanfic I assume.

I recall one author (Pratchett maybe, it's been awhile) mentioning that his wife read all his fanmail and discarded anything offering suggestions before it even got to him.

 

[Bear Ribs]

How would you possibly prove that? I can't find anything about this lawsuit when searching about it, if it exists at all. I'm inclined to believe this is an internet legend until proven otherwise.

Most authors simply make a point to loudly proclaim their "Don't ask, don't tell" policy to the world, which is to say they don't mind if you write fanfic but you aren't allowed to send or talk about it to them and they won't read it if it's posted online.

A few authors have notably broken with this in the last few years, like Jim Butcher and Mercedes Lackey. Their new policy is that all fanfic of their work must be under a creative commons license instead.

 

[LindyAF]

Most authors simply make a point to loudly proclaim their "Don't ask, don't tell" policy to the world, which is to say they don't mind if you write fanfic but you aren't allowed to send or talk about it to them and they won't read it if it's posted online.

I'm aware that authors do this and think they derive legal advantage from it. I'm saying that it hasn't been tested and that the legal precedent some people were claiming exist simply doesn't. This is something authors may be concerned about, but it has never actually happened, as far as I can tell, with the closest thing being the MZB thing, the details of which are heavily disputed and doesn't appear to have involved an actual lawsuit, just the threat of one.