By yacob on Sunday, September 13, 2009 - 01:16 pm:

Just a quick question to ask if any other authors have written books or short stories set in the Commonwealth universe?

By adf on Sunday, September 13, 2009 - 02:42 pm:

Not to my knowledge...which doesn't mean there aren't any.

By PAX on Monday, September 14, 2009 - 08:45 pm:

I still don't understand what the laws are regarding fan fiction and other authors writing stories about pre-existing characters--how is it any different than someone say making a movie closely related to a novel? Is it that the original author is not given credit or that they have not acquired permission? How can fan fiction writers post all their stories online and not run into copyright issues? Where is the line drawn?

By adf on Tuesday, September 15, 2009 - 08:32 am:

It depends on the author. Disney, for example, would be more proactively protective than I would. As a general rule, fan fiction (or art) done for personal or small group enjoyment is left pretty much alone. It's when someone tries to profit from it, by putting together a book for sale, or art prints, that copyright holders get involved. I have no objection to fan fiction related to my creations. I think everyone does it at one time or another, if only in their minds.

By PAX on Tuesday, September 15, 2009 - 07:27 pm:

That makes sense. I was just wondering as my brother has a fan fiction site for a show that used to be on TV and has never had any problems, but then I heard of someone who wrote fan fiction about characters from a novel series and posted them online for others to read (no money involved) and apparently was contacted by a lawyer and told to remove them from the internet. Guess it just depends on how protective the original creator is then.

By adf on Wednesday, September 16, 2009 - 10:40 am:

Exactly. In my travels I see obviously unauthorized Disney stuff used for financial purposes (usually advertising) all over the world. Mickey Mouse on a backcountry shebeen in South Africa. Princesses on ramshackle carnival rides in India. Goofy on little restaurants in Peru. It's not worth Disney's time to sue the owners of these tiny establishments. But if a company tried to, say, market Little Mermaid fish sticks, Disney's local legal reps would be all over them...and fairly so.

By PAX on Thursday, September 17, 2009 - 09:45 pm:

LOL,that's hilarious--a Micky Mouse shebeen! You should take a picture of that and share! (I think my daughter would cry if she saw Little Mermaid fish sticks...) But I do understand about the issues...I think my knee-jerk reaction would be to be very protective of something I created. After all there is a lot of time and energy (and usually money) that is involved in coming up with ideas, stories, characters etc. It's not right that someone should horn in on that for their own profit. I'm still amazed that fan fiction on the internet does not get more flak. But I have to admit I enjoy reading some of it...some of it.

By Kuza on Friday, September 18, 2009 - 12:21 am:

Would you sue me if I wrote a novel and made money off of it?

By adf on Friday, September 18, 2009 - 08:04 am:

Assuming you mean a novel based on my characters or setting, or for that matter that of any pubished writer, the relevant publisher of the related work(s) would sue immediately. Intellectual property rights are no different in that respect from actual property-property rights. It doesn't even have to be fiction. I'm sure you're aware of the recent court case in which a writer/fan compiled a Harry Potter encyclopedia. No problem there, but he "sold" it to a small publishing house. Rowling immediately sued for copyright infringement, and won.

By adf on Friday, September 18, 2009 - 08:12 am:

Assuming you mean one based on my characters or setting, or for that matter that of any published writer, the publisher would sue. Intellectual property rights are the same as physical property rights. It doesn't even have to be fiction. I'm sure you're familiar with the recent court case where a writer/fan compiled a Harry Potter encyclopedia. No problem there, but then he sold it to a small publisher. J.K. Rowling sued both him and the publisher...and recently won a decision stopping publication of the book.

By kkozoriz on Tuesday, November 10, 2009 - 08:07 am:

Alan, have you ever considered opening up the Commonwealth to other authors? An anthology perhaps? It would be fascinating to see what little corners could be explored in this fashion.

By adf on Wednesday, November 11, 2009 - 06:20 pm:

I've thought about it, yes, but...I'd rather not. That's not to say it couldn't happen in the future.

By richard on Friday, November 13, 2009 - 11:54 pm:

I`d never want another author to do any stories based on Alan`s characters or works..it would be like what happened with Azimov`s foundation series..a total screwing up of a brilliant series..but thats my view..

By Thranx21 on Saturday, November 14, 2009 - 11:40 am:

Well I am sure that fan fiction does not count as copy right infringement because no money is being made but I have never seen or read any Humanx Commonwealth fan fiction any way even though I have seen it for other things.... cue District 9 slash...ick, yuck,,just plain wrong. It wouldn't even work any way, the Prawns/Poleepkwa are hermaphrodites. Please pass the brain bleach.

By PAX on Monday, November 16, 2009 - 07:20 am:

I think it's odd there is no posted fan fiction for the Commonwealth series--it seems there is for just about everything else. Wonder why that is...

By PAX on Monday, November 16, 2009 - 07:22 am:

BTW Thranx21--"brain bleach"--that's funny!