Wired on intellectual property and dojinshi

[andygates]

Interesting article in Wired today about the way that the Japanese manga market handles self-published fanfic, dojinshi.  Despite having the same sort of copyright law as the West, the manga publishing houses turn a bit of a blind eye to a huge dojinshi industry existing, as one publisher says, in the space between canon and public and connecting the two.  It keeps the paying public interested, and seeds new talent because self-published artists are, by definition, passionate about what they write. 

It doesn't seem to pollute the canon, either, which maybe shows "lie" to some of the twitchier Western franchises who seem to hate fan-work and menace efforts like the Phantom Edit with lawyers and take-down guff.  Gods know how they'd respond to a slashed-up Marvel fanwork or Jessica Rabbit getting futa on Betty Boop, let alone Jabba/Leia squelch.

Once a thing enters the public domain, you lose control over it.  If it's good, people will play with it - be it Lego bricks or the X-Men.  Hell, even in gaming, a good NPC can grow legs and walk out of your inventory into someone else's love triangle (or massive gambling debt, Oleg, that'll do).  So even though you can protect the piece, you cannot lock down the ideas and that's good.  Some of the most interesting, fun and thought-provoking comics are the one-shots (I'm so looking forward to Ash vs X-Men).  The can suck too (Transformers: Hearts of Steel, say) but hell, so can canon.

It's as if the media industry wants to create strong memes, but memes which only replicate once, in the sale from publisher to consumer.  Replication restriction makes weak memes.  What they're creating and trying to control is too damn slippery for that.  If it's good, it's got legs. 

Creative types: How do you feel when someone does something unexpected with your work?  Are you in the "heh, cool" camp or the "no, that's just wrong" camp?  Do you think your views would change if it were published in the traditional way?

Comments

[ankaret.livejournal.com]

*iz boot-faced*

[andygates.livejournal.com]

Dang, I was going to stalk your stuff and write slash ;)

[ankaret.livejournal.com]

Oh, I would probably just be amused if you did. I was being Oleg. :)

[andygates.livejournal.com]

Oleg slash. The mind boggles...

[estaratshirai.livejournal.com]

You know...I'd probably be in the "heh, cool" camp even if they did something I didn't like. I could just do what I do with canon pieces I think make bad wrong turns: vehemently ignore them. Whereas if they did something amusing with my stuff, I'd be flattered and pleased. I might be a little peeved if someone marketed and made millions with my idea, but honestly, how often does THAT happen with fanfic?

[andygates.livejournal.com]

Ah, the Highlander II effect. It didn't happen.

Millions is one thing - that's the scale of money which draws lawyers like a lamp draws moths. But a modest living wage? Beer money? Hard to get all legal on such individual small-fry.

[ravenbait.livejournal.com]

Been done.

Hated it.

Because it was bad and utterly missed the point.

Now if it had been good, that would have been different.

It's not around any more, or I'd point you in the right direction. But responsible party made the mistake of telling me in a "Hey wow, look what cool stuff I did with your material" and I responded with "You're an idiot."

[andygates.livejournal.com]

You have very high standards. I would expect almost all fanfic to be bad, as judged by you. But it's about the quality not the content for you?

[ravenbait.livejournal.com]

It's about the understanding.

If someone takes something I've written and uses it...

The person in question tried doing something with the idea of Core, IIRC, and instead of being what Core actually is, turned Core into exactly what it's not -- the champion of Family, born once every generation to yadda yadda yadda. Buffy as Raven Core.

If, instead, it wasn't terribly well written but the comprehension was there, I really wouldn't have minded. Nothing offends me more than people acting like they get it when they self-evidently DON'T.

Maybe it's because I struggle to make these ideas comprehensible as it is. I don't need fucktards polluting the meme pool with misinformation.

[maythen-apple.livejournal.com]

Bits and pieces have strayed into my stuff, and you didn't seem to get bent. Though I *suppose* you could have been revolted/infuriated and just didn't mention it.

But I'm not writing for public consumption or profit, so it's not as though my stuff would taint your readership.