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SGA, the surviving show (Bitter? Who? Me?) is tearing each other apart over a flashfic challenge. I find this highly amusing, because the whole debate is essentially one we just had - plagiarism.
If you "remix" a story without giving the original author credit, it's plagiarism. And don't come with the all fanfic is plagiarism argument, because it's not, at least not in the real legal systems in this world. (and I'm not going to debate this, unless you pay me 600$/hour or have studied law in the same legal system that I did). When you give credit, it could be anything. Asking, which - believe it or not - can sometimes be required BY LAW - is common courtesy. But the throwing around of legal terms and definitions by what cannot possibly be all lawyers, is something I find highly annoying anyway, so let's stop it. It's not like we are going to sue each other over a remixed fanfic, so who cares if it's allowed or not.
What I do care about is courtesy. And since common courtesy is so rare these days, it is my personal opinion that it should have been made mandatory in a flashfic challenge in such a large fandom. Not doing so it just asking for the wank (which could have been the whole point, for all I know).
But not only out of common courtesy was the opt-out option clearly the wrong solution. The reactions to the people who complain about having to opt out, show, that opting out for many people is equal with not being a team player. If you are a good fan and want others to have fun, you don't opt out from the remix. At least that's how I understood most of what was being written in the (now closed) comments.
Clearly, these people would think differently if they weren't writing SGA fic, but, say, NCIS fic. Because just the thought of one of the crazy NCIS writers* laying their dirty little fingers on the precious few stories I wrote in that fandom and turning my Tony and Gibbs, that I carefully, and I hope with success, kept male and mostly sane, into the "MINE! MINE!" screaming, bondage wearing, crying, at-best androgyn idiots with cats that this fandom seems to be so find of, makes me want to scream.
Maybe remixes in SGA fandom are fun. In NCIS, they'd definitely end in tears. Though, at least we wouldn't wank before that, because we are a nice, wank-free, if totally insane, fandom.
*except exceptions, and you know who you are.
Disclaimer: I would be less bitchy if my favourite show hadn't been cancelled just a few minutes ago. Sue me.
If you "remix" a story without giving the original author credit, it's plagiarism. And don't come with the all fanfic is plagiarism argument, because it's not, at least not in the real legal systems in this world. (and I'm not going to debate this, unless you pay me 600$/hour or have studied law in the same legal system that I did). When you give credit, it could be anything. Asking, which - believe it or not - can sometimes be required BY LAW - is common courtesy. But the throwing around of legal terms and definitions by what cannot possibly be all lawyers, is something I find highly annoying anyway, so let's stop it. It's not like we are going to sue each other over a remixed fanfic, so who cares if it's allowed or not.
What I do care about is courtesy. And since common courtesy is so rare these days, it is my personal opinion that it should have been made mandatory in a flashfic challenge in such a large fandom. Not doing so it just asking for the wank (which could have been the whole point, for all I know).
But not only out of common courtesy was the opt-out option clearly the wrong solution. The reactions to the people who complain about having to opt out, show, that opting out for many people is equal with not being a team player. If you are a good fan and want others to have fun, you don't opt out from the remix. At least that's how I understood most of what was being written in the (now closed) comments.
Clearly, these people would think differently if they weren't writing SGA fic, but, say, NCIS fic. Because just the thought of one of the crazy NCIS writers* laying their dirty little fingers on the precious few stories I wrote in that fandom and turning my Tony and Gibbs, that I carefully, and I hope with success, kept male and mostly sane, into the "MINE! MINE!" screaming, bondage wearing, crying, at-best androgyn idiots with cats that this fandom seems to be so find of, makes me want to scream.
Maybe remixes in SGA fandom are fun. In NCIS, they'd definitely end in tears. Though, at least we wouldn't wank before that, because we are a nice, wank-free, if totally insane, fandom.
*except exceptions, and you know who you are.
Disclaimer: I would be less bitchy if my favourite show hadn't been cancelled just a few minutes ago. Sue me.
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