Eck... this whole "Authorized Fan Site Agreement" thing is icking me out. Since when do folk tales become absolutely, non-negotiably property of a corporation? Yeah, yeah, I know, since they created them. But who does Marvel think it's kidding? You can't monitor or hunt down every single fic-writer or site-master - people will just duck, run, and the site will pop up again, somewhere else, a few weeks/months later. One of the wonderful things about the Internet is its anonymity. This site agreement thing seems to be saying that not only will the person's freedom of expression come under extreme scrutiny (and possible standardization), but this looks to require the person's *actual* stats, not just aliases. I dunno about everyone else, but no thank you. This all seems a bit like Marvel's got a stick up its butt again. I mean, can you even *imagine* the public relations nightmare if Marvel started hunting down poor, innocent little comic geeks? They'd lose half their readers in a day. All they can really do, I suppose, is bitch about it. Which they tend to do, anyway. ;)
Makes me almost glad I haven't written any Marvel fic in almost two years.
This "agreement" actually contains the statement that it "does not grant any intellectual property rights" to the work to the author. Doesn't that sort of, in a way, defeat the purpose? I mean, yeah, Marvel's entitled to as much "mine, mine mine" bitching as they please - but what are they really going to accomplish other than alienating fans? Not that it ever stopped them before... ;)
Ah, well. If the Marvel fic community is reduced to a band of pirate-sites, they will survive. *I'll* still go there. But maybe that's just 'cause I like pirates. ;)
Ye gods - I still have to *pack*. I have not done *any* packing. And I have to leave in... *checks calendar* Oh, gods. Eleven days. Eleven days! Ack!
Must go to post office. Must cash grant. Must get money to eat at DexCon and after... must get off lazy butt and go out...
busy