Ok, I don't really have time to reply properly to your comments, since I'm going to be leaving in a few minutes to spend New Year's at a friends, but here's the but of the transcript that applies to the RPF legal stuff (I've edited out some extra stuff like who was leaving the chat room and mod commands): Hi! My question, shockingly, is also on the legal side of things. first, i want to applaud you guys for having a big-tent approach to fannish work. it seems like it would be easy to say, "we're here for fic because we think we can win with fic, but the vidders are on their own," etc. however, RPS in particular seems to have its own set of legal issues, yet i've only seen comment so far on the fanfic/fanvid side of things. are you guys working on specific messages/defenses for RPS/RPF? I will start by saying that probably we will set up a chat with Rebecca Tushnet, our head of Legal, who can give the really correct answers to all the legal questions well, from a CommRel perspective, as well. not being a lawyer, I will say that my understanding from our discussions is that RPS/RPF are on much more solid and understood ground legally speaking with respect to libel? we definitely *are* concerned about them in terms of caring about RPS and RPF and wanting to protect them too libel/defamation/slander you are totally safe as long as it is clear the work is fiction in my nonlawyer understanding! right. are there other legal aspects for RPF that you are specifically concerned about? since RPF pushes a good number of people's squick buttons pretty hard, is OTW going to work on a "message" about why it's legit? and why it's included? let me actually answer this more generally -- we are not looking to judge squick/squee, period. that is, we have zero desire as an org to get into the business of deciding what is "worthy" or "good" and don't think it is our place we're going to include everything that our legal team tells us we can that does not risk getting us sent to jail :> ha ha, awesome. thanks. (Anything else, Lottelita?) not at the moment!
Re: OTW Part 1a
Hi! My question, shockingly, is also on
the legal side of things.
first, i want to applaud you guys for
having a big-tent approach to fannish work. it seems
like it would be easy to say, "we're here for fic
because we think we can win with fic, but the vidders
are on their own," etc.
however, RPS in particular seems to have
its own set of legal issues, yet i've only seen
comment so far on the fanfic/fanvid side of things.
are you guys working on specific
messages/defenses for RPS/RPF?
I will start by saying that probably we
will set up a chat with Rebecca Tushnet, our head of
Legal, who can give the really correct answers to all
the legal questions
well, from a CommRel perspective, as well.
not being a lawyer, I will say that my
understanding from our discussions is that RPS/RPF are
on much more solid and understood ground
legally speaking
with respect to libel?
we definitely *are* concerned about them
in terms of caring about RPS and RPF
and wanting to protect them too
libel/defamation/slander you are totally
safe as long as it is clear the work is fiction
in my nonlawyer understanding!
right.
are there other legal aspects for RPF
that you are specifically concerned about?
since RPF pushes a good number of people's
squick buttons pretty hard, is OTW going to work on a
"message" about why it's legit?
and why it's included?
let me actually answer this more
generally -- we are not looking to judge squick/squee,
period. that is, we have zero desire as an org to get
into the business of deciding what is "worthy" or
"good" and don't think it is our place
we're going to include everything that
our legal team tells us we can that does not risk
getting us sent to jail :>
ha ha, awesome. thanks.
(Anything else, Lottelita?)
not at the moment!