Posts in News of Note
OTW Signal, April 2026
Every month in OTW Signal, we take a look at stories that connect to the OTW’s mission and projects, including issues related to legal matters, technology, academia, fannish history and preservation issues of fandom, fan culture, and transformative works. In the News A discussion on NPR Radio centered on a growing debate: should fanfiction have remained tucked away in private internet forums and zines, or was its advance into the mainstream inevitable and even beneficial? That conversation seems to reflect a broader cultural shift, indicated by several recent news stories describing fanfiction as not only a major force in pop culture, but also a legitimate… Read more
OTW Signal, March 2026
Every month in OTW Signal, we take a look at stories that connect to the OTW’s mission and projects, including issues related to legal matters, technology, academia, fannish history and preservation issues of fandom, fan culture, and transformative works. In the News An article published in February in the Dublin Inquirer highlights the fannish origins of author Diane Duane and how her experiences writing fanfiction influenced her career. Inspired by a deep love of the (at the time) newly airing Star Trek: The Original Series, Duane began to craft stories featuring her favourite characters. Like many fans discovering a new world for the first time,… Read more
OTW Signal, February 2026
Every month in OTW Signal, we take a look at stories that connect to the OTW’s mission and projects, including issues related to legal matters, technology, academia, fannish history and preservation issues of fandom, fan culture, and transformative works. In the News A recent article in The Varsity, University of Toronto’s (UoT) campus paper, profiles a growing student community centered around a shared love of fanfiction. Fanfiction Club president Zain Butt says that while interest was initially low, they now have 40–50 students at weekly events that include activities such as fandom potlucks, karaoke featuring fandom songs, and a collaborative murder mystery with the school’s… Read more
OTW Signal, January 2026
Every month in OTW Signal, we take a look at stories that connect to the OTW’s mission and projects, including issues related to legal matters, technology, academia, fannish history and preservation issues of fandom, fan culture, and transformative works. In the News As part of Copyright Week 2026, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) highlighted a broken aspect of U.S. copyright law: statutory damages. These are fines imposed on platforms and users for copyright infringement, and because there is little guidance on how to calculate them, they can far exceed the amount of actual financial harm—up to $150,000 per work. For the many internet users whose… Read more
OTW Signal, December 2025
Every month in OTW Signal, we take a look at stories that connect to the OTW’s mission and projects, including issues related to legal matters, technology, academia, fannish history and preservation issues of fandom, fan culture, and transformative works. In the News Why some people are devoted to particular aspects of popular culture is a fundamental query in fan studies research. One common and familiar answer is that fandoms are like religions. A recent article offers a different approach to understanding the emotional intensity of fan devotion, suggesting that while fans often describe their devotion in terms that sound religious, this comparison “has some lingering… Read more