Every month in OTW Signal we take a look at stories that connect to the OTW’s mission and projects, including legal, technology, academic, fannish history, and preservation issues that are important for fandom, fan culture or transformative works.

In the News

Creative Commons joins Re:Create Coalition in this article about nonprofits.

The OTW is both a member of Re:Create and has a Creative Commons license, both of which contribute to the continued aim of protecting and defending fanworks with the intent of fostering creativity while respecting the rights of original creators.

The OTW’s academic journal Transformative Works and Cultures (TWC) uses an Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) copyright license that ensures that the author, not TWC, retains the copyright, thus removing the requirement that republishing would need approval from TWC. In the case of reprints that would require documentation about the copyright, TWC requires authors to sign a form that does not transfer copyright, and instead expresses an understanding of the copyright and gives TWC permission to grant republication permission on behalf of authors.

Re:Create introduces the OTW as a member by interviewing Betsy Rosenblatt, during which she discusses the effect of balanced copyright policies on the OTW and AO3.

The DMCA plays two distinct and important roles in supporting fans and the OTW. First, the DMCA’s safe harbors are essential to the creation and maintenance of fan communities and the platforms that support them. The OTW operates AO3, a Hugo-Award winning, volunteer-run site that hosts over 6 million unique user-posted transformative noncommercial works, has over 2.5 million registered users, and receives almost 350 million page views per week at that time. Users rely on the AO3 to host noninfringing fair-use works, and DMCA safe harbors allow the site to host such works without fear of liability for user activity. Second, fanwork creators are authors and copyright holders in their own rights, and rely on the DMCA’s notice-and-takedown framework to protect their own works from being infringed and exploited.

Cringe #NoBetaWeDieLikeMen at Edinburgh Fringe is a performance that celebrates fanfiction, particularly its role in interpreting and reimagining TV shows. The production features fans of a fictional show, Fantastical Adventures Reaching Through Time, which resembles Star Trek or possibly Doctor Who, in 1969 and in 2012. The other timeline is set in 2012, where teenagers rediscover the show and its subtext, and write fanfic exploring imagined romantic scenarios between the two characters.

What unites them is their love of ‘FARTT’, and the fanfic they write for it. They meet routinely in their fan club, which has by-laws, and strict time limits for any part of their gatherings – restrictions that will appear far too familiar to anyone who has ever attended a Worldcon Business meeting.

OTW Tips

Have you ever finished an extensive article on Fanlore and wondered if you could ever contribute to a page but don’t know where to start? Fear not, they have a Wish List page where you can find articles that need to be created or could use expansion! From popular characters in beloved-then-hated shows like Game of Thrones, to a niche, local comic con that you’ve been to. Fanlore wants your love and knowledge about fandom!

We want your suggestions for the next OTW Signal post! If you know of an essay, video, article, podcast, or news story you think we should know about, send us a link. We are looking for content in all languages! Submitting a link doesn’t guarantee that it will be included in an OTW post, and inclusion of a link doesn’t mean that it is endorsed by the OTW.