This is the handout I wrote for Sunday's panel on fandom and copyright. I am posting it here because it is fifteen freaking pages long and I hope some people will read along on their netbooks and I don't need as many paper copies. But people not at con-txt are welcome to enjoy.

This is html-converted using OpenOffice; I apologize if it's ugly, I cheated because it's, um, 5:30 AM the day of the panel and I haven't slept yet. If you would rather download a .doc file, click this link: Copyleft and Copyright Handout.

( Fandom, Copyright and Copyleft: The Basics of Intellectual Property for Fans )

Okay, first there was the fanlib thing, which though stupid, I didn't feel the need to comment on because so many people were doing it better.

But what's going on now? What's going on now has me *angry*.

Summary for people who haven't been watching:
At the height of the fanlib thing few days ago a rumour went around that LJ was being pressured to suspend the journals of people with certain shady interests on their profile pages, and you should change your interest list to protect yourself.

Then, LJ staffers and abuse volunteers eagerly made posts stating in the strongest terms that this was an unfounded rumour, this was not happening, there was no need to worry. The panic died down. People stopped deleting their interests.

Today? LJ started permanently deleting journals and communities with those interests listed.

Then it comes out that a certain vigilante group had been making the complaints, and had been making them repeatedly over a span of time, *just like the rumour stated*, but LJ had been quoting their long-standing policy that only if a crime was actually being committed would they take action.

*THEN*, according to their website, the vigilantes started complaining to LJ's advertisers and getting them to take down their ads to prevent them from being associated with those interests.

Suddenly, LJ claims that listing an illegal activity as an interest now counts as soliciting that illegal activity, and because of their own legal liability, they must permanently remove such journals if reported to them. (and saying it's not their fault! please don't blame them!)

And the LJ insiders who were so strenuously debunking the rumour three days ago are now using those same journals to claim they aren't allowed to comment on internal lj happenings.

If you want a version with names and specifics, there are a lot of link-collecting posts out there already - circling the wagons and whatnot - catrinella is pretty comprehensive here, or I can throw links in the comments - but I'm not so much pissed off by what is actually happening, as by the way LJ has been handling it, and I haven't seen a clear statement of sequence of events yet.

I'm especially pissed about the threat to their ad revenue. What happened to don't worry, ads won't change anything for paid users, guys?

Meanwhile, I've added 'loitering', 'jaywalking' and 'trespassing' to my interests list. If my journal gets suspended, I have this username at journalfen and gj too; I'll be there.

And I'm finally friending fanarchive.

(Now, off to go play with xerahanadu once my rage dies down enough to drive. And I find my car keys.)

Windows just tried to get me to add an update, the sole stated purpose of which was "To determine whether I'm running an authorized copy of Windows, and help me remedy the situation if not."

What the bloody heck is *wrong* with you people?

Okay, possibly probably almost certainly I've just read far too many pages of my borrowed Transmet trades in the last hour (they really need 'recommended maximum dosage' warnings), but, seriously, in the name of Bob and Eris: aaargh! The worst bit is that 90% of Windows users probably *did* install it without even wondering why they should. Even the ones who are in fact running pirated software. STOP BLINDLY TRUSTING CORPORATE MEDIA, WORLD. kthnxdai.