We are not sure if "Ballad of the New Rebel" is 'legal' we may soon find out.the hard way… Īnother example of this early control was mentioned by Allyson Whitfield in several 1978 letters to zines: Other than that, our SW efforts have remained in safe areas, like satire, for which anything is fair game.
The one SW story that Mpingo Press has published - "The Prometheus Pattern" in SPIRIT 1 - went to press long before this new turn of events. PROBE has said a lot about the sanctity of copyrights, and we try to practice what we preach. But while all the haggling is going on, we thought it would be better for PROBE to stay out of the mess until the matter is settled, one way or the other. At least one member of the Corporation is trying to convince Twentieth Century's legal department that fanzines are "a good thing". Sanction should be coming shortly, as soon as we get some legal points ironed out."īut now - as of this writing - the Corporation is looking for people who have already started publishing SW fan fiction The Corporation's stated intention is "not to hassle" these persons, but merely to inform them that they are in violation of copyrights. The main message was, in effect, "Hang on. This hope was fueled by further written communication from the SW Corp., communications which could not be published, but were permitted to be circulated underground. The only reason the story - and a sequel - was even considered was because of unofficial word received last September from Very Official Sources that Twentieth Century Studios and the STAR WARS Corporation were about to give sanction to SW fan fiction and fanzines. OF "STAR WARS" AND COPYRIGHTS: Not so long ago, in a galaxy not too far away, Ye Editor's own major contribution to this issue was supposed to be "Four-Sided Game", a "STAR WARS" story about what happened to the farm after Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru were slaughtered and Luke Skywalker left for Alderaan. Star Wars had debuted on May 24, 1977, and representatives from 20th Century Fox and Lucasfilm were at Space-Con #4 the third week in June of that year: "At Space-Con 4 in LA, they came prepared and told dealers that they could not sell unlicensed Star Wars merchandise." It was as early as 1977 when George Lucas and 20th Century Fox began making attempts to corral and contain zines their fanwork creators. Distant, detached, and non-communicative, Lucas remained a mystery to most fans. Lucas made no convention appearances, no Roddenberry Phone Calls, and he didn't submit chatty updates to fan-created newsletters. While Roddenberry had been a willing and entertaining convention guest and had given approval (both verbal and tacit) to fanworks, George Lucas was a completely different animal. Fans were upset in part because they had previously asked for clarification on Lucasfilm's zine policy but had not gotten a clear answer.įans learned early on that George Lucas was no Gene Roddenberry. One letter stated that continued violations might result in Star Wars zine-making being prohibited entirely. The letters, responding to the publishing of a few explicit fanfics, warned zines not to publish "X-Rated" content under threat of legal action.
Printable star wars letters series#
The Open Letters to Star Wars Zine Publishers were a series of letters sent in 1981 to many Star Wars fanzine publishers/ editors by the director of the Official Star Wars Fan Club, Maureen Garrett.ġ982 commentary on George Lucas' fanwork restrictions, illo in Twin Suns #3, illo by eluki bes shahar for the editorial by Jani Hicks
5.1 Howard Roffman, Associate General Counsel for Lucasfilm.
5 The First Letters: July and August 1981.3 One Controversial Story: Defused by Pizza.2 Some Early Stories that Rocked the Boat.1.5 Early 1981: In Which the Hive is Actively Poked.
0 kommentar(er)
