That delusional TWILIGHT fan isn't the only one trying to sell fanfiction on eBay…fanficcers L. Lazarus & A. Morrisetti have copied the look of the original MAN FROM UNCLE tie-in paperbacks from the 1960s to sell their unauthorized UNCLE novels on the auction site for $21.95 each:.
THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. Continued…
NOW FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE THE DISCONTINUED PRINTING OF THE BELOVED ACE NOVELS, NAPOLEON SOLO AND ILLYA KURYAKIN COME TO YOU ONCE AGAIN…IN PAPERBACK!
148 pages of sheer thrills and adventure just as you remember it from the original series. This book and the rest to come in this series are near exact replicas of the original paperbacks…but with new stories. Written by an actual screenwriter, you will feel you are seeing what you are reading.
A MUST HAVE for any U.N.C.L.E. fan.
Make room on your bookshelf right next to the ACE books you have loved and cherished for all these years.
They offer this laughable "disclaimer" :
THESE BOOKS ARE NOT ACE PUBLISHED NOVELS, NOR DO WE INTEND TO COPY ANY PART OF ANY ACE PUBLICATION. THESE BOOKS ARE FOR FAN USE ONLY AND ARE NOT INTENDED FOR MASS MEDIA DISTRIBUTION.
These books are fan fiction and are not meant to infringe on any rights held by ACE Publishing, Warner Brothers, or any other entity who holds any rights to the Man from U.N.C.L.E., the television series or the previously published series of books. These books are NOT intended for mass distribution and are for fan use only!
I have news for these dimwits. Saying that you're not infringing on rights while you are doing just that doesn't make it okay. That's like saying "I'm not stealing your car even though I've just hotwired it, sped away in it, and am trying to sell it on Craig's List for money I will spend on hookers and blow. The car is intended for fan use only."
Mrs. Potato Head Speaks
Lady Sybilla, the much-maligned, crack-pot author of “Russet Noon,” a self-published, fanfic sequel to TWILIGHT, has given an interview to a Brazillian website. She says, in part: F: So besides all the problems you are excited and proud of it?…
What It’s Like to Be Delusional
Lori Jareo has finally been unseated as the dumbest fanficcer ever. Some idiot has sent out a press release touting the fall release of her self-published, fanfiction sequel to Stephenie Meyer’s TWILIGHT: This September 2009, a new controversial book h…
I wonder how long this will last. I’ve often thought a new series of novels(authorized of course) might sell. I could be wrong.
148 pages for $21.95? Paperback? They ARE delusional.
And, I’m so glad I’ll be “seeing what I’m reading.” Otherwise, I’d be blind.
http://gaylecarline.blogspot.com
What makes this seem all the more nuts to me is that, because UNCLE is largely moribund, they likely could’ve licensed the rights for a fairly small amount of money, getting far more attention, access to far more outlets, and in general be far more respectable for a small investment. Instead, all they’re earning themselves is a C&D order…
Man, I used to love those old Ace UNCLE novels.
Nat: I wouldn’t be so sure they could get the rights cheap. With Hollywood going through every old TV show they can find trying to turn up something to make a movie out of, I’m thinking whoever owns the rights to the UNCLE franchise is biding their time.
What’s annoying is that it’s difficult to report fanfiction on eBay as they don’t have a catagory for bootlegged books. The only media they seem concerned about are DVDs, CDs, software, and videogames.
When rights owners are biding their time, they often they find it to their advantage to make the property look “alive” on some level rather than forgotten. I’m a comic book publisher, and in comics there are a lot of otherwise-moribund licenses being exploited, and in some cases (I’m given to understand; it’s been years since I negotiated such a license myself) the license is practically given away.
Did you read this excerpt? Good fucking god, he silently mused:
“Two of the thugs came forward and efficiently held Kuryakin’s wrists behind him in an excruciatingly painful arm lock, while the grimacing agent was then thoroughly searched. His watch was ripped from his arm; then his communicator removed from inside his coat, his wallet, identification…all confiscated. Then off came his coat, shoulder holster, belt, and finally even his tie. If he had been on assignment there would have been even more, but this was his day off. Day off? Not for an U.N.C.L.E. agent, he silently mused.”
“Solo moaned and then opened his eyes just enough to know it was a bad idea and then quickly squeezed them shut. He tried again, and this time he was able to force them to remain open. He rolled his head to clear it and then glanced over at Illya and snorted, “You have to talk to your friends in the lab about these after effects.”
“Ah, no, you can do the complaining. It’s embarrassing enough that we were shot with our own sleep darts.”
I am astonished at how these cannot be “shut down” (apparantly). On “Friends” Warner Bros. was so on their leagal game…I knew people who legitimately won a signed script by answering a trivia question at a filming…then tried to sell it on ebay and were figuratively swarmed by WB legal as to the copyright infringement. So one cannot sell an autographed script the legitimately win…but if one wants to write and produce a copyright infringed novel…that’s okay?
“Of course it’s atrocious crap, Tod. Why are you surprised? Only a complete moron would sell their fanfic on eBay,” Lee silently mused to himself in his head.
“Only a complete moron would sell their fanfic on eBay,” Lee silently mused to himself in his head.”
I’m musing this one step further in my head.
As a teen who caught The Man From UNCLE in syndication I remember writing fanfic as a way to learn how to write, but even at 12 I knew it was illegal to do anything more with it, and I used what I learned to eventually create my own material. These “published” fanfic issues that keep cropping up just make me scratch my head. How much energy are they wasting that could be better spent on something original?
I got driven off a Stargate: SG1 fansite when one of the moderators solicited fanfic for a fanzine she intended to print up and sell at a convention and I pointed out that this was illegal and unethical.
They honestly couldn’t see anything wrong with making a buck on someone else’s creation or the difference between putting the glurge on say, a mailing list with 50 members and setting up a booth and going into direct competion with the people who are writing to earn a living.
In fact, one almost certainly could sell that script; google “first sale doctrine” on that, and note that trade secret protection only covers you against people you purposely give the secrets to, not holders in due course (IANAL).
But, tell me this, Lee: absent unlicensed profit, as someone who writes for series universes — and hopefully, as someone who’s actually *seen* *good* fanfic (I’m a seriously hard grader, and I’ve seen one or two that only needed a bit of polish to shoot, IMO)…
what do you think of the concept?
I totally hate these guys.
I wrote UNCLE stories back when the show was still on the air and the term “fanfic” had yet to be invented.
And at that tender and innocent age I STILL knew to send it in to Ace for it to see print without making someone mad.
At least one of these guys is a woman. The A in A Morrisett stands for April.
As in April Dancer.
Because she’s dancing around the licensing issue, I assume.
But then that’s just me projecting forth my own surmise, that I assumed myself, without any help, aid, assistance or even hint-like clues.