100 college things 25

[alexseanchai]

I don't believe I just had to explain to someone the concept of 'public domain'. I can't believe it. It is unbelievable. "As an writer/author you should understand this. Would you want someone to have the ability to 'steal' your work once you aren't around to protect it?" From whom am I stealing when I retell Snow White, Rachel and Leah, Romeo and Juliet? I specified that the latter isn't Shakespeare since he was taking from older works, so I bet she knows none of the answers. Come to that, I know none of the answers--I think Rachel and Leah is a J story? I'm not sure. And Snow White might be Perrault but it might also be one of those stories old enough that the author's name is lost. And I don't know who wrote the stories Shakespeare borrowed from to write that play.

If that explanation doesn't take, I'ma try explaining fanfiction, I think.

ETA: Scratch that. Brothers Grimm, J, Luigi da Porto (or Ovid, depending on how we want to slice it), and Creative Commons, though if inviting my classmates (two! there are two of them now who don't comprehend 'public domain'!) to think about why I license my original works on alexconall under Creative Commons (this one) doesn't work I'll probably try explaining fanfiction next.

Comments

[serpentine]

Public domain is very important! The novels I'm currently working on would not be publishable if the story it was inspired by was not in public domain. The sad thing is that I had to double check if something created in the first decade of the 20th century was even in copyright anymore.

[alexseanchai]

Magic date in the US is Jan 1 1923. That date's not gonna change till 2019; it should be advancing a year once yearly.

[serpentine]

Well, at least I'm in the clear for my story. Especially considering I'm not the first to do a take on this ballet.

[alexseanchai]

Oh, yes, and if it's older than a hundred years it's in the clear everywhere in the world.

[princessofgeeks]

is this a person who should have known better?

[alexseanchai]

I have no idea. She's a classmate. That's really all I know about her.

[princessofgeeks]

ah.

[lliira]

I have nothing to say about this except *headdesk*. I can't even think how I would begin with this person.

[myaibou]

So, this person thinks West Side Story, Wicked, most of the "Disney Princess" stories, the TV show Grim, movies with Dracula or Frakenstein's monster in them, every retelling of the Arthur or Robin Hood legends EVER, etc. are all thefts? ::rolls eyes::

[alexseanchai]

Apparently. She hasn't answered yet.

[pauamma]

And the 1812 Overture, too. :-)