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b5 interior map wanted

Oh, I certainly don't think that you shouldn't alert to potential consquences. Your knowledge is a resource, for sure, which is why I asked. I was curious as to if WB would go with a cease and desist letter first if they encountered such a station map, or if they'd bypass that and move on to another more advanced action.
 
thanks for the advice amy think ill risk it anyway i dont really care if i get roud to "distributing" it it willl just be fun to make...
 
At the risk of derailing the thread, a few creators are okay with fan fiction. Joss Whedon has reportedly given his fans the liscence to do what they like, as long as no money changes hands.
 
Does Joss actually own any of the shows he's created? If he doesn't, he can't really give permission.

Jan
 
Friendly fellow :LOL:

Indeed. :rolleyes:

Sorry, Ryuu, but it seems you started this thread to ask for help and then started insulting the people trying to help you.

The copyright discussion is proving to be rather interesting, though. :)
 
Hey, vacantlook, I hope I didn't come across as snippy with you! Because I wasn't feeling snippy! I thought it was a good question, sincerely, and I gave my best answer.

Although I definitely was feeling a bit snippy from the abuse I was getting from ryuu...
 
No, you didn't seem snippy to me. I hope I didn't come across as return-snippy, myself. Legal stuff always makes my head spin. :eek:
 
As I said before,I misread the original question and never realised that it would be published online.However as there is a B5 roleplaying game anyway WB must realise that these sort of things are a major part of these games.Floorplans are needed and most people will write there own adventures.It is part and parcel of this sort of game so I would think a bit of leeway would be granted.
Is there not a B5 technical manual available?This should also give more detail on stations plans although I doubt it would have a fully detailed set of plans I would think that the more important areas would have a page or two.
 
As I said before,I misread the original question and never realised that it would be published online.However as there is a B5 roleplaying game anyway WB must realise that these sort of things are a major part of these games.Floorplans are needed and most people will write there own adventures.It is part and parcel of this sort of game so I would think a bit of leeway would be granted.

Isn't that the point that Amy has been making though. There is nothing to stop anyone putting together their own floorplan and using it in their own adventures to play at home, but as soon as they put it on the web it has been distributed and therefore potentially open to a WB cease-and-desist order.

As Amy also says, they are almost duty-bound to issue one if they find something that breaches their copyright, so that future breachers cannot turn around and claim that as nothing was done in previous cases then WB had implied that it was OK to do so in future.

And, as far as Joss Whedon goes, if he owns the rights and copyright to his shows then it is within his purview to give permission or not for fans to write their own fiction with his characters etc. If he doesn't own them, then legally it doesn't matter what he says, it is up to the studio to decide.

If JMS suddenly announced that he was done with B5 forever and fans were free to do what they liked in his universe, it would make no difference to the current situation, because WB owns B5 and it is up to them, not JMS, to decide what they will and will not allow.

Do I remember reading somewhere that WB are considered to be among the more protective of their properties in these circumstances?
 
Do I remember reading somewhere that WB are considered to be among the more protective of their properties in these circumstances?

As I recall, back when the show was on, JMS worked with WB legal and they came to the informal agreement that fan websites using images from the show were okay *as long as* they had all the appropriate copyright information on them. This post from back then explains things very understandably.

Jan
 
sory about being abusive none was intended and as hypatia said this is proving to be interesting
 
...fan websites using images from the show were okay *as long as* they had all the appropriate copyright information on them.

That's not too different from any of the fanfiction that I've read, which usually opens with a generic disclaimer along the lines of: "I don't own these characters; I'm just writing this for fun."
 
Yes, but there's a BIG difference between posting a disclaimer of your own invention, and actually getting permission to use the characters and situations from the show (or even tacit permission, which is apparently what happened during the run of B5 for fan websites). Some people (not saying it's you, vacantlook) think that posting a copyright notice for the copyright owner, and disclaiming any personal ownership on their part, makes it okay. It doesn't.
 
Some people think it's okay to start with, and disclaimers mere politeness.
Others disagree.

The best insulator between them, to avoid nasty social short-circuits is obviously technology. If they're outside each other's reach, neither can get burnt.
 
Except that you're postulating that the person doing the infringing be the one out of reach, puzzle. That still leaves the copyright owner vulnerable to being sued by the infringor for 'stealing' an idea or story. What's their protection via technology, pray tell?

Jan
 
Would these copyright laws also mean that anybody using a B5 picture as an avatar is in fact in breach of copyright?Or the quotes that some people use as a signiture?Just a thought.
 
Except that you're postulating that the person doing the infringing be the one out of reach, puzzle. That still leaves the copyright owner vulnerable to being sued by the infringor for 'stealing' an idea or story.
I do think you're stretching it. It's a stretch to assume that someone who isn't the author and seeks profit from their work (or legal entitlement to it) could manage that anonymously.

Profit requires moving money, and legal entitlement seems to require moving lawyers. I haven't heard of a technology enabling a person to move either without exposing themselves to retaliation in a thousand and one ways.

I know of effective technologies to protect movers of information from being targeted. Physical goods and projection of power are a lot harder to conceal.

Regardless, a good solution against what you suggest would be abolishing copyright law so they can't sue you, and telling people who use your work "please send donations for this work to my account only". I bet that people who'd prefer paying would like to pay the original author(s).

What's their protection via technology, pray tell?
A nice technology for those who want to publish for money should be digital signatures and timestamps. Before handing your work out of your control, have an independent timestamping service digitally sign it.

Perhaps combine this with digitally co-signing the timestamped copy with multiple trusted persons (or use a notary if you insist on official channels, ink, rubber and paper).

That should give you adequate proof if a consumer of your work doubts whom they should pay, or someone claims they own what you made, or you feel pressing need to demand compensation from a person unjustly profiting from your work.

Those who don't profit however, can and probably will keep using your work in countless violations of modern copyright law, since multiple aspects of copyright law simply contradict how the world functions.
 
Would these copyright laws also mean that anybody using a B5 picture as an avatar is in fact in breach of copyright?

No, that's a breach of trademark. Trademark protects images, slogans, logos, things like that. And yes, avatars using images from trademarked properties without permission are technically infringements of trademark. But no one's going to pursue you for that. No one who owns a trademark even really knows about that.

Or the quotes that some people use as a signiture?Just a thought.

The quotes being use are infringements of copyright, but again, no one is going to pursue you for that. It is similar to (but not exactly the same as) "fair use" in that the quote is being used as commentary.

The point is, no copyright owner - not even big, bad Warner Bros. - has the staff or the time or the resources to poke around the internet and find and pursue every person who is using a sig quote, an avatar, writing fanfic, etc. etc.
 

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