Fan Films

Does anybody know what JMS' position is on fan movies?

He's a miserable git.

Huh? I'm lost. You mean JMS is a "miserable git" about B5 "fan films"?

He is pretty picky about protecting his work. There isn't much he can do about it, but does this make him a "git"?

I presume that's a firm no, i can understand really, he doesn't want anyone compromising the story while he adds to it, i would probably feel exactly the same way.

Hey, I don't know what his attitude is. I don't know if CH does, but I'm sure someone will clear this up sooner or later.

Poor JMS gets quoted on stuff he said over a decade ago. Poor guy.



Anyway, Jan might know.

Ah,use of language again.

Does calling someone a sod mean they are a lump of grass?

There is not a lot he can do about protecting his work but he is pretty picky about it,does that seem like a contradiction

He is the Limp Bizkit of Sci-fi.

As I understand it he is very controlling over the franchise.

I do know there is some fan fiction out there.

Spacebattles don't seem to have been sued over anything and In The Pirkinning a Finish (I think) movie ships from B5 and Star trek.

I know he was pissed off once because a fan submitted a storyline he was already planning and the whole copyright thing came in.Or maybe not

I'm basing this on half remembered threads from here.

To be quite accurate, JMS *can't* do a thing about fan fic or fan films or anything else. He doesn't own Babylon 5, Warner Bros. does. I don't know, but I have a feeling that with the Lost Tales coming out shortly and doing well on the sales charts already, that they'd be likely to defend their property fairly rigorously.

JMS seemed perfectly sanguine about 'In the Pirkinning' (sp?) which was a parody of Trek and B5. I don't recall him ever saying anything bad about Babylon Park either. Those are bothe parodies, though, and fall under different rules.

Jan

crazyhorse said:

I know he was pissed off once because a fan submitted a storyline he was already planning and the whole copyright thing came in.Or maybe not

I'm basing this on half remembered threads from here.

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I may know the incident you are discussing. And he didn't get "pissed off", just said that it seriously complicated matters, and the episode might easily not have been made. Or maybe wouldn't be made. I also seem to recall JMS being quoted as saying that if it weren't for the cooperation of the fan involved, the episode "Passing Through Gethsemane" could never have been made.

So, to avoid that in the future, he only reads and posts at his own moderated site. I'd say that's pretty reasonable when a gem of an idea like "Passing Through Gethsemane" came so close to being lost.

At least that is what I know about the situation. Hopefully someone will correct me or add on if it's needed.

crazyhorse said:

As I understand it he is very controlling over the franchise.

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By contract he has to have a level of involvement in all licensed activity. How much isn't clear.

I know he was pissed off once because a fan submitted a storyline he was already planning and the whole copyright thing came in.Or maybe not

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This is true. A fan innocently posted a story idea of what would happen if a mindwiped criminal began remembering their past life while JMS was working on 'Passing Through Gethsemane'.

Jan

Jan said:

By contract he has to have a level of involvement in all licensed activity. How much isn't clear.

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Didn't he explain it in one of the script books or somewhere as being that WB has to consult with him on any new B5 project they're considering, although afterwards they'd be totally free (should they so desire, which luckily so far they haven't) to ignore everything he had to say on it and do it their own way anyway?