Money, Rights and Fic, Part One
May. 30th, 2006 11:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
branchandrootIf, after a story is written, published and sold for money, a derivative story based on it is then written, published and sold for money, does this cause any monetary loss to the author of the source-work?
I would suggest that it does not.
The two products are not commensurate; one cannot replace the other, in either direction. Any argument that they are competing for the same market share must acknowledge that, as the second work is derivative, they also mutually support the growth of each other's customer base.
Thus, the commercial basis of copyright law does not apply to fanfic.
In our next segment, reflections on the "intellectual property" aspect of the issue.
.
I would suggest that it does not.
The two products are not commensurate; one cannot replace the other, in either direction. Any argument that they are competing for the same market share must acknowledge that, as the second work is derivative, they also mutually support the growth of each other's customer base.
Thus, the commercial basis of copyright law does not apply to fanfic.
In our next segment, reflections on the "intellectual property" aspect of the issue.
.
