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Ok! If I remember correctly, you tried to talk me into doing NaNoWriMo. I was going too, but was too busy in Nov...
Posts: 1209 | Registered: Dec 2003
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Heh! I think I tried talking almost everyone into it. Including Fahim. That didn't work, though. Posts: 8355 | Registered: Apr 2003
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Yeah, talking me into doing stuff never works - see the "blaster", "credit" thread ... Oh, I see we are already in that thread Posts: 136 | Registered: Aug 2003
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The intellectual property rights thing can be sticky. Like, I'm sure George Lucas' attack lawyers would pants you publicly if you had someone use a "lightsaber."
I know a girl who got her t-shirt designs kicked off cafe press because they had the word "hobbit" on them.
So, words can be the intellectual propertt of their creator, if the concept and execution is original enough.
Posts: 9293 | Registered: Aug 2000
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Lucas' policy is essentially complete permissivity so long as you're not selling it (and I think he even tolerates some things for sale) or creating something offensive.
This is appropriate and understandable, as much of Lucas' success is due to borrowing from other, similarly permissive directors, notably Kurosawa (try watching The Hidden Fortress sometime, then rewatch A New Hope).
Posts: 15770 | Registered: Dec 2001
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Right. But he sued those folks who were trying to call a medical device a 'lightsaber'. That had nothing to do with the device, it was all about the word. I think one of his kids really wants to create a real lightsaber one day. ;P
I think he wouldn't like people using the word "lightsaber" in a non-star wars novel.
I know he used a lot of Kurosawa, and he seems to ignore fanfic-ers and fan films, and a lot of commercial films borrow from him, obviously.
YOU write a story using lightsabers (the word and concept) and see if you get away with it. Posts: 9293 | Registered: Aug 2000
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The medical supply company thing is twofold: One, the word is trademarked, and its use (absent defense or licensing) as another's commercial mark would weaken the trademark. Two, it is a commercial situation -- Lucas has been very forgiving about freely distributed fan works.
He very well may crack down on it being used in a non-Star Wars universe story, though, both for trademark reasons and because of potential for "misuse" once he allows that sort of thing.
Posts: 15770 | Registered: Dec 2001
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Now that you bring that up, I'm positive I read somewhere that OSC said he would sue the pants off anyone who wrote an Ender novel. But then I found out about www.fanfiction.com.Posts: 1209 | Registered: Dec 2003
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You know, at first I thought you were disagreeing/correcting me, but I think we hold exactly the same opinion/veiw. I don't think anything either of us said contradicted the other in any way.
I guess I'm posting this just to make sure you realized that, too. Posts: 9293 | Registered: Aug 2000
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I was just making potentially interesting comments, I have no notion of this "disagreement" .
For instance, its clear that Lucas has allowed the abundant use of lightsaber in Star Wars fanfiction -- whether he would also look the other way for any or some non-Star Wars writing is an interesting academic question, that I don't have much opinion on one way or the other, but think important to throw out .
Posts: 15770 | Registered: Dec 2001
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I guess I should go remove all references to lightsabers from my novel ... Oh wait, I don't think I have any ... or maybe only one ...
Posts: 136 | Registered: Aug 2003
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