Are we going to accept fanfiction?

This post is a little late for the topic--for some reason, it saved as a draft instead of being published two weeks ago. Anywho...

Beam me up: would Din accept Trekkie fiction?

After this week’s reading on fanfiction, I found myself wondering—what if we get a submission that is, indeed, a fanfic?

Schaffner, author of the reading Defense of Fanfiction, makes the point that some of it can be good. She contests the idea that fanfiction is a “blanket term for fantastic, implausible, self-indulgent, or downright crummy entertainment.” Personally, I’m not opposed to accepting fanfiction. In fact, having fanfiction in Din might have the right “flavor.”

But, there is that tricky matter of copyright. As the web article points out, fanfiction is a violation of copyright.

I think Din could probably fly under the radar at this point, but let’s say Din gets as big as the New Yorker. If the New Yorker published a piece of fan fiction they would get absolutely hammered.

(A paper here from Kent University explores the matter in more detail.)

But, suffice to say, I don’t think it’s in Din’s best interest to accept FanFiction now, and set the precedent that it will accept fan fiction. 

In any case, I guess I'm trying to say, unless we have a really good reason, let's try not to get the university involved in a copyright lawsuit.