Publishing Fan-Written Material
January 3, 2008
The purpose of Lýthia.com is to freely share the wealth of Hârn material that fans write¹ and want to make available to others. We don’t have an agenda other than providing a place where people can visit and obtain material for their own roleplaying enjoyment. As such, our first concern is for the fans of all types; whether they be new devotees, old Hârniacs, or just passing through. We want to provide a gateway to the wider Hârn fan community. That’s why we want to be, and to be seen to be, neutral with respect to the ongoing legal wrangle between N. Robin Crossby and Columbia Games Inc.
Following a request by N. Robin Crossby to conform to the fanon licence published on the Kelestia Productions website, we sought legal advice regarding our position. In summary, here is that advice:
- Double G Press (DGP) has no way of knowing the current legal relationship between N. Robin Crossby and Columbia Games Inc (the parties).
- It is not DGP’s place to try to determine the legal relationship between the parties.
- DGP should not risk failing to credit those to whom credit may be due.
In summary, DGP will continue to encourage fan writers to credit both parties with copyright. Should the legal position between the parties ever be clarified by an arbitrator or court of law, Double G Press will abide by that decision.
Does this mean that Lýthia.com won’t publish fan-written material that conforms to the Kelestia Productions fanon licence? No, it does not. While point 3 above is the legal advice DGP has received, and DGP encourages fans to credit both N. Robin Crossby and Columbia Games Inc in the copyright notice, DGP does not require it. It is our view that the decision should be up to the individual writer’s conscious whether or not to credit Columbia Games Inc. However, we would like to stress that DGP will not publish material that does not explicitly recognise N. Robin Crossby as the creator of Hârn.
Until the legal standing between those parties is formally and officially resolved, Lýthia.com will continue to make as much fan-written material as possible available for free download.
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¹ We call this material ‘fanon‘ , as opposed to ‘canon‘, which is official material published by either N. Robin Crossby (Kelestia Productions) or Columbia Games Inc.
Tags: Columbia Games Inc, contract, dispute, fanon, licence, N. Robin Crossby