NEWS
Run by: Sean Fogle
Sound Effects & Humor by: Caylin Swisher

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**Report #4
**June 22, 2003
Type: Hot Off the Presses!

Caylin: Uh....hi folks! Caylin here! Uh.....Sean’s....taking a break today so I’m doing this news....uh...thing.....anyhow! You guys like impressions until our newscast?
Caylin: That guy from the "Terminator!" "Come with me if you want to live!"
Caylin:...Ok they can’t all be hits....how about that guy who played Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan in Rush Hour 2? "Do you understand the words coming out of my mouth!?" "Oh man no one understands the words coming out of your mouth."
Voice: CAY!
Caylin: Oh no.......
*Sean comes in tangled in rope*
Sean: Sorry everyone, it seems some people like locking others in a closet just to be in the spot light....
*Caylin notices he’s actually in the spot light*
Caylin: Uh......Randall did it! Bye!
*Runs but Sean grabs his tail*
Sean: Oh no you don’t!
Sean: Anyhow, back to the urgency!

ATTENTION ALL FANFICTION WRITERS!

This is Sean from our beloved Randall Fans United site!
On discovery, I have gotten the Newspaper of Washington Post from June 18!
This is an all out warning that there is struggle between Copyright and us, the fanfictioners!
Lucky Caylin got the whole article for me to get here, right Cay?
Caylin: Yeah yeah yeah.....you owe me big....
Sean: Whatever, this is an emergency!
Here it is folks:

HARRY POTTER AND THE COPYRIGHT LAWYER
by Ariana Eunjung Cha
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wed. June 18, 2003

"SAN FRANCISCO -- While J.K. Rowling was finishing up her latest Harry Potter sequel these past three years, so was Christina Teresa.

From her third-story apartment here, Teresa typed out a 250-page novella that she posted on the World Wide Web. In the world she created, the dreaded Professor Severus Snape -- the greasy-haired, big-nosed misfit who is Harry's nemesis -- turns out to actually be a good guy trying to infiltrate the evil forces that threaten the wizarding world. The story, posted on Sugarquill.net, was an instant hit, attracting thousands of readers from around the world.

As fans await the June 21 release of Rowling's fifth novel about the magical boy with the trademark lightning scar on his forehead, they can find tens of thousands of stories online about what the boy wizard is up to next.

In the past few years, a curious literary genre known as "fan fiction" has been flourishing. The term refers to all manner of vignettes, short stories and novels based on the universes described in popular books, TV shows and movies. Similarly derived works are appearing in music, where fans are using their computers to mix songs from popular artists into new works that they call "mashups." Movie fans are taking digital copies of films such as the "Star Wars" epics and creating alternate endings or deleting characters such as the much-maligned Jar Jar Binks.

The explosion of these part-original, part-borrowed works has set authors of fan fiction against some media companies in a battle to redefine the line between consumers' right to "fair use" and copyright holders' rights to control their intellectual property.

"We don't grow up hearing stories around the campfire anymore about cultural figures. Instead we get them from books, TV or movies, so the characters that today provide us a common language are corporate creatures," said Rebecca Tushnet, an assistant professor of law at New York University who has written extensively on intellectual property.

Fan-fiction creators say their work represents the emergence of an art form that takes advantage of all that the Internet was built for. They invoke the First Amendment and say that under fair-use laws they have a right to create what they want as long as they are not trying to profit at the expense of the original material. But some book, music and movie houses argue that fan fiction is more plagiarism than high art and have demanded that operators of Web sites remove the offending material.

Rowling has unofficially sanctioned some fan-fiction sites by leaving them alone. To many of those that feature adult material, however, her agents have sent sharply worded cease-and-desist letters.

The author is "flattered by genuine fan fiction," said Neil Blair, an attorney for the Christopher Little Literary Agency, which represents Rowling. But she has been alarmed by "pornographic or sexually explicit material clearly not meant for kids."

Christopher Little began sending out letters last year because it feared "the dangers of, say 7-year-olds, stumbling on the material as they searched for genuine [Harry Potter] material," Blair said in an e-mail response to questions.

Vicki Dolenga, 31, writes for RestrictedSection.org, which features about 1,200 stories, many of which involve Harry Potter characters engaging in sexual relations or violence. She said some media companies' aggressive actions against selected sites is stifling the creativity of writers who want to explore more mature themes.

In part as a response to publishers' legal entreaties, one Web site, FanFiction.net, removed all NC-17 stories, including Dolenga's. So in the fall of 2002, she and some friends founded RestrictedSection.org as an outlet for their work. The cease-and-desist letters followed. Dolenga said the group has hired a lawyer and is not taking any stories down.

"My opinion is that if we aren't making any money off of it, it shouldn't be any of their business," Dolenga said.

Fan fiction has existed for decades but primarily as a fringe hobby among friends who passed along typed or handwritten manuscripts to one another. But thanks to the ubiquity of the Internet, it has jumped into the popular consciousness with a following so large that it is now a topic of graduate theses and writing contests and a significant marketing outlet for media corporations. One of the largest collections of fan fiction is built on Harry Potter. On FanFiction.net alone, the granddaddy of fan-fiction sites, there are some 75,000 stories about the character.

One well-read story goes back in time to recount how Harry Potter's parents died while trying to save him. Another tells the same tale as in the first books but from the perspective of Hermione Granger, one of Harry's two best friends, who recounts her adventures to her talking diary. Some of the stories imitate Rowling's style so well that readers say they were confused about which facts they read in her books and which they read online. Others purposefully break from Rowling's world, spinning out characters who take drugs, become killers or engage in sexually explicit acts.

Among the most popular sites is Sugarquill.net. It prides itself on its selectivity and takes only those submissions that it believes match the tone and spirit of Rowling's first four novels. Sugarquill, founded two years ago by Jennie Levine and Megan Morrison, two friends from Baltimore, now hosts more than 500 writers and artists who have created 1,300 stories and 650 illustrations, cartoons and other pieces of art. The site was named after a candy that appears in Rowling's novels. (In book three, Harry's friend Ron Weasley says, "Really excellent sugar quills, which you can suck in class and just look like you're thinking what to write next.") The site is run by volunteers and funded by the women's savings.

Levine, 30, a librarian at the University of Maryland at College Park, and Morrison, 27, an instructional assistant in Howard County, see their site as a sort of school for aspiring authors. They say writing fan fiction is not all that different from a school assignment requiring one to craft a missing chapter of Homer's "Odyssey" or an alternate ending to Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice."

All works that appear on the site are screened and edited for content, logic, grammar and other things by "professor" volunteers; only about half the submissions are accepted. The site has forums where people can discuss plot points, character creation and other story-development issues. Every story has a feedback link where anyone can offer praise or criticism.

"If you start writing fiction you have to invent everything -- the universe, the characters, the setting. With fan fiction it's all there for you. . . . We see the ultimate goal for everyone is to be able to write their own original fiction, but this is sort of a way for people to get started and build up their confidence," Levine said.

Teresa was among the first writers who joined Sugarquill. The thirtysomething history student at San Francisco State University stumbled on the site two years ago after she read the books and typed "Harry Potter" into an Internet search engine to find out more. Teresa, who had written as a hobby for many years but had yet to be published, decided she would give fan fiction a try and explore what interested her most about the books -- the adults, especially the witches and wizards who teach at Hogwart's Academy, Harry's school.

Good Potter writers walk a fine line. They must be creative, yet they must be masters of the "canon," Rowling's first four novels. Teresa's hard-bound copies of the Harry Potter books, for instance, are filled with yellow Post-it stickies marking important facts.

She says she loves writing fan fiction because of the collaborative nature of writing for the Web and the instant feedback. "You have an automatic fan base," she said. She frequently e-mails paragraphs back and forth to her friends on the site and takes seriously the comments from the more than 200 people who have posted remarks about her work.

Teresa said she would love for someone to publish her fan fiction one day, but she's not sure that's realistic given the legal quagmires surrounding the genre.

The law remains blurry about what's acceptable, said Wendy Seltzer, a staff lawyer at the Electronic Frontier Foundation and a fellow at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University. Copyright law protects "derivative works," but it's not clear whether the use of names or characters or histories fall into that category. On the other hand, the law also protects people's fair use of material from copyrighted books for such things as newspaper articles and criticism. The ambiguity also raises a slew of questions about who owns the fan fiction, about what might happen if, say, the author of the original piece lifted material from fan fiction or if fan-fiction writers take from other fan-fiction writers.

Recently, a group of prominent Internet law and intellectual-property experts has been trying to find a way to bridge the desires of those who want to build on others' creative works and the people who own those works. They launched Creative Commons, a nonprofit organization based at the Stanford Law School Center for Internet and Society. The organization has created a repository of works that people can borrow from and has drafted a set of licenses intended to allow people to share their works while still protecting their ownership.

"If you're a creator you can easily distribute that stuff online, but the power of the Internet that still needs to be realized is reusing other people's stuff. The barrier is the legal obstacles," said Hal Abelson, a professor of computer science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a founder of Creative Commons. In the six months the organization has existed, artists have used its licenses to share roughly 250,000 works, mostly writings.

Teresa is in the middle of another long piece, this time something funny and light about Snape's new wife's conflict with Lucius Malfoy, a notoriously mean wizard and the father of Harry Potter's arch rival, Draco Malfoy. She hopes to finish the rest this summer. As always, before she posts a new installment she will make sure to put a little "c" with a circle at the top, staking a claim to a copyright. But, she acknowledges, she's not sure what would happen if she got an offer to sell her stories. Does she in fact own the stories she wrote -- or does J.K. Rowling?"

This is concerning us as Fanfiction was mentioned. We may have a problem with the possibility of loosing Fanfiction. However, confirmation of Fanfiction being taken down by this has not yet been told. We all are to best keep cool about the situation. We at RFU felt that the Fanfictioner’s outta know this. We ask that you to make a back up of your stories if this happens to occur. RFU’s Webmistress will also have a Plan B if the occurrence becomes a reality.

Sean: We felt that we needed to tell you Fanfiction writers. Have no worry through, I have a positive belief that Fanfiction will not be shut down.
Caylin: What!?
Sean: Oh jeez....fine Cay, I’ll tell you all about it at the break room
Sean: Till next time folks, I suggest we take precautions incase anything comes up. We’ll try to update as soon as possible.....rather Caylin...
Caylin: What?
Sean: Besides, being tied to a truck ain’t that bad is it Cay?
Caylin:......AHHH!

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**Report #3
**May 11, 2003
Type: Hot Off the Presses!

Hello my dear audience! This is Sean coming in from RFU!
Hello again! Welcome to the RFU News section!
Anyhow, to business. My dear Randall fans. We have written stories and sent E-mails and held our hands for an M.I. 2 sequel with Randall’s return......

Well.......we may have it!
Caylin: Woo hoo!

Thanks Cay. By resource by another Randall loving friend of RFU we have info leading to an M.I. 2. At a board dedicated to Randall, our dear friend Pitbulllady (Pin name) has found out interesting news, and this is the topic from which she told this info:

"In a recent interview Pixar Pres. Steve Jobs is quoted as saying, "if we can negotiate a new deal with Disney and release a sequel(meaning to ANY of its films), that would be the film for that year...if sequels are attractive, then we are very excited about making them! We've got a great idea for "Toy Story 3" and we've got some ideas for a "Monsters, Inc." sequel; there are a lot of things we can do."
THIS is significant because if y'all remember, just a few months ago the Pixar folks were saying that a sequel to "Monsters, Inc." did not look promising because they had no ideas for it, so obviously somebody has been really seriously playing around with the idea(and hopefully "lurking" around on this board, as well as Fanfiction.net)! This is a step in the right direction, finally! Now, we just have to cross our fingers and hope that a new deal with Disney will be finalized, one that actually ALLOWS Pixar sequels, and then we'll have to worry about whether or not Randall will be in the sequel, and in what capacity.
Meanwhile, talks between Jobs and Disney CEO Michael Eisner are continuing, and are reportedly becoming "friendlier" and more positive, with the two recently having been spotted dining out together at a trendy Hollywood restaurant. Jobs himself is now much more positive that a deal WILL be worked out, in which Pixar will pay Disney a flat distribution rate to release its films, Disney will split merchandising profits/expenses 50/50 with Pixar, and Pixar will retain 100% of box office revenues, PLUS Pixar will be able to make sequels to the movies released under their current contract with Disney. No doubt the distribution rate will be a major "sticking point" right now, since this along with half the merchandising profits, will be Disney's sole benefits, so that rate will probably be pretty high for each film!”

“Still, this is better news than what we got just a few months ago, so my hopes have been raised...a little!”

pitbulllady

By the means and info, we only wait to see if this contract comes through and when the M.I. sequel will be made!
We just hope that if they do make it, they won’t forget Randall. And more importantly, won’t leave him like he was in the first one.

Caylin: If they do forget, I’ll be trampling their door!
Sean: Cay....you break into Pixar?
Caylin: Sure!
Sean: With the high gate?
Caylin: I could climb it....
Sean: And the guards...
Caylin: Uh....I’ll tell them I’m the new Mike...uh yeah
Sean: And the attack dogs?
Caylin: Uh.....uh....
Sean: And the...
Caylin: Ok ok! I get the point....still...
Sean:...Ok

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**Report #2
**May 1, 2003
Type: Logical Deduction

Hello again ladies, gentalman, monsters, and everyone else out there! Today, me and my partner Joy had been doing some reasearch of our own. So far, Randall's age has not yet been confimered.
Caylin: Yeah so...
Sean: Just work the light Cay!
Caylin: Ok ok...
Anyhow. This is sorta a rumor if you will. I had picked up a copy of the Chinese Zodiac. Now, considering how Randall is...somewhat a lizard...snake....ok reptile, we proposed he is the Snake Zodiac. Now...by popular belief, Randall is suggested to be 25. To guess, this info hadn't been released until sometime in 2002. Using the dates that are under the zodiac, we have come to believe Randall was born in 1977. Now, Randall is 26 for the year 2003, making a perfect match!
Caylin: Woopty doo....
.......Anyhow...So, to belief, Randall was born in 1977. Now...it is unsure of the month Randall was born, but it could be very well narrowed down to March, May, or April. Me and Joy bet on March.
Caylin: Look's like you got Scarecrow's brain Sean....
Sean: Cay....were already recording.
Caylin: What!?
*Caylin run's off back to the sound stage*
Sean:.....Ahem...
Anyhow...we also confirm he was born in the rainy season. Considering how calm Randall feel's around water (As he was in the bathroom with a calm look on his gaze). This of course reminds him of his parents. So far, this is what us duo have come up with. So...good night and good news. I'm your new's ancor Sean F....
*Caylin bursts in with a script*
Caylin: Ok! I got my lines!
Sean: We're off Cay...
Caylin:....! Nnnnnnnnnooooooo!
Sean:.....Ok then...I'm your ancor Se....
Caylin: Nnnnnnnnnnooooooo!
I'm your...
Caylin: Nnnnnnnooooooo!
Sean: Aw forget it....come on Cay I'll get ya a coke....
Caylin: Nnnnnnoooo....Ok, lets go!

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**Report #1
**April 28, 2003
Type: Confirmed Fact

Hahahaha! Welcome to the Randall Fans United News Section! I will be your news caster Sean Fogle!
(Duh da dunn!)
And of course introducing Caylin Swisher who is our sound effects engineer...Don't ask me how he got the job.
Anyhow! Lets a get this news a flowing!

You've all heard of Monsters Inc. right? Well of course you have or you wouldn't be here. You guy's know just how much Pixar spent to make the film? Well lets just say their budget on the film was $115 millon dollars. Wow! Think what you could do with that.

(Whistle)

Thanks Cay. Anyhow, how much did the movie make? Well.....try 63.5 millon in three days!
Wow! Now think of getting that paid every three days. Hmph...dream on. To believe or not, Monsters Inc. had made 500 millon dollars in the Box Office! That's enough to make about 4 Monsters Inc. films!

Sadly my Randall fan's....A Monsters Inc. film has not yet been reported of. However....some clues of which I will gather will make us think if those Pixar guy's are hiding a secret of an M.I. sequel! I mean, who knows....since the first one made 500 mil. and judging how much Randall merchandise is being grabbed up....we can only hope!

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