How Eleven of my Transcripts Got Banned

The Television Transcript Project : Banned Transcripts

How Eleven of my Transcripts Got Banned
In the summer of 2001, I got an email from Universal Studios demanding that I take down eleven of my transcripts. I verified to my satisfaction that the email came from their servers, I verified that Universal had their stamp on the four series involved, I took down the transcripts, and I wrote and sent my letter.

This is unfortunate because the transcripts were hard to make. Also they surely helped increase interest in Universal's series. On the positive side, it seems that they didn't go after any other transcript site: I was able to find links to others' transcripts for three of the four series and nine of the eleven episodes. Similarly, they have never complained about my linking to others' transcripts.

I don't know why they would only go after my site. I do think my response letter was pretty damn good, but if helped convince them to stop going after transcript sites, they didn't bother writing to me to go ahead and put the transcripts back up. Perhaps my transcripts included too much action detail. Maybe there was a third factor. Maybe it was a combination of factors. Who knows?

Links:

Compelling article about this sort of action, by Jesse Walker.

Fanlaw educates about legal matters relating to online fan culture, including copyright issues.

Somewhat tangential to this issue, but this article by Henry Jenkins does include an intelligent look at the interaction of community and creativity and questions about who "owns" what.

The Bringers: fighting for freedom of creative expression on the Internet.

Operation Blackout is an organized protest against overzealous copyright protection. Includes a message board.

Suzanne Morine