|
|
Post by The Stag Patronus on Aug 12, 2012 7:56:44 GMT -5
I don't know anymore if I will be continuing my reading the books series. Since yesterday, my story has suddenly gained the negative attention of those anti-reading the books in fanfiction.net (I am guessing that this is because they have removed so much RtB there, that it is now easier for them to find the remaining ones in the search results), and the reviews page of my story has been spammed with varieties of threats of suing and reporting, to being jailed with other reading the books writers, to personal insults (telling me I am stupid and a disgrace to the name of college students [wth?!]). And I hate that they have removed the feature disabling anonymous reviews. Those that I have blocked are spamming me now with anonymous reviews, talking about how much a coward I am to be blocking them. If you reply to them, they get mad. If you block and ignore them, they get even more mad. Talk about trolls... Honestly, I'm stressed enough as it is in real life without dealing with them! It's wasting my time and it's emotionally exhausting! I have of course reported them for abuse and harassment, but ff.net is not yet responding, so I don't know what will happen. And it's not only in ff.net they're harassing. They've followed me to my Livejournal, Wattpad (where I have also been removed) and FB page (they have also said they've found the LJ's of about 20 others, and are reporting them along with me), sites that were supposed to be for the benefit of those reading my story! One of them was even mocking me/us about how they've managed to removed all our stories here in Proboards! :/ I just want a place where people can continue enjoying the story! Apparently, it's too much to ask. I've put a lot of effort putting it up in many sites for that there'll be alternatives, and they're just tearing it down like nothing... If they weren't harassing and threatening us, I'd have been flattered with the way they follow our stories everywhere  Question though, are our disclaimers about not owning the Harry Potter characters really worth nothing? 'cause the way they're talking it's as if we've stolen HP from J.K. (as if we'd actually do something as horrible as that!) If I do continue, I might resort to the mailing list, an option I've been trying to avoid since it's an inconvenience both to me and readers. Well, it's more inconvenient than when the story is just up on a website... So help me here, please? I need your opinon. Should I even still continue, and if so, how? The mailing list? |
|
|
|
Post by eskimoRock on Aug 12, 2012 8:16:19 GMT -5
The mailing list isn't actually that inconvenient, I thought it would be too but it's actually pretty easy  |
|
|
|
Post by Kitty279 on Aug 12, 2012 8:22:46 GMT -5
There is a reason why I suggested the mailing list from the beginning. It saves us all a lot of work, time and nerves. I for one am interested in your fic and would ask to be added to the list if you decide on continuing and doing it that way.
Oh, and I am sorry for you, it has to be frustrating after all the work to post at other places as well.
|
|
|
|
Post by Ithiarel on Aug 12, 2012 8:42:51 GMT -5
The way they followed you really sound horrifying. That's outright mobbing! But, as much as I dislike agreeing with them on anything, they are correct in one point: Disclaimer ultimately mean nothing. They are not legally valid, or anything like that. It's why I tend to forget them - because in the end having one means nothing if someone really wants to prosecute you. But that's true for all kinds of fanfiction, not just RtBs. So, if the CU guys wish to enforce that, they would have to delete every single fanfic on FFnet.  Fanfic is a grey area of law. *shrugs* If you want to be on the legally safe side then your only option is to write original fiction. Everything else is on the grey side (in varying shades). And sadly RtBs are on such a dark side of that spectrum, it might as well be black. |
|
|
|
Post by lizzies22 on Aug 12, 2012 9:14:23 GMT -5
I hope you continue I love your
story and I hope things get better
for you....
|
|
|
|
Post by The Stag Patronus on Aug 12, 2012 9:33:04 GMT -5
Fanfic is a grey area of law. *shrugs* i agree! but unfortunately, those... people... well, they don't realize that. and yeah, RtB is the blackest of black for them. heck, the whole issue of plagiarism is also grey in a way. or at least that's what one of my profs said. apparently there are many loopholes on issues of copyright, and intent is apparently a big factor... and yeah, I have learned a bit about the issue of plagiarism in a few classes, no matter what they say that about me being stupid and not knowing anything about plagiarism... I feel guilty for feeling this way, but maybe it's best if they speed up deleting my story in ff.net (I don't want to delete it myself. no need to fuel their accusations on my cowardice). but then again, since they've followed me everywhere, maybe that still won't be enough to get me some peace... |
|
|
|
Post by The Stag Patronus on Aug 12, 2012 9:41:22 GMT -5
oh by the way, if any of you are using yourfanfiction, yeah well they're now threatening to report the *whole* site. o.O
huh, i just realized they've been telling me what they've done and what other steps they're planning to take. that doesn't seem very wise of them... XD
|
|
|
|
Post by unbeastly on Aug 12, 2012 10:06:35 GMT -5
I'm sorry this is happening to you, it really has gotten beyond a joke now. These people (and I use the term loosely) have gone from bad to worse. This is cyber bullying and no one seems to be doing a thing to stop it. In fact ff.net seems to be actively encouraging it. They've gone from flames to full on harrasment and stalking. If yourfanfiction has any sense they should tell the trolls to get lost and to leave it's members alone.
|
|
|
|
Post by Ithiarel on Aug 12, 2012 10:21:50 GMT -5
Just remember to take screenshots of the reviews / pms / etc. they gave you. Unless we collect those things we will never be able to prove to what length (i.e. bullying) these people get up to.
And the proof will disappear as soon as your story is deleted (the reviews disappear with it) !
Who knows. If we collect enough evidence, we might be able to at least shake the FFnet admins hard enough so they become aware of how much their conduct is hurting the whole community... *one should never give up hope*
And it always pays to have some evidence in hand against them, too. After all, their behaviour is also going against the FFnet TOS (I'm certain that bullying is not allowed).
|
|
|
|
Post by The Stag Patronus on Aug 12, 2012 10:30:40 GMT -5
This is cyber bullying and no one seems to be doing a thing to stop it. In fact ff.net seems to be actively encouraging it. really? but Azaelia, author of The Champion Reading, has told me a report she said before in ff.net against a member who did the same achieved something. said member whom she reported had gotten serious warning, apparently... i hope ff.net is not really encouraging it. otherwise, i just wasted a lot of my time today getting proof and writing reports.. ugh :/ |
|
|
|
Post by The Stag Patronus on Aug 12, 2012 10:36:57 GMT -5
I have screenshots. they're only the ones I've managed to find in my email, but I think that could work. they were what I used as proof earlier today when I reported those people.
I don't feel the admins of ff.net are that responsive/sensitive to our sentiments though. and honestly, I've never participated in the forums/communities in ff.net. I know how some people there could be, well, like this, but apparently I couldn't avoid them forever.
yeah, I'm certain bullying and harassment is not allowed, that's why I reported them, even if it could get the attention of the admins on my story.
again on yourfanfiction though. i heard this site actually allows RtBs? well, maybe that's why they're trying to get rid of the whole site... not sure how they're going to manage that though..
|
|
|
|
Post by unbeastly on Aug 12, 2012 10:41:21 GMT -5
They may have given one a serious warning but what about the rest. Some of these people have abused multiple authors and nothing seems to be done about them. I can understand a warning for once but if they have done it multiple times they should bloody well have their accounts removed. By not doing that ff.net are telling these people that there is nothing wrong with what they are doing.
|
|
|
|
Post by Ithiarel on Aug 12, 2012 10:44:31 GMT -5
again on yourfanfiction though. i heard this site actually allows RtBs? well, maybe that's why they're trying to get rid of the whole site... not sure how they're going to manage that though.. Their rules allow to upload MST chapters as long as these chapetrs are not complete. I.e. they are fine with the stories as long as the author leaves out a few sentences or paragraphs. I'm not sure how long this will be the case, though. Because it does seem to be in rather murky waters - if you get my meaning. IMO they're probably going to change this policy somewhat, if only in order to keep the page going without any real legal complaints. My story is posted there, too, but I'm not worried - thankfully I hadn't gotten very far yet, and am not in the process of rewriting my RtB chapter in a way that there won't be any direct quotes in it. So, I should be fine - even if I have to move my story into the general HP category... |
|
|
|
Post by The Stag Patronus on Aug 12, 2012 11:02:26 GMT -5
I can understand a warning for once but if they have done it multiple times they should bloody well have their accounts removed.. unfortunately, it's very easy for them to just make a new account though. there's this one person who just made a new account right after the first was deleted.. and they can continue doing the abuse in the anonymous reviews too, like what they've been doing to me. god, I hate that feature. it basically allows anyone in the internet the opportunity to harass an author. if ff.net wants to protect their members, they should fix that problem at once... but as they don't even seem to see the problem it's causing... -sighs- |
|
|
|
Post by The Stag Patronus on Aug 12, 2012 11:07:07 GMT -5
rewriting my RtB chapter in a way that there won't be any direct quotes in it yeah, I have thought about that too. I have seen this reading the book done with the lines from the books omitted and the important parts just paraphrased. it was a Twilight one though, but the author had done all four books of that series that way, and it was really something. still, paraphrasing is even more work, so that probably means even longer waiting for updates. plus, I don't think it really captures as much. there's still the legal issue there too though. the issue of plagiarism and copyrights can still be there even if it is paraphrased... |
|
|
|
Post by unbeastly on Aug 12, 2012 11:38:41 GMT -5
unfortunately, it's very easy for them to just make a new account though. there's this one person who just made a new account right after the first was deleted.. You have to use your email to sign up though. They could check the email addresses being used and remove them again. That way if they wanted to start harassing again they would have to get both a new email and ff.net account. A few times having to do this would hopefully make some of them think twice. |
|
|
|
Post by physicssquid on Aug 12, 2012 11:40:29 GMT -5
unfortunately, it's very easy for them to just make a new account though. there's this one person who just made a new account right after the first was deleted.. If they had the will, and the ability, ffnet could block the IP addresses of anyone who has their account deleted due to harrassment and bullying. That way the bullies wouldn't be able to make a new account, not without getting a new IP address. That would cause far less trouble. |
|
|
|
Post by The Stag Patronus on Aug 12, 2012 11:54:29 GMT -5
That way if they wanted to start harassing again they would have to get both a new email and ff.net account. A few times having to do this would hopefully make some of them think twice. well, some of them seem crazy enough to me to keep on making new emails and accounts just to bother us and get rid of us... :/ If they had the will, and the ability, ffnet could block the IP addresses of anyone who has their account deleted due to harrassment and bullying. question is, *can* they do that? and anyway, call me pessimistic but i wouldn't be holding my breath even if they can. i'm still waiting for any reply or acknowledgement of my report from them, so yeah... |
|
|
|
Post by The Stag Patronus on Aug 12, 2012 11:57:08 GMT -5
by the way guys, their threats of having us "jailed" and "sued"... exactly how serious are they with that? are they just empty threats? because that would have to be one big legal battle...
someone told me we'd all be in a jail together on the "positive" note, to quote the person. i don't even know how they're going to manage that when we do come from different countries after all...
it's really getting crazy.. o.O
|
|
|
|
Post by Ithiarel on Aug 12, 2012 12:19:09 GMT -5
While you might get sued for copyright infringement, you wouldn't go to prison for it.
...
Well, I gues it depends on the country you're in, but at least in Germany a copyright infringement won't bring you into prison. The most might be a suspended sentence - but I doubt the court would do that for one author of a fanfiction story... To much hassle.
It depends on the original author and the publishing company holding the rights. Note: Even if the author does not mind the story, the publisher could still sue you! That's the way it works with music, too. Even if the original muician doesn't mind you posting his music on youtube, the music publishing company he has a contract with might still sue you for copyright infringement.
So, the publisher might sue you for restitution, if the infringement is brought to their attention, and if they can proof without a doubt that it was really you who created it.
But the prison thing is absolute nonsense.
|
|
|
|
Post by The Stag Patronus on Aug 12, 2012 12:23:19 GMT -5
great, even more things to worry about then T.T
hang on, has any fanfiction writer ever even been sued before? o.O 'cause yeah, that seems to be too much trouble for them to go chasing random writers on the net...
|
|
|
|
Post by Ithiarel on Aug 12, 2012 12:32:01 GMT -5
Not as far as I know.
As I said, it's way to much trouble for something like this. Especially since there is really no money to be had from fanfiction writers. :-)
Add to that the fact that it's not even clear when exactly a fanfic is a copyrigth infringement, and you end up with a near 100% chance that you won't be sued.
The point is: If a publishing company sues a fanfic writer and looses, it might set a very unfavourable precedent for further cases...
So, no one has ever tried (and quite probably will ever try).
However: RtB fics are a whole different matter entirely, since they do copy nearly the whole work of the orginal author and make it online available. It doesn't matter how much of your own work goes into them. The original text is still completely online, which is nothing short of piracy. So, if someone sues you for those, there is a very good chance you would loose.
|
|
|
|
Post by The Stag Patronus on Aug 12, 2012 12:47:43 GMT -5
-sighs- I should take down my story then, right?...
|
|
|
|
Post by Ithiarel on Aug 12, 2012 12:54:42 GMT -5
Well, considering what happened to everyone else, it probably will just be deleted by the admins. No one has suffered any other repercussions. So, I wouldn't worry about that if I were you. But if you plan to re-post the story somewhere else, it would be a very good idea to edit it, so that you didn't use the whole books, but only parts of them... (There are a lot of unneccessary parts in the books anyway...) |
|
|
|
Post by The Stag Patronus on Aug 12, 2012 13:11:46 GMT -5
yep, I've already deleted my LJ and will do the same with my FB page, as soon as I've personally notified everyone there. I'm planning to stick solely to yourfanfiction. apparently having many alternatives is not the best way to go.
yes, I do promise to edit it and leave out parts.
I am also going to remove ALL my stories in ff.net, not just my RtB. I cannot stand that place anymore. will also just be notifying those who have put me on alerts and favorites there first... -sighs-
|
|
|
|
Post by Ithiarel on Aug 12, 2012 13:52:08 GMT -5
I think that's a good plan. ;D
Be seeing you on yourFF.com
(my username there is the same one as the one here)
|
|
|
|
Post by LoveIsLouder... on Aug 13, 2012 3:38:12 GMT -5
How do you report accounts can you even cause i want to report certain people some of the abuse i've seen from LU and other people?
|
|
|
|
Post by Kitty279 on Aug 13, 2012 3:50:24 GMT -5
Make a screenshot of the offending reviews and send it with the complaint to support@fanfiction.com.
|
|
|
|
Post by G. Novella on Aug 13, 2012 10:55:58 GMT -5
So, I replied to the guy who threatened to report, a Fan or whatever, and we talked for a bit. I asked him what he gets, he replied satisfaction, then told me to edit my story. It was pretty logical, no insults traded, but I tried explaining why a review calling a writer's work shit was inappopriate and constituted as bullying, and he disagreed, so I gave up on the conversation...
It was alright, we seemed to agree that the TOS needed to be obeyed, and that editted RTBs are fine, but damn, his respones used all the characters, and were all about the same thing. He couldn't understand why I disagreed with FF's method.
I also ended up in a convo with a former LU member, and he was decent. Said he was on the fence with FF, saying while he agreed they handled things wrong, but they needed communities like CU and LU to help staff the site due to the sheer amount of inappropriate fics posted, and how legal matters could be reached. I liked him, he seemed sensible and told me that yes, the way things were done were incorrect, but they had legal issues.
|
|
|
|
Post by eskimoRock on Aug 13, 2012 12:25:07 GMT -5
A fan of many things? That's the guy who reported my story, I tried the same thing with him but he just went around and around in circles. He was actually quite polite on the pms and I explained how I understood the situation,bp but I would be leaving the fic up for a dip few days to let my readers know, and he went back on the board like 'she refuses to edit or delete her story, report her.'
|
|
