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At this time, this is a rambling diatribe; I hope to soon make it an organized, concise and accurate representation of my feelings and views on copyright, copyright infringement, the companies that produce and own Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel: The Series. For now, feel free to read the ramble... There has been a significant storm brewing between fans of the Buffy and Angel Series and the owners of its licensing and copyright (i.e. 20th Century Fox and The WB). Being a writer by trade (and a creatively driven person), I can emphathize with both sides in the dispute. On the one hand, I know that I personally do not and would not want my works used or redistributed without my knowledge. However, considering the time, dedication, devotion and creativity of the fans and their interpretations, if it were me, I would also be deeply flattered. But, it is not me. There are laws and rules to govern use and fair-use of images, trademarks, writing, etc. I feel, however relunctantly at times, that we should respect those laws. If you are uncertain regarding laws of copyright, please visit The U.S. Copyright Office - The Library of Congress. Having clarified that let me say that unless a fan website could be construed as negative publicity or to be hindering the Network's ability to make a profit on the show, it's characters, or it's writing, I don't see the harm. Unfortunately, I can see how websites which include complete or significant scripts/transcriptions of shows could be infringing on the Network's property as they may wish to release those scripts themselves as books (to make a profit). Further, I think that Fox and The WB come dangerously close to shooting themselves in the foot by overzealously protecting their commodity. They may claim they do so to protect the actors, writers, directors and producers, but I doubt it--perhaps the Guilds for those parties, but not necessarily those parties themselves. While I continue to use images/text from the shows and even some brand name products for the purposes of parody (Fair-Use IMHO), I respect the owners of those products and will, with great sorrow and sadness, remove images from this website at the written request(s) of copyright/trademark owners. There is no harm meant nor profit made. These images neither support nor denounce any of the products and are merely meant as a humorous and satirical outlet for my own personal creativity. I try to make it an interesting, creative and fun website that Buffy, her Scooby Gang and their actors would all enjoy...
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