Okay, so somebody actually just asked me this and it made me a little curious. But how would you guys respond if someone popped onto your board and asked you if they could take an original concept and use it in a book they're planning to publish? In my case, it was an original fantasy race I created for Marked. I told them no to just taking the overall concept. Of course, any original work borrows some ideas from a variety of other places. But I'm not really comfortable with an entire creation being taken, especially if the changes would only be minimal. However, I am flattered that they had wanted to use my race.
Step 1: They write book Step 2: You sue them Step 3: ??? Step 4: PROFIT On a serious note, you can just say no especially since your site is an original one (I'm assuming it is anyway) so your creations should be copyrighted to whoever made them.
I'd probably say yes. It was nice of them to even ask, considering the fact that 1) thousands of people have probably thought it up before, so the idea's probably not sacred, and 2) there's really no repercussions for them if they took it without asking, since they can always just say they thought it up on their own. And I really wouldn't care. I'd be like: "Go! Go forth and populate the world with your writings. Hopefully you'll change someone's life somehow." Then again, the chances of them getting published are so minimal it wouldn't matter, in the end.
This is exactly what I am thinking, too. I'd say yes and be flattered that it mattered, that it sparked a new idea to them.
I think I'm mostly wary, because the sort situation I'm thinking about isn't so much borrowing bits and pieces of a concept and spinning it in your own way. Because yeah, there are definitely no new ideas in the world and everything is inspired by everything else. But this was taking everything from name, to physical details, culture, magic, location, etc. I've got 24 pages of cultural notes written up so far for this race and plenty more that I plan to add. I think I'd be a bit miffed if that entire concept was lifted together and just plopped down elsewhere.
No, no, no, no. I would absolutely say no, and ban them, most likely. My work is for my site, not for someone else to friggin' profit off of.
That awkward moment when you create something so great..... First off, once it's typed, it's copyrighted. It's in a fixed, tangible form. There's a date. Your name is by it. There's an IP address with your name that links it all back to you. Everything is yours, and you have your rights to it. So if you feel uncomfortable sharing your work for someone else's creations, then don't. That's a lot of info for a race (go you!). I can understand being attached to it and not wanting to just give up everything you worked on so easily. What if they altered things and messed it all up? What if, by some miracle, their book got published and people accused you of plagiarizing? That'd suck. You could easily prove them wrong, but it wouldn't be any fun. Personally, I would have also said no. I once told somebody they could use my solar max initiated apocalypse theory for a LJ rp. If it were for another forum, I would have said no. Even though it's a common theory, I put a lot of my own work and research behind it, and I still kind of regret giving that person permission, even though I have no idea how their rp is doing anyway. It was nice they asked though.
Yeah, it's hard to release something you've worked really hard on into the world -- I can understand that. I definitely feel very attached to some of the concepts I've had in my RPs, especially when it comes to world-building (since that's my favorite part of the whole process). But I think for me, it's just... I guess I'd just be happy that I inspired someone with my silly little hobby. I'd be happy that I made someone want to be creative and utilize my idea to spin an entire freaking world and live there for a bit as they wrote a story around it. There's little enough creativity in the world, and I'm glad to push it along any way I can.
I'd only okay it if it would have been a collaborative effort and I got credit and at least one paycheck from it. Though I'd retain creative rights if it became the complete focal point for the book. Then when it got made into a movie.... Okay, running away there. But yeah, I've always said, I'd like to get paid for RPing, so if something like that happened and they were serious about it, I'd only agree if it was a collaborative effort, since well, depending on how significant what I came up with was, I'd have done a lot of the work already.
No way. I don't mind helping other writers with their novels. I give away ideas all the time, but the difference if I'll come up with the idea for that person and that project in general. I write myself, and yes, RP is a hobby, but I still use my creativity and imagination to do it. And sometimes I'll create something that I'll like enough to use in a more seriously work of fiction. So would I have given huge parts of my originally fantasy concepts away to another writer? No. If anyone is going to publish a book using those concepts, it'll be me. The last thing I want is to get accused of ripping off someone who borrowed from me in the first place.
I think either that they are trolling or that they are a very unintelligent busy-body. They are shady and lazy They are wanting to write based on things that you already wrote; they are unwilling to start writing from scratch. Sure, it was nice to be a busy-body and ask, but people like this usually are the ones who flake out first. And what they probably have in mind is re-writing a few particular threads into a book as a form of mildly offensive plagiarism. No publisher in their right mind would publish You have something that's already copyrighted, as Dino Mazing said. And, content about said supposed book already exists and is publicly viewable, free, on your site. There's no money to be made on something that can be read for free. You have no say in their work Suppose that they write about your character being all kinds of terrible things. Maybe they destroy your world. Maybe they use your world idea as a platform for a new adult fiction disgusting pornography. You have no idea what they'll do with it, you have no reason to trust this person, and you sure as heck won't have any say in what they do with it.
I've never had this happen, but I have seen people just rip off stuff from sites without asking. I'm very touchy about my property, so I would have said no as well, unless a deal were possible - the writer would have to give credit and let me review the book first. Then, maybe. I would have thanked him for asking, though. For everyone mentioning profit - remember that the odds of a book being published are slim, and the odds of them doing well (better than just breaking even) are much slimmer. So the argument over intellectual property holds up, but not so much those dealing with money being made.
First off, I wouldn't believe them. (can hardly believe that happened for real! O_O ) Secondly, if they somehow managed to convince me they were an author headed to a publisher with a novel, I'd say 'no'. It's my content, my creation, using my stuff in a book (not written by me) would be weird. If the book was a research non-fic and some author asked to use something I'd written with a credit, then IMO thats different. But taking my stuff for their orginal fiction? Not cool with that. In fact, I think it shows considerable unorginality to try and steal RPG ideas to put in a book, published or otherwise pen and paper fanfic. Strangely enough, I've had RPG characters and plots ripped by other RPers... I took it as flattery scealed with an insult. Still, I think RPG theif and copying is kinda different from the entire book/RPG premission crossover. It's good to be reminded once in awhile anything, and everything, you put up can (and most likely will) be stolen at one time or another. I suppose having someone actually ask for premission release is refreshing, when you come to think of it... even if I still think it's kinda un-inspired to be taking orginal ideas and using them as your own.
