The Legal Landscape of Fan Fiction : Analysing Copyright Challenges in Fan-Generated Content

Fan fictions, called as fanfics involves stories of fictional characters written by fans which may be published as books, movies or shared through internet. Fan fiction can be taken as one of the growing trends in this digital era. Some authors support fan fictions, while some allow them up to a point. For instance, Joss Wedon, the author of “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” said that he loves Fandom. But authors like George Martin, who has written “Game of Thrones” strongly opposed fan fictions. Original authors would also issue take down notices to remove the fan fictions from particular websites. The author’s detestation with regard to fan fictions depends on how overly accessible fans will make them through internet or other means. Apps like Wattpad offers space for streaming of fan fictions where amateur writers easily find their audience. The Copyright Act seeks to protect the original works of authors, whereas on the other hand there is a conflict to consider fan fiction as creative expression of work. In this paper we will analyze the legality of fan fictions in the digital era and whether fan fictions must be supported or eradicated.