Enough! · 6:16am Jan 15th, 2015
So...not long ago I heard about an author making $500 a month on Patreon to write a story here. I'm an American citizen that believes in the laws of this country. Fanfiction by itself already falls into a legal gray area of fair use. Getting paid to write fanfiction is against the law. The ads on this site probably only barely pay for the server and site maintenance, and they are a legal grey area.
I, unwisely, stated that I intended to bring Hasbro's attention to this illegal patreon project if it was not shut down in two weeks time. I also reported the story to site administration due to the illegal nature of the patreon funding it, with the suggestion that measures be taken to cover the site in case Hasbro already knows about this criminal.
I did not tell the author to delete all of his stories. I did not threaten to tattle to Hasbro about Fimfiction.net existing if he didn't bow to my will. I did tell him that he was threatening this site's continued existence just because of the patreon.
Hasbro is out of the picture. I don't need to involve them, and never did. I shouldn't have mentioned them in the first place, but all I could think of was the good of the site. Other avenues exist that do not involve Big H threatening us here, and I intend to use them instead. I am not backing down; I just found an easier way that keeps us safe.
I consider myself a kind and gentle person, but the next person that I see spreading lies about my intentions, or bringing up a certain author in an unrelated context, is going to be slapped with harassment so fast their children will be born with their heads spinning!
It's been three days, and I'm sick of you idiots hounding me because of misinformation and outright lies.
In short. He gets paid for writing and publishing the story. And many, many other writers and artist do this. They ask a fee to cover their time working on it. And as long he is not showing that he is using the money for purposes clearly other then the covering of expenses for this story, and making actual profit by selling this fiction. He is NOT breaking the law.
2724245 Okay, I'm going to cut right to the chase here and pick at the single pertinent data point.
From Merriam-Webster:
Pertinent definition in bold.
His cost to produce in this case would be his time writing the story, and the electricity used during that time. His cost to publish would be his internet bill for the month.
Rent isn't a factor. That's cost of living and is separate from the creative process.
Food isn't a factor. See above.
Clothes aren't a factor.
Heat isn't a factor.
Transportation isn't a factor.
Sanitation isn't a factor.
Unless his internet bill for the month combined with electricity usage during writing comes to over $500; he is making a profit from his fanfiction.
2724276 Agreed.
Thus is why most legitimate patrion (or similar donation pools) users set their goal to the minimum requirement they need. And if surpassed use the extra income for perks. Extra art, art lotteries, work speed increasement ect. If this person is given this amount soley for the story you speak of I agree that he is in the wrong doing (unintential or not I don't know). And should give a percentage to the rightfull owners (in this case Hasbro).
2724294 *relieved sigh*
Thank you for seeing reason. I've been dealing with people acting like they had The Scout's spiked bat broken off in their ass since Sunday. Combine this with a toothache that vicodin is barely helping with and you can see why I've been a little irritable.
One of the reasons I refuse to do such things myself is that I am entirely muse-driven in my writing. I know that I cannot meet deadlines if I lack inspiration. Another reason is that I feel it's just wrong for me to take money from others for something I do to ease the pressure in my head when my muse does strike.
2724314 I misread it the first time, and that made me think it was illegal to get donation for fanfictions entirely. Thankfully your reply made it click. (blame lack of sleep for it).
2724326
I will freely admit at this point that I originally thought that I would have to get into a dissertation on the difference between a format like patreon and commissioned work. I am in full support of an artist being paid a commission for something that someone asks them to do if such conditions are worked out ahead of time. This guy is just getting money for stuff he was already writing. 450 chapters and going.
When did this happen?
2725090 Which part? The initial event? The knee-jerk reaction? The derailing of almost an entire comment thread of a story completely unrelated to the instigator? The pages of comments on my user page?
2725207
Whatever started all that.
2725212 Let me see:
Joined Rage Reviews to submit my own story so I can get useful feedback.
Browsed their forums a bit to get a feel for the style of their rules.
Came across a thread where one of their members mentioned a $500 a month patreon income for a story.
Verified the patreon by visiting the author's user page. This amount of income is blatant copyright violation and borderline piracy for effectively selling something that isn't his to sell.
Posted ultimatum on story that the author needs to take down his patreon or else I would report it to Hasbro. Immediately blocked by author. Immediately banned from rage reviews.
5 days ago.
Sir, I have a few questions for you, and just contact requested you on Skype. You should see me as [1EQLB] Regina Nightwhisper
2725255
Sounds like you don't understand the workings of the community, even after two years on the site.
2743383 More like I cannot understand the workings of inferior minds when they fail to grasp concepts that are very clearly spelled out, as is the case here with profit and copyright laws.