Yes, Virginia, there is a thing as too much copyright
So apparently MPAA has decided that RIAA was hogging all the fun with their illegal download suits and wants to go on its own rant and get some free publicity too. It seems that they don't like fic writers using movie and TV rating systems to rate stories. No matter that none of us are making a cent off of this, or that it doesn't cut into anyone's movie/tv/video profits. They want to be the next on the block to say "It's mine and you can't have it so :P nyaaaah!"
Now, I would say this is a good study in how the older and more besuited and office-building'd people get, the more likely they are to regress to acting like spoiled two year olds who have missed their naps. (Pick up any "Dilbert" book for the fine details of that discussion.) The main issue now, however, is that some ficcers are getting nervous about this. One would think it's not much to worry about, but since the recording industry actually went so far as to try to sue some cute little thirteen-year-olds with nothing to their names but a bunch of home-burned CDs, one must assume no-one is safe from the lawyers.
The importance difference here is that we are neither providing nor receiving something that the entertainment industry would otherwise sell us. (If they could provide everything we wanted, we wouldn't need to make up our own stories, would we?) If you can't get sued for writing fic, you shouldn't be able to get sued for rating it. On top of which, does anyone really make money off the rating system itself? Sure, there are stats on how well movies do in relation to their ratings, but does the system itself make money? I'm pretty sure profits would stay the same if they switched movies over to the more finely-tuned TV rating system or if they pirated a version of a fic-based system or anything else they want to do. It's not making us any money or taking money away from them, so all they can really do is rant and rave and spend lots of money on lawyers and blood pressure medicine.
For the cautious, there are alternate rating systems here and here. Both are well-meaning but not nearly as efficient as using established systems everyone knows about. Who has time to sit there and think "What does FRAO mean again? Isn't that a German word?" ;) The mod of one site where I post has already asked that we abide by these ratings, and I will comply there both for her peace of mind and so I don't get shown the metaphorical door. But really, what are they going to sue for? If I write a Kaylee/Simon fic and someone can prove it cost them money because I rated it PG-13, I will gladly pay them the whole 3 cents they lost. Or maybe they'll forgive me if I add an "omg squeee Serenity is gonna cum out this fall!!!11!one!" as free advertising.
(Side note to miladygrey: Shall we make Serenity an unbreakable date like ROTK? Or wait and see what's what closer to time?)
Now, I would say this is a good study in how the older and more besuited and office-building'd people get, the more likely they are to regress to acting like spoiled two year olds who have missed their naps. (Pick up any "Dilbert" book for the fine details of that discussion.) The main issue now, however, is that some ficcers are getting nervous about this. One would think it's not much to worry about, but since the recording industry actually went so far as to try to sue some cute little thirteen-year-olds with nothing to their names but a bunch of home-burned CDs, one must assume no-one is safe from the lawyers.
The importance difference here is that we are neither providing nor receiving something that the entertainment industry would otherwise sell us. (If they could provide everything we wanted, we wouldn't need to make up our own stories, would we?) If you can't get sued for writing fic, you shouldn't be able to get sued for rating it. On top of which, does anyone really make money off the rating system itself? Sure, there are stats on how well movies do in relation to their ratings, but does the system itself make money? I'm pretty sure profits would stay the same if they switched movies over to the more finely-tuned TV rating system or if they pirated a version of a fic-based system or anything else they want to do. It's not making us any money or taking money away from them, so all they can really do is rant and rave and spend lots of money on lawyers and blood pressure medicine.
For the cautious, there are alternate rating systems here and here. Both are well-meaning but not nearly as efficient as using established systems everyone knows about. Who has time to sit there and think "What does FRAO mean again? Isn't that a German word?" ;) The mod of one site where I post has already asked that we abide by these ratings, and I will comply there both for her peace of mind and so I don't get shown the metaphorical door. But really, what are they going to sue for? If I write a Kaylee/Simon fic and someone can prove it cost them money because I rated it PG-13, I will gladly pay them the whole 3 cents they lost. Or maybe they'll forgive me if I add an "omg squeee Serenity is gonna cum out this fall!!!11!one!" as free advertising.
(Side note to miladygrey: Shall we make Serenity an unbreakable date like ROTK? Or wait and see what's what closer to time?)