Well, hell...

[agilebrit]

FFN has now decreed that song lyrics are not allowed. Which is okay, I guess. It's Xing's site, he can do what he wants with it, and I'm sure he's concerned about copyright violations and lawsuits and stuff. Plus the fact that songfics almost universally suck.

However, that means I have to take down "Reward" and "Mustard Seed," because both of them use songs in their entirety, because I've got people singing for Lorne. I'm wibbling a little about "Solid State" as well, because I used a couple of lines of lyrics in that...but not the whole song, and I gave credit where it was due.

*grumbles and takes down half the MustardVerse*

Comments

[speakr2customrs.livejournal.com]

Bugger! That means I'm going to have to take down "It's Got To Be Perfect" and "Working For The Yankee Dollar" and "And Glory Shone Around" and, of course, "I Am The Walrus".

In fact everything except "Savage Beauty".

And I paid for 3 months' Enhanced Stats only 2 weeks ago! Doesn't exactly seem worth it for one WIP.

[agilebrit.livejournal.com]

Did you use the whole songs, or just snippets? Because if you just used snippets, then you're *probably* okay.

I feel your pain. I just paid for three months enhanced myself. Not to mention the fact that the reviews I had for "Reward" and "Mustard Seed" are now GONE.

Argh.

This gives me more incentive to create my own site. I guess.

[speakr2customrs.livejournal.com]

I only used snippets; but I went and looked at the site, read the warning that you have quoted in a comment below, and my interpretation of that warning was that even snippets were forbidden.

I can't change the fics; a whole section of the Glory story depends on Ben singing extracts from the Rocky Horror Show, and 'I am the Walrus' is entirely constructed around Beatles' lyrics!

I thought I'd better play safe and take them all down rather than risk my account being shut down while I'm making use of a service for which I've paid them money.

Never again.

[agilebrit.livejournal.com]

*pets you* I'm so sorry.

"Walrus" is built around Beatle's lyrics, but you don't really quote them much, do you? I've got one based on Toto's "Africa" and another based on NIN's "Closer" that are completely built around the lyrics but don't really use them per se; I think they're safe, and I think "Walrus" would fall in the same category.

[speakr2customrs.livejournal.com]

Giles goes through "I am the Walrus" line by line, working out what it means if treated as a prophecy, and in the process the whole song inevitably gets quoted.

Better safe than sorry; it's not as if the story isn't available anywhere else, after all.

[theohara.livejournal.com]

That is *insanely* lame, I'm sorry.

[dragonflymuse.livejournal.com]

Hm - do you have to take it down if you credit the writer of the song? I've done one chappie of my first fic with a whole song's lyrics, and another chapter with a few lines of a song. But, I gave credit in my notes.

What a pain...

[agilebrit.livejournal.com]

This is what it says:

In addition, FanFiction.Net would like to address a growing problem. For whatever reason, some writers feel it's okay to copy-n-paste musical lyrics they have not written into their fiction. If you did not write it, do not post it. This has always been our policy. Please remove these entries immediately to avoid account closure.

Make of it what you will. I find it funny that they say "This has always been our policy" whenever they decide to start enforcing something that's never EVER been enforced before, and hasn't really ever been policy. Because, if it's been policy...why are all those songfics up? Really.

[dragonflymuse.livejournal.com]

Hm. Well, maybe I will wait a little bit, and see if I get a notice from TPTB. I gave credit, after all.

Also interesting that they are focusing on borrowing song lyrics when the fic that built that site is written with borrowed characters ;)

[agilebrit.livejournal.com]

Exactly. Unless Xing's been getting flack from the MIAA or something. Which is always possible, I guess; those guys can have real sticks up their butts sometimes.

Yes, plagarism = bad. But no one thinks that the people writing songfics wrote the lyrics, and the people who write songfics don't say "Hey, look at this cool song I wrote." It's just dumb.

[crayonbreakygal.livejournal.com]

OK, now that sucks. Just to start enforcing something that lots have been doing for a long time. I can understand the music industry being a pain, but really. Isn't fanfiction the same thing? What if we use a quote from Angel in our fics? Are we gonna get busted?

I don't think I've ever quoted song lyrics because I can never remember them when I need them. So I don't do it. I can certainly sing along with songs, but ask me to type them into the computer? Not happening.

[agilebrit.livejournal.com]

Yup, next thing you know, we're not going to be allowed to set up a "missing scene" fic with some lines of the scene that happened beforehand.

Argh.

I'm going to leave "Closer," "Africa," and "Solid State" up, and if I get busted, so be it. I took down my more blatant two.

Dude, singing for Lorne. It's almost a requirement to post SOME lyrics. *shakes fist*

[zilly14.livejournal.com]

Well, I only have one "songfic," I hope I don't have to take it down. I did credit the band who sang it and the music was in italics, showing I didn't write it. I'd rather not have to take it down.

I do understand where they're coming from, because personally with songfics, I skim the song lyrics and go straight to the fic.

I now need to go to FFN's website, because I haven't read their updates in a few days. Wonder what other changes are happening.

[illmantrim.livejournal.com]

ack! That sucks!

[alliterator.livejournal.com]

What? Man, that sucks. I know about getting rid of the songfics and what-not, but songs that actually serve a purpose to the story should stay in. Songs that have disclaimers where the writer doesn't claim they actually wrote the lyrics should stay in.

I just hope nursery rhymes don't count.

[agilebrit.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure nursery rhymes are public domain. :-)