neadods: (sherlock)
[personal profile] neadods
Holmesians on my Facebook are recommending the NYTimes article Suit Says Sherlock Belongs to the Ages

In part, it's what I already knew: that the Doyle estate is demanding a cut of anything with the Holmes name on it, or threatening to block publication of of anything that doesn't play along on the basis that the last 10 stories are still in copyright, and thus EVERYTHING Holmes is still covered -- if not by the copyright, then by the trademark on the name. Over Gally weekend, one of the heaviest hitters in Holmes publishing, Les Klinger, sued them on the basis that the copyright covers only those last 10 stories, so STFU about anything that doesn't directly reference them.

What I did not know, and what the article clearly explains, is how this lawsuit is also part of the BSI ripping itself apart over the whole old guard/new blood division -- with Klinger, the BSI, and many pastiche authors on the "free Holmes" side and the old guard being represented by the disaffected ex-BSI-er who serves as the estate lawyer and Shreffler, the guy who wrote the anti-new-fan article previously discussed and disseminated it at a meeting for other disaffected BSIers. (The article links to the blog - I won't - but I'll pass on the line Mr. Lellenberg [the estate lawyer] predicted that Mr. Shreffler’s “calm, civil, and analytical” arguments would outlast the “fevered reactions broadcast in tweets and rants.” )

Yeah, and I've got a bridge to sell you. Dude, if nothing else, the new fans are going to outlast the old elite on account of AGE! Not that there's much logic going on with anyone who can call that rampant blort of sexist bigotry "calm" or "civil" much less "analytical." That was nothing but the impassioned whine of the former SMOF watching the new kids be welcomed onto his lawn.

I'm going to need a BSIpolitics tag soon.

Edited to add: I like Brad's take on this: http://sherlockpeoria.blogspot.com/2013/03/cry-havoc-and-loose-hound-of-moor.html how dealing with the elitists used to be just part of the deal and now it's newsworthy. Fair warning, there's a gratuitous dig at Elementary in with the discussion of BSI politics. He's very right about one thing... This year is a wild ride for the Holmesians, and it's only March.

Date: 2013-03-07 02:50 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] duckyone.livejournal.com
I've never been involved in a fandom that was so much of a bloodsport before.

Date: 2013-03-07 03:44 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] redpanda13.livejournal.com
Oh my, I can think of several right off that you must have missed. The Beauty And The Beast war over third season was an ugly thing.

I was active in Sherlockian fandom some years back, and the only real comparable issue then was admitting women to the BSI, which was finally begun in 1991 after at least one key Old Boy died. Lellenberg and Shreffler were prominent then, but there wasn't such taking of sides, though Shreffler at least was among those harrumphing about letting girls into the treehouse.

Date: 2013-03-07 04:46 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mme-hardy.livejournal.com
Whenever there's a recasting there are problems. See: MST3K and due South.

Date: 2013-03-07 05:34 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] inamac.livejournal.com
And Starsky and Hutch. (There is no Fourth Season.)

Date: 2013-03-07 10:58 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] neadods.livejournal.com
Wow, really? I knew there was season denial in Stargate, BatB, and Due South...

Date: 2013-03-07 04:45 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mme-hardy.livejournal.com
I've never been in a fandom that wasn't. I take it you missed out on both Harry Potter and Buffy?

Date: 2013-03-07 10:57 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] neadods.livejournal.com
I wasn't there for the No Girls Allowed part of Holmes fandom, but other Tin Boxers were. And red panda & I were warriors in the Beauty and the Beast war.

Date: 2013-03-07 05:32 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] inamac.livejournal.com
And this is why the whole idea of copyright as an inheritable 'product' is so stupid. ACD himself didn't pursue people who used Holmes while he was alive.

It should be for the creator of a work to say whether they want their relatives or lawyers to profit from their work after their death - and if so, for how long.

Off to adjust my will.

Date: 2013-03-07 05:58 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] redpanda13.livejournal.com
It occurs to me that there's a term for Shreffler and other such folks who think that It has to be the way we've always done it and Order is paramount and not this messy chaos of new ideas:

Republicans.

Just saying they have a lot in common....

Date: 2013-03-08 01:09 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] starcat-jewel.livejournal.com
Yes, and this kerfluffle neatly parallels what's going on in the Republicans now WRT marriage equality. The Old Guard are clutching pearls and throwing tantrums, and the upcoming generation is saying, "What's the big deal?"

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