It's Friday But I Ain't Thanking Anyone!
You know you're a workaholic in the making when you hate the arrival of the weekend and are glad that you've got a keycard to get in after hours.
Yep, 'tis the conclusion of my second week lawyering at an Orlando law firm, and thus far, I'm loving it. I turned in my huge copyright research project yesterday, having learned some very interesting things about damages (I'm looking at YOU, Lewis Perdue!) and also about proving copyright infringement in general (I'm looking at YOU, Lee, Tod, Claire, Keith, etc.)
Only now I'm onto my next project, staring at the treatises and American Jurisprudence entries I use to get myself started, and thinking, "Good lord, I'm back at square one!"
Interesting. But each stage of figuring out a point of law has its appeal. I kind of like the beginning, just the learning part, but I adore the moment when it's really starting to come together and I'm finding the answers our client needs.
Or am I just pathetic?
Nah.
Yesterday was the first day I put in less than ten hours. The day before the copyright memo was due, I put in over eleven and didn't eat lunch, I was working so hard. But I really like it. It's a relief. I'm thinking maybe law was the right choice after all.
But I still work on my stories during lunch. ;-)
Yep, 'tis the conclusion of my second week lawyering at an Orlando law firm, and thus far, I'm loving it. I turned in my huge copyright research project yesterday, having learned some very interesting things about damages (I'm looking at YOU, Lewis Perdue!) and also about proving copyright infringement in general (I'm looking at YOU, Lee, Tod, Claire, Keith, etc.)
Only now I'm onto my next project, staring at the treatises and American Jurisprudence entries I use to get myself started, and thinking, "Good lord, I'm back at square one!"
Interesting. But each stage of figuring out a point of law has its appeal. I kind of like the beginning, just the learning part, but I adore the moment when it's really starting to come together and I'm finding the answers our client needs.
Or am I just pathetic?
Nah.
Yesterday was the first day I put in less than ten hours. The day before the copyright memo was due, I put in over eleven and didn't eat lunch, I was working so hard. But I really like it. It's a relief. I'm thinking maybe law was the right choice after all.
But I still work on my stories during lunch. ;-)
posted by Jocelyn Smith | 2:19 PM
5 Comments:
When I get the chance, I'll see about sitting down with those texts and figuring out the copyright issues from a purely-legal standpoint. It's really interesting stuff, I've just been too swamped lately.
A question of ethics would fall between a question or morals and of law. For example, people can get into trouble with professional organizations (like the Bar) for actions that aren't illegal, simply because they reflect badly on character and are "wrong" in a more universal moral sense. (Ex: a law student was denied admission to the bar after taking a number of perfectly legal free speech actions to harass classmates and school officials.)
But there are plenty of moral issues where there is enough debate surrounding them that it's unlikely there would be any ethical implications. Yes, I do count fanwriting among them.
Other such issues would be abortion (providing them, advocating for them, etc), globalization (helping create laws that support big corporations at the expense of small business), and any of the assorted environmental, religious, and medical issues out there.
The difference is this: if a person hears that a colleague has done something unethical, they may have some legal/professional recourse to act on their disapproval. (Ie, lawyer knows another lawyer is giving client advice out of motive to enhance his own fees.)
If a person hears a colleague is doing something they consider immoral, they may tut-tut about it, disapprove, even avoid that person or scold them, but it's all a matter of opinion.
Whether fanfiction is wrong or right is a moral issue, at least until the courts or lawmakers decide otherwise. I could tell a colleague here at my firm that I write fanfic, and they might think I was weird, but it wouldn't cause me to lose my job.
I think where we differ most is in our definition of "real writing."
I think what you're doing is equating "real writing" with "professional writing."
I would bust a gut laughing if someone tried to put fanfiction on a resume or mention it in a query letter. Fanfiction is most definitely NOT professional writing.
But "real writing" encompasses ALL writing. Put words and ideas on paper, you're writing.
As for whether or not it is infringement, as with legal/ethical/moral, my definition of infringement is the legal definition. And by that definition, fanfiction is not infringement.
I hope the infringement issues didn't cause too much brain damage.
I hope the infringement issues didn't cause too much brain damage.
Actually, I had a great time with that assignment. I love copyright law (and not just because I'm a fanwriter.) I think it's fascinating, very different from real property. It's all about how the law affects ideas.
I'm a geek, what can I say?
If we had more copyright geeks, then maybe the state of the law wouldn't be so pathetic.
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