Thursday, June 12, 2014

Just to be sure ...

Folks, I checked with an entertainment lawyer I have dealt with in the past and he's confident that no infringement of rights is taking place by having the submission published on this site for the purposes of a learning tool for authors who want to write for WW. No money was exchanged and the eventual published work did not get copied and posted,  but it could fall into a gray area if WW wanted to get testy.  He suggested we refrain from this practice as a general principle.  No sense poking the bear...so to speak.  All that would happen would be a formal notice to remove the piece and an admonishment to refrain from such future postings.  And these concerns would be addressed to me as owner of the blog and as the 'poster'. 


So I've removed Tamara's submission with thanks for letting us take a peek into the process.  In the future we'll just have to talk about what changes were made without posting the whole story.

11 comments:

Tamara said...

Well, they're party poopers, aren't they? It would seem that my permission would be enough. I noticed that there were no comments on my original, though. I was wondering where everyone went.

Jody E. Lebel said...

@ Tamara

Are you confusing your romance with the mystery? There are 10 comments on the mystery...and you answered back...?

Tamara said...

There were 20 on your critique but none after you posted the original, except for two that discussed something else. I kept looking for comments on my original (narcissist that I am):).

Anonymous said...

That's interesting Jody. Great you have an entertainment lawyer so accessible! Does that mean if the original manuscript (even with changes to WW's published version but was still recognizable) was sold to another magazine or published elsewhere (and not just for learning purposes) that it would have breeched WW's Rights?

Jody E. Lebel said...

@ Anonymous. Absolutely. You cannot sell your story to anyone, anywhere, in any form. Not even in your own collection/anthology. WW now has all rights.

License to Bauer Publishing for User Content: You grant to Bauer Publishing the unrestricted, unconditional, non-exclusive, unlimited, worldwide, irrevocable, perpetual and royalty-free right and license to host, use, copy, distribute, reproduce, disclose, sell, re-sell, sub-license, display, perform, transmit, publish, broadcast, modify, reformat, translate, archive, store, cache or otherwise exploit in any manner whatsoever, all or any portion of your User Content for any purpose whatsoever in all formats; on or through any media, software, formula or medium now known or hereafter developed; and with any technology or devices now known or hereafter developed and to advertise, market and promote the same.

Jody E. Lebel said...

@ Anonymous. PS... I'm in the legal business. Lawyers are a dime a dozen around here ... :)

Anonymous said...

Thanks Jody. Very helpful.

Tamara said...

So, that means we can no longer reprint these stories as a collection in a book, as I once did and some on here have talked about? Johnene put a note on one of my last acceptances that I should read the contract, as there wre changes. I didn't really read it, but I take it that was one change.

Jody E. Lebel said...

@ Tamara

Yes, unfortunately we can no longer resell the story after 6 months, nor can we self pub a collection. Boo.

Tamara said...

I wonder what prompted the change. Any ideas?

Jody E. Lebel said...

@ Tamara

I didn't see any type of notification of any sort being discussed around the different writing groups about the contract change, other than someone on the WWriters site mentioning it. I have no clue.

WW certainly covered all bases with "Any technology or devices now known or hereafter developed". You know, just in case hologram stories become popular.