Self Publishing Fanfiction?

[MegFaulk]

I ran into an author today who is self publishing (paperback) her Attack On Titan fanfiction via the site Blurb. She told me that as long as I reference the original work and claim it not to be mine, I can also self publish my fanfiction.

How is this legal?

Her "references" are below.

(Images removed)

 

[quincy]

Wattpad is based in Ontario. The laws in Canada differ from those in the U.S.

Attributing the source of copyright protected or trademark protected work is not enough to prevent an unauthorized user of the protected work from being sued. In fact, Wattpad has raised the hackles of more than one rights-holder whose rights have been infringed.

 

[quincy]

From their terms of use: "...[Y]ou affirm, represent, and/or warrant that: you own or have the necessary licenses, rights, consents, and permissions to use and authorize Wattpad.com to use all patent, trademark, trade secret, copyright or other proprietary rights ..."

You should read through the legal notices and terms and conditions of the site.

 

[MegFaulk]

Thank you for your responses! I should probably be clearer. She's self publishing the story on a site called Blurb. Original post edited for clarity

 

[quincy]

Thank you for your responses! I should probably be clearer. She's self publishing the story on a site called Blurb. Original post edited for clarity

The publishing laws in the U.S. remain the same with your changes.

Attribution alone does not prevent an infringement lawsuit.

An author should get proper authorization from the holder of the rights before using rights-protected material if they wish to avoid a lawsuit. The wise author has a publishing law professional personally review and edit a manuscript prior to publication.

The legal notices and terms and conditions of use of the websites you mentioned should be read and understood. Read what is "Prohibited Content." The author is legally responsible for all content they create/post/publish.