Last week I asked whether you'd read a book in which the author had re-created someone else's character. This week in the news, there's a case which deals with this very issue.
J.D. Salinger is battling to keep a book off the shelves which uses his fictional character Holden Caulfield. So far, he's winning.
Meanwhile, there's some pretty interesting reading for writers about why this novel featuring Holden Caulfield is being held up. The judge decided the character was “sufficiently delineated” to be elevated to copyright status. According to the examiner.com this is the first time ever that a court has done this for a literary character.
If you want to learn more, Google news: J.D. Salinger.
Also, last week as I pondered my post, I stumbled upon this site: Protection of Fictional Characters.
Which leads to this week's poll:
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Saturday, July 04, 2009
More on Spin-Off Characters
I didn't vote because there wasn't a maybe choice. :D
ReplyDeleteGuidepost Books has a couple of series out that have been written by multiple authors. Each author stays true to the original characterizations, but adds their own twist and style to the stories.
The authors meet with the editorial staff and hash out the plot and other things, from what my source tells me. So that's one case in which I wouldn't hold tight to them.