Five Things Stacey Latagne Said
| Interviews by Fans | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Five Things Stacey Latagne Said |
| Interviewer: | Claudia Rebaza |
| Interviewee: | Stacey Latagne |
| Date(s): | January 01, 2020 |
| Medium: | online |
| Fandom(s): | |
| External Links: | Five Things Stacey Latagne Said |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Five Things Stacey Latagne Said a 2020 Q&A guest post, conducted by the Organization for Transformative Works' Communications Committee with Stacey Latagne.
It is part of a series. See Five Things Said.
Excerpts
How does what you do as a volunteer fit into what the OTW does?
As a volunteer for the Legal Committee, I work on behalf of OTW’s mission to protect and nurture fanworks as a legitimate creative activity. The Legal Committee monitors legislation in the United States as well as internationally, and provides comments on behalf of the interests of fan creators. For instance, recently the Legal Committee provided comments in response to New Zealand’s request for input on its review of its Copyright Act (with help from New Zealand AO3 users!). We also join briefs in legal court cases that have fanwork implications, as well as review internal procedures and policies to ensure compliance.
What is a typical week like for you as a volunteer?
It depends on what’s going on! Sometimes I’m working on a specific project, like the New Zealand comments, or checking the nonprofit regulations of all fifty states as they apply to the OTW. Sometimes I’m getting ready to be a guest at a con or speak on a panel at a conference about fannish legal issues. Sometimes I’m assisting in efforts to communicate about major legal changes, like the EU’s recent new regulations. Sometimes I’m just helping to respond to the many emails that come in weekly, whether asking questions about works on AO3 or asking questions about personal fan projects people are working on. The Legal Committee can’t give legal advice, but we strive to provide relevant legal information.
What did AO3’s Hugo win in 2019 mean for OTW’s Legal Team?
For the Legal Team, as I think for everyone involved with the OTW, the Hugo win felt like a huge recognition of the validity and importance of fanworks in creativity. At the same time, we recognize that it’s not the end of our work. But it was incredibly inspiring to watch all those people at the Hugos speak up for how much fanworks have played a part in their lives. We at the Legal Committee were waving along at home!