Paul Darrow and Michael Keating's 1989 Cease and Desist Letter
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| Commentary | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Paul Darrow and Michael Keating's 1989 Cease and Desist Letter |
| Commentator: | Paul Darrow and Michael Keating |
| Date(s): | January 1989 |
| Medium: | |
| Fandom: | Blake's 7 |
| External Links: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Paul Darrow and Michael Keating's 1989 Cease and Desist Letter was sent in early January 1989 to three fans, Ann Wortham, Leah Rosenthal, and Linda Terrell.
This letter was part of the official Press Release Packet sent out to fans in January 1989.
It was one of the shots over the bow of the ship that was The Blake's 7 Wars.
The letter demanded that these three fans stop using their likenesses in fanfic and fan art.
Note that the use of "Esq." behind the actor's names does not denote any legal role nor does it convey any legality to the letter as in the UK "Esquire was used generally as the default title for all men who did not have a grander title when addressing correspondence..." [1]
Fan Comments
[Annie Wortham]: I'm going to mention one other thing that affects the zine, and then I'll let you get on with enjoying it. Leigh Arnold of Van Nuys, CA has been telling all and sundry via her self-styled "Public Service Announcement" that I have been served with a "cease and desist notice for libel, slander and harassment." This is a blatant out and out lie. Neither I nor my zines have been served with any kind of legal papers whatsoever and her insistence and publication that I have amounts to libel and harassment in itself. I can only hope that of you out there realize the ridiculousness of her claim. If I had been served with legal, enforceable documents, this zine would not exist. On the advice of my lawyers, I have changed my copyright disclaimer in the front of the zine. Please read it carefully.[2]
Some people who had been neutral on the subject before (and a few who had even sided with Darrow) proceeded to side with Wortham after that because of the viciousness of his overreaction and because he explicitly said that anyone who claimed neutrality was as bad as Pontius Pilate washing his hands of the matter. Darrow proceeded to send pseudo-legalistic letters to Wortham, Terrell, and Wortham's usual fan fiction co-author Leah Rosenthal, under a solicitor's letterhead trying to scare them into backing off and out of the fandom.[3]
There was certainly never any court case. There were some half-assed threats (none with any actual legal validity) made by Paul Darrow in connection with the Controversy, but nothing ever came of them. The people he threatened had never written or published any actor slash; he was trying to stop them from publishing any B7 material whatsoever, which of course he had no right to do. The real source of the conflict with those particular fans was not slash at all. He was simply out to get them in any way he could, for other reasons. (And in his defense, I will say that I think he had very good reason to be angry with them, though not to say and do the outrageous things that he did in response.)[4]
References
- ^ Wikipedia's Esquire page accessed October 30, 2013.
- ^ from the editorial of Southern Seven #5, part one
- ^ quoted anonymously, from an email to Sandy Hereld (February 26, 1993)
- ^ comments on Virgule-L, quoted anonymously (April 8, 1995)