VC Spec Archive
| Archive | |
|---|---|
| Name: | VC Spec Archive |
| Date(s): | Decenmber 1995 - ? |
| Archivist: | Black Rose |
| Founder: | Heather Meloche (ash) |
| Type: | |
| Fandom: | The Vampire Chronicles |
| URL: | http://www.eskimo.com/%7Eash/ (1999) http://digitalmidnight.simplenet.com/archive/ (2000) (posted by a fan[dead link] June 18, 2000 at alt.books.anne-rice) http://dangerousgames.simplenet.com/Archive (possily another old spot) http://members.dencity.com/specarchive (defunct) |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
VC Spec Archive (or The A.B.A-R Spec Archive) was a website for fans of Anne Rice. It was associated with alt.books.anne-rice. It included specs, fanart, and other things.
The site won a MiningCo award for "Best of the Net" in August 1997.[1] Website: Awards, Graphics, Specs (links to the actual fics do not function anymore)
The site was hosted at the same domain as Digital Midnight.
Description from The Bourbon Street Follies:
The A.B.A-R Spec Archive, graciously maintained by the Black Rose. Filled with a great deal of teenybopper dreck now, but that's not her fault. Go and read some of the older stuff...and some of the older authors are still posting occasionally. Worth it when you find it, honest.[2]
Anne Rice and Copyright
A certain Author who resides in Louisiana and writes about vampires had the following to say about the non-profit fan fiction endeavors of her fans:
- "I do not allow fan fiction.
- The characters are copyrighted. It upsets me terribly to even think about fan fiction with my characters. I advise my readers to write your own original stories with your own characters.
- It is absolutely essential that you respect my wishes."
- - April 7, 2000, from AR's Official Website
She then proceeded to slap cease and desist notices on a few fan sites via her lawyers, including one which DID contain original fiction, the creator of whom was advised by said lawyers to cease and desist writing of any sort period. Nice to know this Louisiana author's lawyers are qualified literary critics, ne?
Well, we wouldn't want to go against her glorious statement, now would we? This site, since 1995, has been a repository of fan written stories, created and shared for free between fans, as a means of keeping the interest in her characters alive during the dry spells between her books. She was always credited, and she, her employees, and Random House, her publisher, were well aware of it and maintained a "don't ask, don't tell" policy. Now, apparently, that suddenly isn't enough.
Which is why you're finding this page.
United States copyright law is rather grey and muddled on this issue. Especially when you add in the inherent unregulated condition of the internet. However, they do seem to agree that putting "copyright infringement" material (even if no infringement is intended and no profit of any sort if being made) in a public forum is a bad thing. Therefore, this page is no longer in the public forum. Note. There's nothing here. No specs, no stories, no nothing. Now maybe, hypothetically, if you had the password and the handshake you could get into the private forum where private citizens could still share private words with each other without being told by authors with too much money to waste that their first amendment is being taken away and freedom of speech no longer exists. But that's just hypothetical.
Nice to know certain authors in Louisiana think so highly of their fans that they reward them by taking the money (provided by the book and merchandise purchases of said fans) and hire lawyers to harass those fans. Makes nice logical sense, ne?
Now, if you want to go read some really GREAT books, may I suggest J.K. Rowling? Or maybe Marion Zimmer Bradley? Neil Gaiman? None of whom, you'll note, ever lived in Louisiana.[3]
References
- ^ Award
- ^ The Opinionated Lurker, via Wayback: 2001. (Accessed 06 March 2021)
- ^ VC Speck Archive, via Wayback: 15 February 2001. (Accessed 06 March 2021)