Here's a roundup of stories on female fandom that might be of interest to fans:

• FemPop claimed that Women Geeks Rule. "Male geeks are the “real geeks” right? The rare female geek who share [sic] the same interest is a girl geek first and a geek second. But according to this infographic male geeks and the fandoms they are most commonly associated with are in the minority. Between them Harry Potter and Twilight fandoms have more than 51 million fans on Facebook. That’s six times as many fans as Doctor Who, Pokemon, Star Wars and Star Trek combined. By sheer numbers female dominated fandoms rule the earth." The MarySue also pulled out some evidence when pointing out that men and women were equally interested in genre films. "Perhaps Hollywood will see this and realize they don’t need to subscribe to the school of thought that men and women like opposite things."
• FemPop was certainly right in suggesting that men are the ones thought of when it comes to fandom, by both the media and the men themselves. In his first column for NextMovie.com the author of "Planet Fanboy" wrote "And lest you think you lack the cred to attain true geek glory, I'm here to inform you that all are welcome. Seriously, the more we let in the club, the more likely someone is to introduce us to their sister." Apparently sisters themselves could not possibly be part of the audience. Similarly, while Unleash the Fanboy (as opposed to just Fan) hosted a column about girl geek myths they also managed to be derogatory about older women in a column about fandom knitting. "At one time in our lives, knitters were the most despised people in the world. Mostly comprised of grandmothers and other matronly figures, they would force us to adorn ourselves in ridiculously embarrassing attire that their hands had diabolically fashioned."
• By contrast, The Fangirl Next Door created a podcast on women who are part of the Star Wars franchise adding, "I must make a point to mention that you do not have to be a Star Wars fan for this podcast to hit home. This particular episode is all about empowerment."

If you take part in Star Wars or any other fandom, why not contribute to Fanlore? Additions are welcome from all fans.

We want your suggestions! If you know of an essay, video, article, event, or link you think we should know about, comment on the most recent Links Roundup — on transformativeworks.org, LJ, or DW — or give @OTW_News a shoutout on Twitter. Links are welcome in all languages!

Submitting a link doesn't guarantee that it will be included in a roundup post, and inclusion of a link doesn't mean that it is endorsed by the OTW.

In a week following widespread Internet protests against proposed legislation in the U.S., there is an effort going on internationally to protest the potential effects of ACTA. The OTW is concerned about this treaty which has potentially large implications but about which there has been very little information. "In October 2007, the United States, the European Community, Switzerland, and Japan simultaneously announced that they would negotiate a new intellectual property enforcement treaty the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement or ACTA. Australia, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Mexico, Jordan, Morocco, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, and Canada have joined the negotiations."

"The main problem with this treaty is that all the negociations are done secretly. Leaked documents show that one of the major goals of the treaty is to force signatory countries into implementing anti file-sharing policies under the form of three-strikes schemes and net filtering practices."

Tell your MEPs and government representatives you want more transparency before this is voted on. Here are some places where you can take action:

• Help sign the Written Declaration about ACTA
• Direct.Gov's UK petition
• Whitehouse.Gov's US petition
• E-petition (Deutsch)
• Suggested guidelines for contacting representatives

Here's a roundup of stories on legal actions that might be of interest to fans:

• Many fans who were not already aware of the proposed SOPA and PIPA bills in the U.S. legislature became aware of them along with much of the rest of the online community after last week's blackout day of protest in which numerous sites, including those of the OTW, either went dark or sported banners in opposition to the bills. Individual fans also blacked out their own sites or, like blogger Serena Wilken at the Huffington Post, wrote about how fandom might suffer if this legislation was enacted.
• Some fans have already been affected by anti-piracy efforts. The Wall Street Journal reported that "The Federal Bureau of Investigation shut down Thursday one of the world's most popular file-sharing websites, MegaUpload.com, and announced the arrest of four of the people behind it in a global crackdown against the suspected online pirates." Online locker services are heavily used by fans engaged in transformative works such as podfic recordings, music videos, collections of artwork, or even single story fan fiction downloads intended for eReaders. The sites targeted by local law enforcement were located in various countries, a demonstration of the international scope of U.S. enforcement efforts.
• Unfortunately, government actions against "piracy" are only part of how fandom may be impacted by legal activity. In a disappointing ruling on January 18, the same day as the Internet blackouts, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that works in the public domain could be put back under copyright. While the change is intended in part to standardize international copyrights, and thus equalize the standing of foreign creators under U.S. law, this change will also affect numerous artists, musicians and other creators utilizing works previously in the public domain.

If you are concerned about copyright or use file sharing services, why not contribute your experiences to Fanlore? Additions are welcome from all fans.

We want your suggestions! If you know of an essay, video, article, event, or link you think we should know about, comment on the most recent Links Roundup — on transformativeworks.org, LJ, or DW — or give @OTW_News a shoutout on Twitter. Links are welcome in all languages!

Submitting a link doesn't guarantee that it will be included in a roundup post, and inclusion of a link doesn't mean that it is endorsed by the OTW.

Here's a roundup of stories on the attention paid to fandom that might be of interest to fans:

• The creators of Jersey Shore are turning their attention to fans, sending out a casting call for a new unscripted show. "According to a press release, the new reality show “is going to profile eight people obsessed with the sci-fi culture in some shape or form.”" In the meantime, another series has already launched focused on toy collectors. "Toy Hunters" recently premiered on the Travel Channel. Its host noted ""I have a real love affair with pop culture, nostalgia and vintage toys," he says, rattling off a series of prized toys he's had that includes everything from GI Joe figurines to Star Wars replica X-Wings. The stigma behind the fanboy identity is waning, Hembrough maintains."
• While not a show about fans, the TV series Portlandia filmed episodes having to do "with fans of silent expressionist horror classic The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and of Ronald Moore’s supermodels-in-space reboot of Battlestar Galactica." Producer Carrie Brownstein claimed writing about BSG turned her into a fan. "“For film and television, it’s interesting how fans feel that their particular ways of manifesting their affections are the correct ones,” Brownstein said. “It’s not just about being a fan, it’s about how you perform your fandom. That’s always been interesting to me.”"
• Many publishers, producers, and news sites host fan fiction contests these days as a way of promoting the canon product, usually with tight restrictions on form and content. Explanation site Ehow suggests other ways to get one's fan fiction read. While they begin with the sensible suggestion of "Choose a Popular Niche" they conclude with a less than helpful legal advisory: "Include a disclaimer at the end of your work that states that you do not intend to use the fan fiction for commercial purposes." . They do raise the issue of fair use though they misunderstand how fair use works. "Fair use is a statutory exception that protects fan fiction as long as the fiction is not used for commercial purposes and doesn’t negatively affect the commercial success of the original work. The fiction must transform the creative work and add new things to it." (In fact, commercial uses can also be fair uses; consider a case like the novel The Wind Done Gone, which rewrites Gone With The Wind.)

If you write fan fiction, are part of Battlestar Galactica fandom, or have something to say about fandom and profit why not contribute your fandom experience to Fanlore? Additions are welcome from all fans.

We want your suggestions! If you know of an essay, video, article, event, or link you think we should know about, comment on the most recent Links Roundup — on transformativeworks.org, LJ, or DW — or give @OTW_News a shoutout on Twitter. Links are welcome in all languages!

Submitting a link doesn't guarantee that it will be included in a roundup post, and inclusion of a link doesn't mean that it is endorsed by the OTW.

The internet has been abuzz recently with comments about the 'Stop Online Piracy Act' (SOPA) currently under debate in the US House of Representatives, and its counterpart the 'Protect IP Act' (PIPA) in the Senate. Organizations such as the EFF and the Library Copyright Alliance have raised concerns that the bills - which are ostensibly aimed at curbing 'rogue' foreign sites - have significant implications for the web internationally, and will work to curb free speech and online creativity.

Here at the OTW, we've been following developments since the bill was first mooted. SOPA has particular implications for sites which include user-generated content because of the broad language in the bill. This means that it has the potential to negatively affect many popular fansites - including the Archive of Our Own and Fanlore - if it is implemented in its current form.

Following protests from many groups, the Obama administration issued a statement which was seen by the New York Times as a significant blow to the proposed legislation. Nevertheless, the EFF argues that it still poses a significant threat.

In order to make sure that members of the US Senate and House of Representatives understand the problematic nature of the proposed legislation, many sites around the internet are taking part in an 'internet strike'. The OTW will be joining this day of action with a banner on the Archive of Our Own and a blackout on our main website, transformativeworks.org. If you are a US citizen, we urge you to contact your representatives and senators to let them know how you feel about these bills.