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For the past six months now, many people in the Blizzard modding community have been working on turning the R.A. Salvadore novel, "Canticle" into a fan film, using the WarCraft III engine for visuals, editing in effects and such with Adobe Premire, and utilizing an original score and full voice-acting.

But today, I have recieved word from the head of the project. He had recieved an email from Wizards of the Coast today, the contents of which follow:

--You can't use any of our copyrighted graphics, but you can take the stories and rewrite them in such a way that they can't really be considered copying. You can use certain plot elements and themes from the books.
--Unfortunately, you cannot use the names and events for something that will be publically distributed, even if it is not for profit.

We have contacted Mr. Salvadore about this, and he replied personally, but unfortunately, he has no control over this. This means that hundreds of hours of work put in on models, music, voicing, and script-writing have been towards a lost cause.

Words can't really say how I feel right now, much less how my friend, who had spearheaded all this, feels... I just needed to type this down, and have someone see it.

I hear ya.

Go and set fire to something, always helps.

That does truly suck, and I'm sorry to hear about it.

I know what it's like to work on a project like that when it gets cancelled, and the ones I've worked on have all been smaller in scope or development, and I still get bummed big time. Spearheading the project and having gotten so far must really be a pisser.

I wasn't spearheading it, but I was playing one of the main characters... so I had a lot of lines recorded...

DPDarkPrimus wrote:I wasn't spearheading it, but I was playing one of the main characters... so I had a lot of lines recorded...

Now that I can sympathize with even more. I'm really sorry to hear that, man. Make sure you hang on to them though. If you ever want to get a job as a VA, it helps to have those to add to your portfolio.

That's certianly a bummer but they do have every legal right to do that. It is their story after all and it's their right.

DPDarkPrimus wrote:I wasn't spearheading it, but I was playing one of the main characters... so I had a lot of lines recorded...

Ouch, now I really do find that quite nasty.

You were part of that modding group too?
I was.
Bummer.

You where?(!) What were you doing for Canticle? I was playing the part of Druzil...

Isn't there some legality thing that states you can use it for nonprofit purposes, like fanfiction or stuff?

Really sucks, though. I don't know why they'd want to hammer down on the project- it's a great way to show fan appreciation.

But hey, there's always other roads. I very much doubt Glen Cook would mind a fanfilm like this.

HemlockGrey wrote:Isn't there some legality thing that states you can use it for nonprofit purposes, like fanfiction or stuff?

No, there is no such rule. A copyright violation is a copyright violation.

HemlockGrey wrote:Really sucks, though. I don't know why they'd want to hammer down on the project- it's a great way to show fan appreciation.

And a great big target. It's a flagrant violation of copyrights and so high profile that they would have to do something or risk losing their rights.

HemlockGrey wrote:But hey, there's always other roads. I very much doubt Glen Cook would mind a fanfilm like this.

I doubt very much they minded so much as they had to defend their copyrights. It's the same thing for every novelist.

And WotC are still assholes who charge an arm and a leg for a book that USED to cost $20.

I doubt very much they minded so much as they had to defend their copyrights. It's the same thing for every novelist.

Damn, I can dream, eh?

Kelly Antilles wrote:And WotC are still assholes who charge an arm and a leg for a book that USED to cost $20.

Yeah, really. I bought "Canticle" to read, and it was $6.99. For like a 200 page book!

DPDarkPrimus wrote:

Kelly Antilles wrote:And WotC are still assholes who charge an arm and a leg for a book that USED to cost $20.

Yeah, really. I bought "Canticle" to read, and it was $6.99. For like a 200 page book!

I stole it for nothing.....

Well...sort of stole.....

I was actually referring to the d20 D&D books. $40 for a book that when printed by TSR was $20.

You mean the core books? I got mine for $20.

Now I hear I'll have to plunk down ANOTHER $60 total for 3.5

POINT FIVE!

Yep, Kelly's right...I had to pay 39.95 for mine...they raised them.

NOW $60?!!

...fuck em.

HemlockGrey wrote:

I doubt very much they minded so much as they had to defend their copyrights. It's the same thing for every novelist.

Damn, I can dream, eh?

No, I must crush dreams and kill hope.


And DPDarkPrimus, I just realized your avatar is Ed. Cool.

Stormbringer wrote: And DPDarkPrimus, I just realized your avatar is Ed. Cool.

Stolen from some banner for an anime DVD site... I've never been able to find the original picture... so I'm stuck with this size for now.

Meh. You know what? Almost every project I've voiced for has been cancelled. And one of them that was released, the voices weren't put in to cut down on file size.

Kelly Antilles wrote:And WotC are still assholes who charge an arm and a leg for a book that USED to cost $20.

That and they helped crush the Decipher SW CCG, may they and Hasboro forever burn in hell for that.

DPDarkPrimus wrote:

Stormbringer wrote: And DPDarkPrimus, I just realized your avatar is Ed. Cool.

Stolen from some banner for an anime DVD site... I've never been able to find the original picture... so I'm stuck with this size for now.

If you really want me to I can hunt down the original for you.

never heard of the project. can you post a link?

i´m sorry to hear that, though. 6 months of profitless work for nothing.

what´s their point? realizing that project would advertise their product and they´d make even more money.