http://www.boingboing.net/2007/08/30/science-fiction-writ-1.html
My Thoughts: I was aware that the SFWA was going batshit insane about internet publishing with the whole "pixel-stained technopeasant wretches" thing which, while amusing, is nonetheless at its core both condescending to creators who are willing to use the internet to its full capacities for disseminating original works (fictional and nonfictional) and deeply reactionary against new technologies. Now it appears that the SFWA are not only willing to fraudulently invoke the DMCA on behalf of authors who never authorized such an action -- and at least one who explicitly refused the SFWA permission to represent him in any such capacity due to his dedication to promoting an internet-friendly mode of content delivery -- as well as topping our own dear LJ's fucktardity by evidently searching for the use of the words 'Asimov' and 'Silverberg' in documents hosted on Scribd and demanding any documents that hit for those words be removed as copyright violations. Because Isaac Asimov and Robert Silverberg were in no way influential in the science fiction genre and no legitimate discussion of them ever occurs on the internet in the form of non-infringing essays about their works or on bibliographies of their works. Shit like that never, ever happens in places where SF fen congregate. Nu uh, no way.
On the other hand, now I know about Scribd! So, yay!
Further commentary here:
http://phywriter.com/archives/2007/08/28/sfwa-issues-misguided-rgr-takedowns-at-scribd/
and here:
http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/009334.html#009334
The SFWA leadership appears to be hiding behind the whole, "Gee, just because we sent a threatening email indicating it was a DMCA takedown notice not an idle threat, that was no reason for Scribd to act as though we'd issued a DMCA takedown notice!" dodge beloved of professional organizations who've behaved stupidly engaging in advanced CYA.
