Can I publish self-made Hârn or HârnMaster material? What are the guidelines?

Fanon in General
Creating additional material for your personal gaming needs, filling in gaps, adding detail and plot twists, expanding on the rich environment we publish to personalise your world and create an even more unique experience is something we expect all Gamemasters to do. We go to great lengths to 'leave stuff out' and point out tangents and oddities that any group desirous of adventure might wish to develop; we are not at all surprised when gamers discover aspects to our work that we didn't know were there, and develop those as well. We want to 'partner' with the GM to help him create his own personal version of HârnWorld.

Unfortunately, there can be legal problems when the GM creates something based on our work and wants to share it with more than his players. Many publishers/producers have considerable legal difficulties with 'fanon' (fan-created work based in a copyrighted 'world'). If it is not handled properly, unchecked fanon can challenge copyrights and cost someone, somewhere lots of time and money. For this reason, many publishers/producers simply forbid fanon.

Some publishers/producers allow fanon on the understanding that all the fanon material produced bear their sole copyright, and many (if not most) fanon-writers simply assume that whatever fanon they write belongs entirely to the original copyright holder. Even then, a lot of copyright-holders seem to spend a lot of time sending letters to fanon-writers telling them to stop. Even not-for-profit sharing of other people's work without their permission (this is usually called piracy) can result in fines and incarceration.

Some publishers (including Keléstia Productions) want to encourage fanon; it fosters a sense of community and propagates interest in the original material. Good fanon can expand and enhance the original material and everyone is better off. However, wanting to encourage fanon does not eliminate the legal issues.

To try and solve these issues, we have created a fanon licence. We have written it in plain English to be easily understood, and we encourage anyone who wants to write or publish fanon to read the licence carefully, and abide thereby. Compliance should protect everyone concerned.

Terms

• Original Work - Material created by N. Robin Crossby & persons authorised by his estate, or substantially derived therefrom, having to do with (but not necessarily limited to): Keléstia, HârnWorld and/or HârnMaster.
• Publisher - The entity that distributes a work. This can be an individual handing out hardcopies or digital media, or a website from which copies may be downloaded.
• Fanon Author - The person who has created the work of Fanon (insofar as it is not derived from the original work).

Content Guidelines

• Fanon should be in good taste, free of gratuitous sex or violence. It should not defame any real-world ethnic or religious group. Fanon should avoid, as far as possible, promotion of real-world ideologies.
• Fanon should not supercede or contradict the Original Work. If a writer feels obliged to posit 'alternate versions' of the , s/he should clearly state in any/all descriptions of the fanon, the nature and extent of such contradictions and/or alternate suppositions.
• Fanon should not in any way 'discourage' persons from purchasing the Original work.
• Fanon may cite the Original Work.
• Fanon should be of reasonable quality.
• Fanon should not be a simple copy, paraphrasing or reorganisation the Original Work. Therefore, a reasonable portion should be 'new' in the sense that it is not a copy, paraphrasing or reorganisation of the Original Work. This can be an ambiguous concept since some fanon work will have "value" even if it is more than, for example, 25% derivitive. To be sure whether a given work can reasonably be called 'fair fanon', writers are invited to consult the designated personnel at Keléstia Productions.

Copyright Declarations (Mandatory)

All works of fanon must include an appropriate copyright notice on each page. An appropriate copyright notice may take either of two forms:

• © year, fanon author, Keléstia Productions Ltd, and N. Robin Crossby. or;
• © year, Keléstia Productions Ltd and N. Robin Crossby.

Where © is the international symbol for 'copyright' or (optionally) the word "copyright"; "year" is the year of publication of the work; "fanon author" is the legal name of the creator of the work.

Please note that, by 'claiming' a copyright in one's own name, one is assuming the legal responsibility to police the copyright of the owner of any/all works from which the present work is derived.

Please note that by leaving off one's own copyright claim one is surrendering copyright to other entities cited.

Please also note that having no copyright notice or having a copyright notice other than in the form(s) given above, is a breach of existing copyright(s) and a direct challenge to the rights of the creator of the Original Work.

Certain declarations may occur on the title page, or on a special page immediately following the title title page which is reserved for these purposes only. These declarations are included at the option of the publisher of the work of fanon.

In cases of media that do not have appropriate title/special pages, declaration(s) may be displayed in other prominent place(s).

Trademarks
"Hârn" and all compound terms & words containing the word "Hârn", and all major placenames are tradmarks of Keléstia Productions Ltd.

Statement of Derivation
This fanon publicaton is based upon the original copyright work of N. Robin Crossby & Keléstia Productions Ltd. No challenge to such intellectual rights as may pertain is intended or implied.

Statement of Complaince
This publication is in complaiance with the Keléstia Productions Fanon Licence as approved by Keléstia Productions Ltd.

Attachment of Logo
Fanon publications in complaince with the guidelines laid out herein, may include an approved 'fanon logo' to their work(s).

Benefits of Compliance

Authors/publishers of compliant works may

• Attach an approved fanon logo to each publication.
• Gain access to a vast library of relevant, unpublished material.
• Consult with Keléstia Productions about canon and fanon works already in progress. This helps avoid unintentional duplication of effort.
• By mutual agreement, have their fanon 'converted' into canon works, and get paid (at KP's competitive rates) for their efforts.