Author Permission Question

[paraka]

So I'm contemplating a podficing project of reading a bunch of drabbles from a kink meme. However, due to the nature of kink memes all of the fics are posted anonymously.

What are people's opinions on getting author permission, if the fic is posted anonymously?

Not only will I not know if whomever answers my request for permission is the real author, some authors might not be tracking comments to the ficlets so they may never see it. My impulse is to just go ahead without author's permission but, well, it's such a touchy subject.

Comments

[anatsuno]

Personally I think that people participating in kink memes in this way are taking that chance and that they should be (and probably are) aware of it. If you want to be cautious and super considerate, imo you can try to locate the delicious account or tag being used to tag the kink meme (I've been told every meme has one?), and then use that info - if possible at all - to see if the author has reposted the same ficlet on their own journal / claimed it in any way. But it would be an arduous and uncertain process of comparing meta-data from delicious tagging (who bookmarked the fill, did any of these people repost it, etc) - I would probably not bother if I was you.

But then, I have been called rude on occasion. I just tend to think that there are certain drawbacks to anonymity, and this is one of them: relinquishing a certain amount of authorial control that's otherwise considered 'normal' around our communities.

[paraka]

Yeah, my natural instinct is to just go ahead and read them. It's just a cute little kink meme with super short responses so it'd be done as an anthology. I just... know that someone somewhere will get upset about it though and I just... don't want to deal with it. So, I wanted others opinion before I made a decision.

I'm contemplating a couple different options right now but if anything it's likely going to be assume permission but offer an opt out option.

[zvi]

I tend to think that, considering what we do to TPTB, permissions between ourselves are a little silly. OTOH, a lot of people like it or expect it, and I'm not 100% sure where you fall on that.

If you would normally feel like permission should be obtained, I suggest that you might be able to helpfully thread the needle by asking permission from the administrators of the meme, or at least asking them to post an announcement about what you are planning to do to the meme.

[paraka]

I'm not 100% sure where you fall on that.
I'm of the opinion that asking permission is polite but not necessary, much for the same reasons as you. However, just because I feel that way doesn't mean that the rest of fandom does and I really don't want to get into a wanky situation over it.

OTOH, I wasn't planning on reading the fics, I'm hoping to talk my lurker cousin into so maybe he'd be ok with taking the heat... but that feels kind of like a cop out.

Maybe what I'll do is just leave a comment to each story that it's been podficed and if the original author has an objection to that, they can contact me and I'll remove it. Wait about a week then just go post it. Or, as you said, go to the mods and see about them making a top level post about it....

[dodificus]

My feelings about permission have undergone a shift lately and I'm coming down on the side of the reader now. If there's no way you can get permission, *especially* when it's anon, then I say go for it.

I guess the part that I *am* questioning is do we (as readers) need to acknowledge that lack of permission in the podfic post? I think I'm going to have a similar non permission issue soon and I'm of two minds about whether I should explicitly mention it or not.

[paraka]

If there's no way you can get permission, *especially* when it's anon, then I say go for it.
I know that permission is definitely the thing to do if you can get permission. But I hate it as an unbreakable rule.

One of my room mates has this one fic she would really like to podfic where she knows for a fact that the author is dead but she's still hesitant because she can't get permission. And even my situation with this kink meme, I think it's kind of silly to insist on permission with small anonymous ficlets, I still feel kind of uneasy about it.

I guess the part that I *am* questioning is do we (as readers) need to acknowledge that lack of permission in the podfic post?
My natural instinct would be to post a disclaimer admitting the lack of permission and leaving it open to being taken down if the author does come back from whatever and object. However, the archive won't host it the podfic if they know that the author hasn't given permission (if I under stand general_jinjur's comment here correctly). That makes me not want to mention it (since so many people just look at the archive to find podfics) since if you don't admit the lack of permission the archive will go ahead and archive. Which is maybe a little dishonest of me towards the archive but there you go (and it still leaves the archive with plausible deniability).

[dodificus]

Which is maybe a little dishonest of me towards the archive but there you go (and it still leaves the archive with plausible deniability).

Your plan, I likes it.

[cybel]

As a geriatric fan myself, I think it would be a tragedy to lose potential podfics of works by fans who have died and therefore can no longer give permission. If it were you, wouldn't you want your work to live on, to get a new lease on life, as it were?

[mific]

Yeah, go for it. They posted anonymously so I reckon that opens it up.

[paraka]

*nods* That's kind of how I feel.

[sothcweden]

My thinking is that if a story is posted anonymously, there's no need to ask for permission. The author is the one who chose not to sign the work.

[paraka]

*nods* That makes sense. I guess I hesitate because a lot of author's start off anonymous at kink memes then later post to their journals de-anoned. However I'm looking at the Old Spice kink meme which has a lot of really really short fics that seem like they wouldn't be worth moving to your journal.

I think I might just go ahead and do it and then have an opt out thing or something.

[kaizoku]

There's an Old Spice kink meme? As in, inspired by the fabulous Isaiah Mustafa ads?

[paraka]

Yep, it's over at oldspice_kinkmeme.

They're all so fun and snappy and I have a cousin I've been trying to get into podfic (since we so need more boys podficing) and since he loves the Old Spice man he agreed :D I think it'll be a pretty fun podfic anthology.

[kaizoku]

BRBLMAO.

I will watch out for the podfic anthology. Um, if you want another male voice on it, I could possibly help out.