Novelists, Inc. Position Papers

Harlan Ellison Law Suit

Novelists, Inc. has notified members, in NINK's "Breaking News" column as well as on the NINCLINK, of science fiction writer Harlan Ellison's law suit to combat copyright infringement on the internet. The suit's full name is Harlan Ellison v. Stephen Robertson, America Online, Inc., RemarQ Communities, Inc., Critical Path, Inc., Citizen 513, and Does 1-10, and it has been filed in the Federal District Court, Central District of California in Los Angeles (Civil Case No. 00-04321 FMC9RCx)). All the plaintiffs have, in varying ways, actively endorsed or participated in internet piracy-reproducing Ellison's copyrighted material on-line without permission or payment to Ellison.

This legal fight will be protracted and difficult. On Ellison's behalf, the SFWA is soliciting contributions to Ellison's legal fund to help him fight internet piracy, a practice that threatens all authors.

After a four year copyright dispute, a settlement was announced on June 8, 2004 between Mr. Ellison and the last remaining defendant, America Online, Inc. As stated in the joint press release: Both AOL and Ellison are pleased this case was able to draw the courts' and the public's attention to the issue of online piracy and advance the legal issues relating to copyrights in the digital world.

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