aii@tropix.UUCP (Alice I. Insley) (04/13/84)
I was most suprised to here about Freff's opinion that the FFantasy FFactory settlement was similar to a divorse case (high emotional tension, backstabbing, etc..) because Phil Foglio had never mentioned anything like that. Well, Phil is in Texas this weekend for a con (he's GOH); so I called a mutual friend of both Freff and Phil. She said that as of yet, there IS no case, it's a matter of Phil talking to his laywer and Freff talking to his. This is the only safe "real world" solution to the breakup of a legal entity such as ffantasy ffactory. Freff's viewpoint (in her opinion) is just his emotional way of handing a situation he doesn't feel secure in. I've met Freff several times, and I tend to agree with her. The statement that each of them might do their own version of D'arc Tangent is not true. To allow both sides complete rights to the concept would be inviting infringment and subsequent legal battles later. My personal opinion is that the whole "ownership" discussion is kind of pointless. While no one would disagree that Freff was more than just an inker, Phil had been working on the stories and concepts behind D'arc Tangent since the early seventies. Long time science fiction fans have seen many fillos of character sketches in fanzines; and a running storyline of comics was published in EFFENESSEF (a now defunct fanzine) that is quite obviously the shipboard sketch with the characature of Phil. So, while Freff may indeed wish to have the rights to the concept, I don't see how that decision could go in his favour. Maybe that's why he would like people to beleive there is animosity involved. Alice Bentley ...tropix!aii