INTRODUCTION
We live in an age in which intellectual properties (IPs)
are widely recognized as valuable economic assets. Fictional characters and the fictional worlds in which they live are
closely guarded commodities. While this state of affairs helps to ensure that a creator is able to maintain control
of the merchandising revenue and the creative direction of their characters and stories, it also has some downsides. It
means that creative collaboration requires complicated legal agreements and
monetary arrangements. It means that fans who are passionate about a particular character or story are limited
in their ability to contribute their own creativity and passion, to build upon
the source. This is particularly tragic when a large corporation legally owns the rights to many beloved
characters and stories that they rarely use, or use poorly, or don't use at all.
Related fictional characters and the fictional worlds
in which they live are often referred to as a fictional "Universe." Most fictional universes are comprised of closely guarded intellectual
properties, that can not be used without special agreements or arrangements. This website is dedicated to collecting information on characters and
settings which are in the public domain, or are freely licensed by their creators. This effort will help to
create a "Free Universe" in which ALL characters and settings can be freely used by ANYONE in ANY
kind of work! As far as I know, this is the first major attempt to create a
collaborative fictional universe that is comprised entirely of ideas which are OPEN SOURCE (freely licensed) or in the PUBLIC DOMAIN.
What does that mean? Well, if you're the creative type, it means you can assert
full control over any part of this fictional universe, and assimilate these ideas into your own books, movies, comics, games and visual art.
How is that possible? Don't I need special permission? Why would I want to be a part of this?
Well, if you're confused, and you don't understand what's going on here, I suggest you
do some research on copyright laws and then take a gander at our FAQ
section. If you still have questions after that, you can try asking around
in our Forum. That's where we will be meeting to discuss the intricacies
of the law, the value of open source characters, and the fabulous projects we
are working on. Join us and share our world!
