If I couldn’t prevent Fables from falling into bad hands, at least this is a way I can arrange that it also falls into many good hands. I can sell it or give it away to whomever I want. The one thing in our contract the DC lawyers can’t contest, or reinterpret to their own benefit, is that I am the sole owner of the intellectual property. Since I can’t afford to sue DC, to force them to live up to the letter and the spirit of our long-time agreements since even winning such a suit would take ridiculous amounts of money out of my pocket and years out of my life (I’m 67 years old, and don’t have the years to spare), I’ve decided to take a different approach, and fight them in a different arena, inspired by the principles of asymmetric warfare. At one time the Fables properties were in good hands, and now, by virtue of attrition and employee replacement, the Fables properties have fallen into bad hands. Since then, over the span of twenty years or so, those people have left or been fired, to be replaced by a revolving door of strangers, of no measurable integrity, who now choose to interpret every facet of our contract in ways that only benefit DC Comics and its owner companies. When problems inevitably came up we worked it out, like reasonable men and women. In no particular order they are:ġ) Practicality: When I first signed my creator-owned publishing contract with DC Comics, the company was run by honest men and women of integrity, who (for the most part) interpreted the details of that agreement fairly and above-board. Take-backs are neither contemplated nor possible.Ī number of reasons. It’s done, and as most experts will tell you, once done it cannot be undone. What was once wholly owned by Bill Willingham is now owned by everyone, for all time. Related: Exclusive: FABLES Creator Bill Willingham Talks The Return & Future of The SeriesĪs of now, 15 September 2023, the comic book property called Fables, including all related Fables spin-offs and characters, is now in the public domain. However, he does caution that "copyright law is a mess purposely vague and murky, and no two lawyers - not even those specializing in copyright and trademark law - agree on anything." Willingham specifies that his contract with DC makes the ironclad guarantee that he is the sole owner of the intellectual property behind Fables, and that it's his to give away to the world. While existing comics and games still belong to their respective publishers, fans are theoretically free to create new works using the characters, settings, and events from all Fables stories and tie-ins, including hit Telltale game The Wolf Among Us - soon to receive a sequel in The Wolf Among Us 2. In the statement, Willingham releases Fables into the public domain, alongside properties such as Sherlock Holmes, Dracula, and (a recent addition) Winnie-the-Pooh. Willingham made the announcement via his blog These Foolish Games, included in full below. Citing a breakdown in his relationship with DC Comics - who he recently revealed he'd fired during the ongoing publication of Fables' new continuation, 'The Black Forest,' - Willingham has shared a press release that reveals his reasons and the details of his acrimonious split from DC. Original Story: In a shock statement, Bill Willingham - the creator of beloved comic series Fables- has released the franchise into public domain.
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