This subject has come up in a couple of threads, with some strong opinions expressed.

We have two site policies that are relevant here.

1) We will respect and uphold the law, and

2) We will respect and uphold the wishes of John Norman.

I won't go into the details here, but there have been times during the development of this site when we have disagreed with decisions made by John Norman. When that happens we'll present our case in the hope that John can be pursuaded, but if not then we accept his decision.

That policy applies to fanfic and other derivative works too. If John Norman says they are not acceptable, then we do not post them or encourage their posting elsewhere.

That said, John has not actually said a great deal on the subject. What he has said implies that he is against fan fiction, and it has to be assumed that that applies to all fan fiction, as we have no information to the contrary. However, it may be that there are circumstances in which he will permit it.

The comments and views expressed here are not the only ones I've heard over the past few months. I think it would be very helpful to have some more detailed information from John outlining what kinds of derivative works are OK, and what are not, and any conditions he wishes to impose (such as not using his characters in fan fiction). We will do our best to get that information, but it may take time and we may not get it at all. We'll try though, that I can promise.

We'll post any news we get on this site. In the meantime, I fully understand that people have strong views on the subject, some of which I in fact agree with, but please understand and respect our policies on the subject.

Simon

For those not aware, private messages can be sent to each other within the CoG site using the Inbox in the User Menu to the left of the screen, something better than posting a new thread just to discuss a non-general topic between two people. It will highlight the Inbox heading if there is anything waiting there for you - always worth checking when you look in on CoG.

It sort of reminded me of a time I had been invited to a party, back in the old "U" days before I discovered that I wasn't really that into molecular anything. I just started getting comfortable, meeting people, having a few laughs when out of no where the people who lived there told everyone else it was time to go. No warning before hand, no real explination, but there wasn't much point in worrying over it. Naturally like good college kids, the rest of us went off and got blitzed elsewhere, so in the end, it was all good.
But it isn't a problem that really needs any addressing. Like I said before, your house, your rules, considering all the work you folk have done here, I doubt anyone will, or should, complain overtly.

A couple of more suggestions for the mix:
1)Ideal discussion nights: picking one ideal from the books (honesty, bravery, submission, dominance, what ever.)
2)Socializing nights; come meet lifestyle Goreans to get a feel of what it is all about.

Thank you. The suggestions are appreciated, and we'll add them to the mix. We're currently discussing the future of the Chat Room, so watch this space.

Tal,
That's too bad about the chat room. It's sort of what set this place apart from the other sites I've seen, the ability to type real time between like minded individuals. Still, I can see where a little peace and private time for and between the Mod's might be a necessity of sanity. On to the suggestions, I've a few:

1)Book nights; Nights specifically designated to one of the books, or one aspect from one of the books.

2) That Plato and the Republic thing may do better as a combination of open discussion night as well as opened thread, whenever it gets opened.

3)Moderated discussion events on a: Free Men (By and for free men) b: Free women (by and for free women) c: slaves (by and for slaves) in the lifestyle on Earth and how they attempt to live by the ideals of the books. Though I'd love to sit in on b and c, I was thinking more insular events for those who identify themselves in each category without the presence of anyone from one of the other two.

I think you have enough people here to do any or all of these with very little actual work involved, depending on the desired format, and also draw a good sized crowd.

Thank you to all those who dropped in to see us in the Chat Room, during our opening weekend.

We've been delighted with the number of visitors, to the site as a whole as well as the Chat Room, and we hope you will all stay and participate, and help the place to grow.

The Chat Room is now closed once again. We will open it from time to time, maybe for specially announced live discussions on particular topics, maybe for a regular slot. If you have suggestions for it, such as ideas for discussions we could host there, do let us know.

In the meantime, do enjoy the rest of the site.

Simon

It has come to light that some last minute changes to the <a href="http://gorchronicles.com/modules/wfch ... ?pagenum=2">Terms of Service</a>, made very shortly before the site was opened, were not made to the Terms that users were shown when they registered. The <a href="http://gorchronicles.com/modules/wfch ... ?pagenum=2">Terms of Service</a> page on the Site was correct though. The main paragraph affected was paragraph 10.1 though there may have been very minor changes elsewhere. Please review the updated document. The Terms shown to users upon registration have now been updated.

I thought I'd mention here that the Chat Room is open and I'll be sitting in it much of the weekend. Do feel free to drop in and say hello!

Welcome to John Norman's Chronicles of Gor!

Forty years ago, in December 1966, in a small volcanic eruption, barely noticed by the needles of geological seismographs, a new island was created; a landmass far beyond the well-known regions of Mare Literaris, isolated from the placid waters of predictable mediocrity, veiled by the fog of fraternal enviousness; and in a series of outbursts that lasted for almost twenty-two years, it grew into a whole new continent, surrounded by atolls of freedom and honesty and joy; silent retreats and tranquil places, where one might listen to the sound of the sea, patiently waiting for the wave that whispers the tale of this unique landmass, generated upon the courage of one single, non-conformant science fiction author, a man by the name of John Norman.

Beacons were lit along her shorelines, safe harbors were build upon her peninsulas, with markets and taverns, where music and laughter accompanied the movements of beautiful, scarcely dressed dancers, where games were played and men were singing and drinking and telling stories.

For a brief moment in time, the Gorean continent became the home of the seekers of truth, the admirers of honesty, the adversaries of both sameness and the denial of natural order.

Alas, the defenders of intellectual freedom, the advocates of honor and the champions of biological dimorphism were outnumbered by the tyrants of conformity and their meek herd of political-correct followers, and the beacons were extinguished, the harbors ruined, and the taverns and markets deserted.

It seemed the Gorean continent had sunk into oblivion, and would soon disappear from all the maps.

Yet the cries of seagulls attract more than the interest of mere fishermen. If ones mind is lost in the entanglement of modern complexity, ones heart might still respond to the pounding of the waves, the freshness of salted air, and the undisrupted horizons that only the oceans of imagination can offer.

Ships are sailing again, and might again need shelter from the storm.

Proudly I have the honor to present to you this Chronicles of Gor Forum, a new harbor on the Gorean continent, not built upon the quicksands of commercial enterprise and remunerative financial investments, but based upon a rock-solid foundation; a true love of creative freedom, an unquestionable admiration of integrity and perseverance, and the deep felt and honest respect for the Jason of contemporary science fiction.

This, my friends, is the final destination of the last voyage of the Argo.
<blockquote><i>"Ta-Sardar-Gor. Ta-Thassa," said I, in Gorean. "To the Priest-Kings of Gor, and to the Sea."
Then, slowly, I poured the wine, and the oil into the sea, and the salt.</i>
^{John Norman - Hunters of Gor, page 73.}</blockquote>I wish you well,
Simon

Whenever we make changes to our Terms of Service, Privacy Notice, Copyright Posting Policy or any other official notice or policy statement of Chronicles of Gor, we will post the details of the changes on this topic, with links to the revised documents so they can be reviewed in their full context.

Please check this topic regularly to make sure you are aware of any changes, or you can make use of the Active Notification feature, and set it so that you are automatically notified of new posts in this topic via email or private message.

We ask that members comply strictly with the applicable copyright laws, but many people are confused about what they are - and are not. This is a short explanation of how the moderators of the Chronicles of Gor Website attempt to enforce the copyright laws in posts, pictures and files on this Website:

1. You may not post any picture unless <b>you</b> own the copyright. Don’t post pictures you’ve found on other sites unless it is <b>your</b> website and <b>you</b> own the copyright to the picture.

2. You may not post any article in our Articles section or as part of a post to our Forums without the prior approval of the Moderators unless <b>you</b> are the sole author and the article <b>states</b> that you are (e.g., "by Sheer Genius").

3. You may not quote in a post you make to our Forums or Chat Room any private email, letter, or journal entry written by someone else unless you provide the Moderators with a copy of the writer's <b><i>written</i></b> permission <b><i>in advance</i></b>. Similarly, you may not quote in a post to our Forums or Chat Room a post someone else made to another group or mailing list without first obtaining and providing the writer's <b><i>written</i></b> permission <b><i>in advance</i></b> to the Moderators, nor may you post any chat log or any portion of one other than the logs from the Site's Live Chat Room that Chronicles of Gor may make available to Members from time to time.

4. If you wish to quote a poem or other work of literature written by someone other than yourself, and you do not know for certain that it is not subject to copyright (generally something more than 75 years old is safe), then you <b>must</b> limit your quotation to no more than 10% of the entire work, which may not exceed 1000 words if the work quoted is longer than 10,000 words. You <b>must</b> also include the title and author(s) of the work you are quoting and the copyright notice. This is "fair use." See the U.S. Copyright Office's guidance on fair use, but please bear in mind that this policy implements in a practical way "how to do it", while the Copyright Office's guidance only explains in a much more general way "what it is". The two are consistent, but this policy reflects the pragmatic choices of the moderation team for sensible implementation.

5. Because John Norman has stated that he objects to fan fiction based upon the Gor series, such derivative works may not be posted by Members in these Forums.

6. If you wish to quote something from another website accessible to the general public, such as a newspaper or magazine article, you <b>may</b> quote the first paragraph or two (up to 200 words), then post a link to the remainder for the members to read the rest of the article at the website where it appears. You <b>must</b> also include its title, author(s) and publisher, e.g.:

"Gor Goes Mainstream," by Rabid Fan, "The New York Times" [link].

<b>NB</b>: If you inadvertently fail to include all required information in a post but the violation can be corrected, please edit your own post as promptly as possible by supplying the missing information or, if it cannot be corrected, by deleting the infringing material. If the Moderation Team notices such an omission before you do, you may be requested on-list to make the correction promptly. If a violation cannot be corrected, the post or the infringing portion of it will be deleted from the website's archives, which may be mentioned to the entire list, who may be requested not to include any infringing matter from the original post in their own reply. Repeated violations - or deliberate noncompliance - will result in the violator being deprived of further access to our Forums and Live Chat Room.

For further information on copyright law, see:

http://www.templetons.com/brad/copymyths.html
http://www.keytlaw.com/Copyrights/top10myths.htm

If you are at all confused by how to comply in your posts with any provision of this Policy, please email us at moderators@gorchronicles.com.

This Copyright Posting Policy is an explanation and illustration only of how the Moderators of this Site attempt to enforce the copyright laws in posts made to the Forums and Chat Room of Chronicles of Gor, to the extent that any likely infringement comes to our attention, though we cannot and do not review every post made. Chronicles of Gor does not represent or warrant that compliance with this Copyright Posting Policy will ensure compliance by a Member with all requirements of the copyright laws, nor does compliance therefore in any way relieve any Member of their individual legal responsibilities to ensure that their posts fully comply with the law. This Copyright Posting Policy does not supersede any applicable provisions of the Site's Terms and Conditions of Use.