Why your fan content trembles before the fair use tribunal of doom
And lo, a trailer reaction did playeth the full two minutes without interruption,
And the bots descended, and the monetization vanished, and there was much weeping.
Welcome, dear sinners of the screen and stylus, to the final revelation – the Fair Use Apocalypse.
For too long, you’ve wandered the con floor, peddling chibi Voldemorts and anime Deadpools, whispering “it’s transformative” like it’s a prayer bead, believing the gods of YouTube and Etsy will shield you.
But the law has four messengers. They ride not in mercy. They ride in judgment.
They are the Four Horsemen of the Copyrightocalypse, and they do not care about your Etsy coupon codes.
Let us name them.
🐴 1. The Rogue – Purpose and Character
He rides with a sly smile and a burner TikTok. He is the rogue bard of the fandom, asking only this:
“Did you transform it, child?
Or did you just repost it with slightly vibier lo-fi?”
The Rogue likes parody, loves commentary, worships critique. But show him a reaction video that is 95% “OMG I’m crying,” and he will unsheathe his algorithmic dagger.
Transform it – or be trampled beneath him.
🐴 2. The Judge – Nature of the Work
He is robed in black and fueled by precedent. The Judge does not weep for your artful edits of My Hero Academia.
He asks:
“Is the work you borrowed from factual or fictional?
Was it cold court transcripts or the sacred animation of Studio Ghibli?”
Fiction, you see, is precious. It gets more legal protection. The more creative the original work, the angrier The Judge becomes when you borrow it.
He hates when you touch the sacred texts of Marvel. He spits at your fan edit of a Pixar monologue. And when you quote song lyrics without context, he howls.
🐴 3. The Glutton – Amount and Substantiality
This horseman is fat with footage. He has devoured entire episodes, whole albums, uncut trailers.
He doesn’t care if it’s “only 15 seconds” if it’s the 15 seconds – yes, the part with the dragon and the betrayal and the scream that launched 10,000 TikToks.
“Did you take more than you needed?” he bellows.
“Did you gorge yourself on the heart of the work and call it homage?”
The Glutton doesn’t count seconds. He counts meaning. If you took the soul of the scene, even briefly, he comes for your account with copyright claws greased in demon butter.
🐴 4. The Capitalist Overlord – Effect on the Market
He arrives last – but he brings the cease-and-desist scrolls.
Wreathed in gold, with logos for eyes and a tail made of DMCA claims, he cares not for art or tribute. He cares for commerce.
“Does your fan art compete with the official merch?”
“Could your mashup song be confused with the real soundtrack?”
“Did you make money without kissing the ring of licensing?”
He is Mickey Mouse with a ledger. He is Nintendo with a vengeance. He is every IP lawyer in a three-piece suit made of Etsy receipts.
He asks not for creativity. He asks for indemnification.
👑 And the Scroll Was Opened…
And lo, the creator cried out, “But it’s FAIR USE!”
And the horsemen replied, in unison:
“Fair use is not a shield.
It is a courtroom tightrope – walked barefoot, in cosplay, on copyright fire.”
They did not smite all creators. Only the ones who were lazy, greedy, or painfully unaware.
The ones who:
- Sold AI Spider-Man prints like sacrificial lambs
- Played full trailers while whispering “woah” like a Gregorian monk
- Uploaded full anime episodes with a single emoji caption
Those, the horsemen consumed.
⚖️ The Survival Manual: Fan Edition
To walk the wasteland and live to post another day:
- Be a rogue – Remix, comment, critique, parody.
- Respect The Judge – Know what you’re borrowing and how sacred it is.
- Defy The Glutton – Use less, say more.
- Outwit The Capitalist – Build your own brand while you tribute another.
And above all: transform or perish.
✒️ Final Prophecy:
If fandom is a cathedral, then fair use is its fire code. You don’t get to light a bonfire in the nave and yell, “but everyone else did it!”
Know the law. Honor the art.
Add value. Or add a lawyer.
The Copyrightocalypse is upon us – and your mashup of Daenerys and Darth Vader will not save you.
But satire just might.
Brian Brijbag 