Split off from the Gobstopper thread:
As long as they don't make any money out of it, it's allowed.
Actually...that's not really true. Keep in mind that Funny or Die is a commercial site, and they do make money on ads from traffic. Legal parody coverage is hazy at best, and many "derivative works" still technically in violation of Code 17. So I don't think that something like this would go further than what you see here -- a great prank with high production values for sure -- without Dahl's notoriously protective estate getting involved.
I'm not a lawyer and I cannot cite precedents, but I've researched US copyright law in conjunction with articles I've written over the years, so that's where I'm coming from. Copyright law needs to be revamped, but in the mean time, "if I give it away for free I can do whatever I like" is not the same as legal permission. In practice, if people give it away for free, they are simply less likely to be hunted down because they are not seen as a fiscal threat. Common sense suggests that this (and fan fics etc) is a brand-boosting tribute (and the financial realities of prosecuting someone who is not profiting from the copyright violation) so that generally wins out. A cease & desist would be as far as it goes, unless someone with a fat bankroll wants to pay to make a point.
None of that has anything to do with inflation, and the Gobstopper trailer is still really impressive. I just wanted to bring it up, and didn't want to derail a thread with boring crap.
Sorry, this quote is full of too much fail. It's akin to "if you don't want to get hit by my car, don't walk on the sidewalk." Who's in control of what again?
The folks who make videos and PDFs and other more-than-just-text-stories items are entitled to payment if they set a price. You are not entitled to steal it simply because they sell it on a digital delivery platform. That's all there is to it.
Also, this absolutely discourages potential creators who might want to put more than a hobbyist's effort into inflation porn. That's not a vague scare tactic; that's based on discussions with people in our community who have gotten screwed by attitudes like yours and stopped making stuff altogether.
If you feel content like this has value, respect the creators who made it and accept the rules that come with it. There's really nothing more to it than not.
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