I think I know where you work...if I'm right, I just sold a short story to that matriarchy for their website! (If I'm wrong, of course, disregard. :-))

Yes, and we women who do write fantasy get dismissed and told our books aren't "real fantasy," and that we're really just writing "sex with vampires" even when our books go nowhere near any sort of paranormal creature. Sigh.

Yes, but it also sucks when people ignore/dismiss your books just because you have a vagina, while praising similar books written by men.

Eek! It's that sound that makes it especially awful, and that I didn't expect...movement. It didn't terrify me but it certainly made me jump.

*nods* Yep. And on the one hand it's a shame, while as a content creator I can see the point. I have no problem with fanfic or whatever, but if someone started specifically using something from my world in advertising, or adapted something for money-making purposes... I'd either want them to stop it or pay me for it.…

Oh, totally. The round front door is what makes it. The whole thing is just fantastic, and I bet it's easy to keep warm and cool. *want*

Oh, I agree, my concern was specifically calling it "hobbit house" and using the built-into-the-earth and specific design elements. It's about a preponderance of evidence; it doesn't have to be an exact copy if the intent clearly was to copy/piggyback off of an existing trademark, and the court decides what is and is…

Oh, absolutely. A single commercial is just a commercial; a dozen of them are a stereotype. I guess because I think of my characters as people first but also am conscious/aware of wanting my world to be a diverse one, I tend to worry more about being misconstrued, and am aware that no matter how innocent my intent or…

No, it's absolutely a good and valid point; I'd actually meant to say in my original comment that there were other options out there for them to take, but got stuck worrying about wordiness.

Ha! I'm on super-sale in ebook format, too! PMing you.

Sorry, I was keeping the comment short by listing only permutations involving the exact people they used in the actual ad. I did consider them, I just didn't feel like writing an entire page. Certainly I think they could have used any number of other combinations, and think it would be great if they did.

I agree, but I think the cost of defending oneself against such a suit would be pretty horrifying. Trademark isn't something I know much about—I know more about copyright—but the "consumer confusion" could be a good argument. I'd think Peter Jackson/WETA has a stronger suit than the Tolkein estate, because they…

Me too! I love the movie trilogy (and the books too, of course) but always end up drooling over Bilbo's house for the first half hour or so. That's like my dream house.

I heartily concur.

Yeah, see...while I'm all about fighting racism wherever it may rear its ugly head, I'm also concerned that companies who make an effort to show diversity and portray minorities in a positive light—or even just a normal light—are now being called racist. If I own CVS and I'm looking to make an ad where a confused…

Don't forget Chow Yun-Fat. I mean, yeah, he's not Lee or Mifune, but he's pretty badass.

*nods* I said it before, too, that while what she did was bad, it was the sick joy she seemed to take in doing it that really turned my stomach.

Whaaaat? Why would someone do a silly thing like that? You're clearly just uptight.

That's exactly right; "Doctor" Phil did not report it to any authorities. If "Doctor" Phil still had a license to practice, he could and should have lost it for that, as psychiatrists/counselors/therapists are required by law to report abuse.

Yeah, I think if I'd lived in a place where bedbugs were a concern I might have thought twice, but lucky for me I didn't. :-)