io9 reported a recent Buffyverse kerfluffle, where the two companies producing Buffy and Angel comics respectively are in major disagreement about their characters; the drama continues when it turns out that soon the comic company producing Buffy will be producing Angel as well, which is going to require some serious retconning.
This disagreement brings up all sorts of delicious intellectual property issues: the author’s right to license derivative works (like comic books of a TV series), how IP can continue to evolve after authors have moved on (Joss Whedon was emphatically not involved with the Angel series) sometimes to the detriment of clear cannon, and how personalities and the necesitites of the moment can effect plot just as much as inspiration from above.
PS: Is the awesome Buffy-inspired jewelry to the left infringement, or is it transformative enough to be its own original work? Let me know what you thinkg in the comments.
