The Year Was 1997 And You Just Received A C&D Notice From A Lawyer
In 1997, if you were a fan artist drawing fan art inspired by a book and the fan art happened to be on the same page where your “semi-pro” art portfolio existed and where you accepted (non-fannish) art commissions….well you could expect to receive a letter from a lawyer threatening a lawsuit.
And all you could do in 1997 is delete your fan art, return any commissions you received up to that point (as all your earnings were “tainted” because they sat too close to your fan art. For!Profit!Cooties!), and add a disclaimer to your website saying: “Any dragons on my website after May 1997 have nothing to do with any dragon book, in the past, in the now or in the future. Nada. Nothing. They are just dragons. Generic fire breathing lizards. With wings. Please stop hitting me with the lawyer, OK? I am sorry I made you hit me with your lawyer.”
And then maybe you’d start a support group for Fans “Burned By Copyright-holders And the Fans Who Love Them”.
If only the OTW could create a time machine. But at least we have them now.*
Source: This is a draft Fanlore page. Meaning it needs work.