Ten years ago, Fox dropped Firefly like a hot potato. Firefly had entrenched fans that were heart broken with their decision. Fox didn’t seem to mind their reputation as the sci fi killing network. They threw a bone to the fans with the Serenity movie but refused to a look at further movies.
Then, something happened to change things. The ground swell of fandom grew and grew. Browncoats are huge group with a ton of money to spend on Firefly merchandising.
People started creating their own Firefly shirts and hats. Some created homemade Crochet Jayne hats because they couldn’t buy them. Little old ladies made a little bit of spending cash with crocheting. Now Fox is taking notice because they can see green dollar signs.
Fox has licensed Ripple Junction to create official Jayne hats. Because of the money, Fox has started pursuing the makers Jayne hats. Fox has been issuing cease and desist notices to any and all creators of Firefly/Serenity merchandising. They want the money that the little people were making from this series that Fox threw away.
Let me leave you with the chorus from song: Hero of Canton.
And he gave to the poor
Stood up to the man
And gave him what for
Our love for him now
Ain’t hard to explain
The hero of Canton
The man they call Jayne
This peeves me greatly. Fox has ignored fans for years and now has to have the $$. What’s next, taking hats off fans at conventions and giving them citations if they are not “licensed”? Trust me if I knew how to knit I would be making these and giving them away!
I am with you completely Valerie. Fox legally has a right to do this but they are proving themselves to the be the jerks we all knew they were.