On Fan Fiction, Plagiarism, and Copyright - an informative blog post by Jane Little

Jane Little on Fan Fiction, Plagiarism, and Copyright. The common disclaimer, cease-and-desist letters, the position of fair use and derivative works. I've found this to be a very readable post (for fans & non-lawyers) on the subject.

http://dearauthor.com/features/letters-of-opinion/fan-fiction-plagiarism-and-copyright

Unrelated side-note: still working on Family Matters, making progress slowly but surely. :-)