Abstract

The Internet has shaken the foundations of regulatory practices in journalism. Audiences take a more active role and the media have opened their doors to citizen participation. The decision about what is and is not worth showing no longer rests exclusively in the hands of journalists. At the same time, the media have more information than ever about citizen interests. As a result, journalists experience an unsteady balance between journalistic and business logic, between the public interest and the public’s interest.

Abstract

Since copyright first appeared in the legal system in the 17th century, with every new technology the enforcement of authors’ rights has faced a necessary adaptation of the mechanisms to protect authors. The popularization of the Internet’s publishing and dissemination tools has multiplied phenomena which previously existed, such as reader participation or narrative extension through transformation of preexisting works. In one way or another, this promotes the audience to the category of (co)authors. Participative or citizen journalism and fanfictions, which have appeared in several media, have produced the so-called transmedia narratives , which present certain legal considerations. This text analyzes the challenges that transmedia narrative has posed to the intellectual property system.