Of proprietors and poachers: fandom as negotiated brand ownership

The concept of textual poaching positions fans as active audiences who borrow from, embellish and remix textual materials as part of their consumption. However, this potentially invasive behaviour is often at odds with the rights and demands of intellectual property holders. Through case studies of alternate reality games, filesharing networks, Twitter hashtags, and football (soccer) fandom, this forum article brings together four scholars to discuss the inherent tension between brands and fannish consumer practices. In particular, the authors focus on the interplay of power and control between the two parties, debating the extent to which fandom might be considered a negotiated form of brand ownership.