Why am I only hearing about this now? I swear, you leave LJ for a few months and suddenly it’s like a whole new world.
http://www.transformativeworks.org/
Naomi Novik is my new hero. Napoleonic-era English Navy, Chinese Dragons, fanfic, and kimonos at major awards shows. How cool is she?
Alyc Helms 
Thats very pretty.
I approve of her attitude toward fanwork, though I share John Scalzi’s reservations about the legal ramifications of this idea.
Honestly, though, I wouldn’t be surprised if we end up seeing fan-friendly authors adopt a specific Creative Commons license that formally gives their readers the right to play in their worlds. Obviously that wouldn’t help ficcers who want to work on properties that haven’t been so licensed, but on the other hand, it stands a much better chance of survival on the legal front.