"You are hereby put on notice that the unauthorized use of Fox's proprietary material, as well as the reproduction, sale, and/or distribution by you of such unauthorized and/or derivative materials (including providing such items for free on the Internet), constitutes copyright infringement and trademark infringement, and potentially subjects you to criminal and civil sanctions...Your interest in 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' is most appreciated. Fox will continue to do its best to bring you quality entertainment." -- letter from Fox attorney Dennis L. Wilson to J.T. Tomarazzo, 7/30/99

"None of our letters to their legal firm have received any responses," notes Tomarazzo. "It is our conclusion that all of our letters and requests for a compromise have been ignored, and will continue to fall on blind eyes in the future." Tomarazzo describes Fox's Cease and Desist strategy as "endless legal Madlibs" in which the corporation arbitrarily fills in the site name and infraction of choice. Indeed, attempts of other Buffy website owners to reason with the network appear in vain. "We approached Fox through their representatives, and attempted to negotiate for permission to keep and maintain the transcripts, perhaps even to get a license," says AleXander. "Fox's representatives were actually remarkably cooperative.and we were willing to do just about anything Fox might ask of us to keep the transcripts available. But after three weeks of waiting, their final word was 'no'. We and the fans had lost out."

Some sites, such as Slayme.com and Stand Up For Buffy, have held petition signings and recommended writing to Fox expressing concern over the issue; however, "none of [the protest sites] to my knowledge have been successful," according to Tomarazzo. For now the site owners' main concern is how to maintain their dwindling site content without upsetting Fox's mercurial position further. "Previously we offered all [episodes] that were available at the time," recalls Christy Z. "And now we don't offer any full eps to the public. The site grew too much to jeopardize it or our host slayme.com." Slayme.com owner Tomarazzo elaborates further: "Just recently, we began to put the episode clips back up. We have been able to achieve this by writing reviews for each of the episodes, and therefore using the 'Fair Use' clause to use them for the reviews. So far, we have not yet received a letter from Fox concerning our reviews, and the use of video clips with them," he reports, adding with a laugh, "However, I have this gut feeling we will soon after this article is published."

With no choice but to comply to Fox's sudden aggression, Buffy site owners have uneasily tried to continue what has become for many not just a fun diversion but an extension of a relationship with a close-knit online community, all the while doubting that Fox truly understands -- or cares about -- the impact of their actions. When asked why the network would seek to shut down sites that are essentially free promotion of their own programs, Tomarazzo answered bluntly, "Because they can."

"They fail to realize the hard work, creativity and love for the show that goes into making a website," adds Christy Z. "It would be ideal if they could just give everyone a slap on the wrist and then turn their backs. Web design is a fabulous way to express your love for a show. It's relatively costless and extremely creative. I'd hate to see such a great form of expression be threatened."

The legal representatives for Fox justify their actions by citing copyright infringement and unauthorized distribution of proprietary material as grounds for intervention; a rational explanation, certainly, when one does not take into account the timing. As with the X-Files fan site shutdowns three years ago, the abrupt cessation of Buffy websites coincides with an odd period in the show's history -- it is, as Entertainment Weekly put it, "America's Hottest Cult Hit". That very term connotes a kind of widespread popularity yet intimate affinity within the fan base itself, the kind that made 1996's X-Philes rail vocally against the move to Sundays and Chris Carter's second project, Millennium, or helped Buffy fans protest against episode postponement. The show's popularity is at such a level where Fox is aware of a enormously loyal fan base yet often incensed by their actions; at any rate, they aren't exactly expressing goodwill towards their main target audience. AleXander, however, sees the network's past as something in which to take consolation: "Fox has not been at all receptive to us since handing down their final word, and I rather expect they won't ever be," he says seriously, adding, "But X-Files websites eventually came back when Fox eased off, and you can be sure Buffy websites will also."