Party pooper Fox cracks down on Jayne Hats

If you are a Firefly loving knitter, or a knitter with a Firefly fan somewhere in your sphere of influence, you may well have knit a Jayne hat. And if so, Fox wants a word with you, particularly if you're selling the hats online.

"Jayne hats" are the red, orange and gold earflap hats made famous in the Firefly episode where Jayne Cobb received one in the mail (well… the space mail) from his doting mother. These iconic items have since become one of the hottest items for Firefly fans of all ages.

And now Fox wants them to knock it off.

As part of the ongoing commodification of science fiction fandom, Jayne hats have become a big business. Although many sellers have been offering them just a few at a time through sites like eBay and Etsy, others have stepped up to the big time, offering the hats for sale through their websites and at conventions across the country. Even so, I doubt the Jayne hat market is robust enough to make Fox's legal shenanigans worthwhile.

At this point, Fox is only cracking down on people who are offering Jayne hats for sale. But who's to say how far Fox's legal team is willing to take this? Fox was notorious back in the late 1990s for bringing down the banhammer on X-Files and Simpsons fan sites being run solely for the love of the show, not for advertising profit. It's not entirely unlikely that they would start cracking down on knitters, too.

Way to go, Fox! First you cancel the show after less than a season, now you're incurring the wrath of fans by cracking down on a miniscule cottage industry. What better way to cultivate the fandom that has kept you rolling in the cash all these years, hmm?

Image copyright Firefly/20th Century FOX Television