Copyright is a legal right given to an originator in order to protect their creative work. Copyright allows for the author to prevent unwanted utilization of their work by other people, thus giving them control of how their work is being utilized by others. In terms of fan fiction, many authors do not exercise this legal right unless the piece of fan fiction gains popularity among consumers, which often leads to monetary profit.
An example of a work that might infringe on copyright law is the 2013 motion picture, “The Starving Games.” This movie is known to be a parody of Suzanne Collins’ “Hunger Games”. However, the parody follows the storyline almost exactly while adding idiotic elements in an attempt to increase the humor found in the work.