It can be discouraging.
In the middle of August, a popular fan fiction author posted that one of their stories was copied, renamed, re-posted, and is now for sale. They have disclaimed responsibility, declared they are not receiving money from this, and asked the fan fiction website in question to remove the stolen copy which was uploaded on the same site.
A month later, they announced that they cannot publish further on this site, including in their unfinished works, until the platform enforces their own rules and takes down the thieves’ re-post. Here I sit, intending to publish on this same platform in the moderately near future, and now I don’t want to. There are other websites.
It is disheartening to think our stories will be stolen, and worrisome that the rightful author might get accused of profiting off of copyright infringement when they are not. I don’t expect my current fan fiction will ever be as popular as the targeted one in this scenario, but some day one of them might. It doesn’t matter, and it matters a great deal.
It doesn’t, because I am doing this for myself, to publish any complete work, to break through an obstacle. It does, because artists deserve safe places to share their craft, because readers deserve to not be lied to; and it matters because I can help. I have a way with words, for all that I struggle with getting so many together at once. I have the ability, and perhaps I have the duty as a citizen, to write an e-mail to that website, maybe even draft a petition, and add my voice to this call for action.
_
After this was drafted, I checked on the situation again. One day after that author’s ultimatum, they posted again. The administrators had removed the blatant copy. The author thanked them, and especially thanked all their readers who had reported the rule violation and/or sent them messages of support. It was heartening to see after the previous announcements. Yes, there is bad and worse in the world, but there is also good and even better. I shall keep my plans to upload my fan fiction on that platform.