Hardcore Firefly fans are upset over a flurry of cease-and-desist orders sent to aficionados of the Joss Whedon cult TV series who are attempting to sell handmade "Jayne Hats" at conventions or on Etsy, the e-commerce site that specializes in homemade items.

The reason for this flurry of legal activity, more than a decade after Fox’s ill-considered to axe Firefly before the show really had a chance to gain a larger following, is that the studio has licensed the commercial clothing maker Ripple Junction to mass-produce and sell replicas of the Jayne Hat that was used in the Firefly series.

For many fans the ability to easily buy a Ripple Junction-produced "Jayne Hat" is a good thing, but others have been creating their own homemade Jayne Hats for years and resent Fox Licensing’s attempt to shut down their cottage industry.  The knit cap with their prominent earflap was worn in the series by Jayne Cobb (who was played by Adam Baldwin), a macho mercenary who largely hid his softer side.  Cobb sent much of his income back to his mother, who had handmade the character’s signature headwear.

So it is easy to understand why some fans who have been making "Jayen Hats" for years are upset--the fact that the hat was handmade was an essential part of its charm, and many of the fan-produced hats were auctioned off for charity or given to friends.  The Whedonesque Website includes comments from numerous Firefly fans who are extremely upset with Fox Licensing.

Part of their frustration is seeing the very organization that cruelly strangled the infant Firefly show in its cradle (after airing just 11 of its 14 episodes) continues to profit from the series that they killed.  Because of its devoted fan base, Firefly remains a potent license with a continuing stream of new products including a new Firefly board game from Gale Force 9 (see "'Firefly: The Game Board Game'").