Doesn't their history of allowing other fanmade productions establish a wealth of precedence that would make this lawsuit hard to win? Right now it just seems this move is pissing off the fanbase (who is responsible for the longevity of the franchise in the first place). On Jan 1, 2016 1:52 AM, "Irredeemable Shag" <[email protected]> wrote:
> Wow. I was one if the folks who funded Axanar. And I think the Star Trek > Beyond trailer looks terrible. Screw you Paramount. > > Shag > > Sent from my iPhone > > On Dec 31, 2015, at 11:16 AM, Cary Preston <[email protected]> wrote: > > 'Star Trek' owners sue to stop a crowdfunded fan film > <http://www.engadget.com/2015/12/31/star-trek-axanar-lawsuit/> > > If there's one thing that CBS Studios > <http://www.engadget.com/2015/12/09/apple-tv-service-on-hold/> and > Paramount Pictures are good at, it's showing how much contempt they have > for *Star Trek* fans. The co-owners of the sci-fi property have shoved a > proud middle finger at the creators of a fan-made film, demanding that the > project be shut down. *Axanar*, unlike other revival efforts, was the > subject of a crowdfunding campaign that raised more than a million dollars > across Indiegogo <https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/axanar#/story> and > Kickstarter > <https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/194429923/star-trek-axanar/description>. > It was pitched as the first fan film to hire professionals who'd worked on > the show behind the camera, hence the need for serious financial backing. > > Court documents, found by the *Hollywood Reporter* > <https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/crowdfunded-star-trek-movie-draws-851474>, > say that the studios want to prevent the film from ever being produced. In > addition, their lawyers are seeking a jury trial to determine that > *Axanar*, and its creator, Alec Peters, violates copyrighted materials > like the USS Enterprise, Vulcans, Klingons and the name. If that wasn't > punishment enough, the pair are seeking financial damages for any loss > incurred -- and it's always nice to see an enormous studio picking on a > 55-year-old California man for doing something he loves. > > CBS/Paramount's relationship with its fans has been difficult to say the > least, if only for how inconsistent it is. It's previously turned a blind > eye to several fan-led revivals of the series, with the unwritten rule > being that their makers can't make any profit from the work. That's the > gray area that's enabled projects like *New Voyages / Phase II, Of Gods > and Men, Renegades* and countless others > <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek_fan_productions> to exist > untroubled for the last few years. Unfortunately, that stance changed when > the businesses decided to bring the show back, in the form of JJ Abrams' > flashy but unsatisfying reboot. > > For this Engadget editor, at least, this fight is a little bit personal, > because as a 14-year-old, he was slapped with a lengthy cease-and-desist > notice from Paramount's lawyers. That was because he'd had the temerity to > enjoy the *Star Trek: New Frontier* > <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek:_New_Frontier> spin-off novels > so much that he'd started a fan website to promote them. Suffice to say, > the firm's attitude towards people spending their free time to celebrate, > promote and contribute to their licensed property soured his relationship > with the show, almost irreparably. > > Naturally, CBS/Paramount's army of deep-pocketed lawyers is likely to beat > down even a wealthy and knowledgable fan like Alec Peters. It's a shame, > since the film was hardly going to stand equal to the professional revival > efforts like *Star Trek: Beyond* > <http://www.engadget.com/2015/12/14/star-trek-beyond-trailer/> and the > forthcoming > online TV show > <http://www.engadget.com/2015/11/02/star-trek-back-in-2017/>. > > Here's a final thought for whichever joyless accountant decided to > kickstart this legal procedure and get the project shut down. *Star Trek* > fans are passionate > <http://www.engadget.com/2015/11/03/im-not-paying-cbs-to-watch-star-trek-online/>, > loving and capable of pulling together millions of dollars purely to honor > the shows that you have sat in your vaults. These are also the people that > you're trying to convince to come to the cinema and spend $10 to watch *Star > Trek: Beyond*. Given the reaction to the trailer, I'd suggest that taking > a big dump on their breakfast tables isn't the right way to do it. > > *Source: *The Hollywood Reporter > <https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/crowdfunded-star-trek-movie-draws-851474>, > Document Cloud > <https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/2660454-Startreklawsuit.html> > > > Source: http://www.engadget.com/2015/12/31/star-trek-axanar-lawsuit/ > > (via Mr. Reader <http://www.curioustimes.de/mrreader>) > > > Sent from my iPad > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "The Unique Geek" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/theuniquegeek. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "The Unique Geek" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/theuniquegeek. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "The Unique Geek" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/theuniquegeek. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
