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CBS and paramount start collaborative trek movie effort.

http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/celebrities/20151230_Reuters_MT1VRT1201669522__Star_Trek__Crowdfunded_Film_s_Producers_Sued_by_CBS__Paramount.html
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) - Paramount Pictures and CBS Studios have sued the makers of the upcoming crowdfunded "Star Trek" film "Axanar" for alleged copyright infringement.

Axanar Productions and Alec Peters have been named in the suit, filed in federal court in Los Angeles. The project raised $638,471 on Kickstarter and another $565,531 on Indiegogo.

The producers have asserted on their web site that "Axanar" uses the intellectual property of CBS under the provision that "Axanar" is totally non-commercial.

"That means we can never charge for anything featuring their marks or intellectual property and we will never sell the movie, DVD/Blu-ray copies, T-shirts or anything which uses CBS owned marks or intellectual property," they note.

Paramount and CBS are alleging three claims of copyright infringement in the suit: "The Axanar Works infringe plaintiffs' works by using innumerable copyrighted elements of 'Star Trek,' including its settings, characters, species and themes."

The action alleges that producers of "Axanar" have "unabashedly" taken the CBS and Paramount intellectual property to "look and feel like a true 'Star Trek' movie." Paramount and CBS are seeking an injunction along with damages for direct, contributory and vicarious copyright infringement.

Peters told Variety he's perplexed that Paramount and CBS had filed the suit since he's pledged that it won't be a money-making venture.

"All the money that's been donated goes into the production and our goal is to do good for Star Trek," he added. "We are huge fans. They are picking a fight with the wrong guys."

The project's web site says the film will go into production in January. The producers posted a short film "Prelude to Axanar" on YouTube as part of their fundraising efforts.

The production company describes "Axanar" as taking place 21 years before the events of the "Where no Man Has Gone Before" episode in the original "Star Trek" television series.

"'Axanar' is the story of Garth of Izar, the legendary Starfleet captain who is Captain Kirk's hero. We met Garth in the third season TOS ('The Original Series') episode 'Whom the Gods Destroy.' Kirk called Garth the role model for all future Starfleet Officers. Garth charted more planets than any other Captain and was the hero of the Battle of Axanar, the story of which is required reading at the academy."

The first "Star Trek" episode aired in 1966 and the series ran for three years. Four other TV series have aired and Paramount has released a dozen "Star Trek" movies with "Star Trek: Beyond" due out in July.

Paramount and CBS are represented by attorneys at Loeb & Loeb. The news was first reported by The Hollywood Reporter.

UPDATE -- Alec Peters has issued a more detailed response:

This morning, I was greeted with news that our production company, Axanar Productions and I, personally, am being sued by CBS Studios, Inc. and Paramount Pictures Corporation for copyright infringement of Star Trek.

First of all, I was disappointed to learn about this through an article in an industry trade. For several years, I've worked with a number of people at CBS on Star Trek-related projects, and I would have hoped those personal relationships would have warranted a phone call in advance of the filing of a legal complaint. Nevertheless, I know I speak for everyone at Axanar Productions when I say it is our hope that this can be worked out in a fair and amicable manner.

Axanar is a fan film. Fan films - whether related to Star Trek, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Power Rangers, Batman or any other franchise - are labors of love that keep fans engaged, entertained, and keep favorite characters alive in the hearts of fans. Like other current fan films, AXANAR entered production based on a very long history and relationship between fandom and studios. We're not doing anything new here.

Like all fan films, AXANAR is a love letter to a beloved franchise. For nearly 50 years, Star Trek's devotees have been creating new Star Trek stories to share with fellow fans. That's all we're trying to do here.

Since the original Star Trek TV series, when the letter writing campaign by fans got NBC to greenlight a third season of Star Trek, fan support has been critical to the success of the franchise. It is the Star Trek fans themselves who are most affected here, for by suing Axanar Productions to stop making our movie and collect so-called damages, CBS and Paramount are suing the very people who have enthusiastically maintained the universe created by Gene Roddenberry so many years ago.

The fact that many of the fans involved with Axanar Productions are also industry professionals speaks volumes to the influence of Star Trek in the entertainment industry. Not surprisingly, these fans want to give something back. We're very proud that the work we've done to date looks so good. That is also a reflection of the devotion of Star Trek's fans.

Like everything related to Axanar Productions, we take this matter very seriously and remain open to discussing solutions with all parties that can be mutually beneficial
merry christmas to trek fans from cbs and paramount, who are salty because a fan made crowd sourced endeavour generated more excitment than what they where doing themselves.

Comments

  • daveynydaveyny Member Posts: 8,227 Arc User
    edited January 2016
    Wow... The guy sure is ballsy... He talks out of both sides of his face.
    Posting to the public how the revenue stream from the crowd-funding for a "fan production", has been used to pay himself a salary (among others) and personal bills and then tries to sweep that under the rug by appealing to the fans love of the IP.
    <SMH>
    I just hope this guys actions haven't ruined it for other fan productions that truly aren't in it for the money...
    STO Member since February 2009.
    I Was A Trekkie Before It Was Cool ... Sept. 8th, 1966 ... Not To Mention Before Most Folks Around Here Were Born!
    Forever a STO Veteran-Minion
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  • davefenestratordavefenestrator Member Posts: 10,865 Arc User
    Repost with troll title. Bad OP!
  • gfreeman98gfreeman98 Member Posts: 1,201 Arc User
    Repost with troll title. Bad OP!
    Yeah no kidding. How does suing Axanar turn into starting a "collaborative trek movie effort"???

    screenshot_2015-03-01-resize4.png
  • thegrandnagus1thegrandnagus1 Member Posts: 5,167 Arc User
    Welcome to:

    1) last year

    2) the wrong forum

    The-Grand-Nagus
    Join Date: Sep 2008

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  • thegrandnagus1thegrandnagus1 Member Posts: 5,167 Arc User
    edited January 2016
    Also, for those that don't know what this is all about yet are are just buying the BS spin from one side on social media:

    The number 1 rule for fan films is that you CANNOT make a profit using someone else's IP without their permission. And yet,

    1) Alec Peters(the guy behind the project) is paying himself a 38k salary for working on this project. While it is not necessarily wrong for a non-profit project to have paid employees, the part that IS absolutely wrong is that he raised this money using the Trek IP without permission.

    This would be like someone setting up a Red Cross table at the mall without the permission/endorsement of the Red Cross, taking donations, and then keeping part of the money to "pay them for their time". If you want to get paid for working for the Red Cross, you have to actually get a job with them. You can't use their brand/logo without their permission and then start "paying" yourself with donated money.

    2) In their own financial statement they admit that in addition to the above point they are building a sound stage which they plan to rent out to other companies to raise money for other, non-Axanar related projects he plans to make in the future. Again, they are building this stage, which they will use to make money to fund future projects, by using the Trek IP without permission.

    Now, did they do all of this on purpose or just make a "mistake"? I don't know. I'd like to think it was just a mistake. However, if it was truly just a mistake they should be apologizing, not pretending to be the victim on social media.

    Lastly, whether some other fan films have broken the rules doesn't really matter at this point. If you get pulled over for speeding, telling the cop that you aren't the only one doesn't excuse your breaking the law. You still have to pay your ticket regardless of what other people were doing.


    The-Grand-Nagus
    Join Date: Sep 2008

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  • tousseautousseau Member Posts: 1,484 Arc User
    Hey... did you guys hear about this Axanar Production Company getting sued by CBS/Paramount?
  • daveynydaveyny Member Posts: 8,227 Arc User
    tousseau wrote: »
    Hey... did you guys hear about this Axanar Production Company getting sued by CBS/Paramount?

    No...?
    Really...??
    I never...

    B)
    STO Member since February 2009.
    I Was A Trekkie Before It Was Cool ... Sept. 8th, 1966 ... Not To Mention Before Most Folks Around Here Were Born!
    Forever a STO Veteran-Minion
    upside-down-banana-smiley-emoticon.gif
  • lianthelialianthelia Member Posts: 7,921 Arc User
    skollulfr wrote: »
    *didnt see the original thread.
    *they are collaborating in taking legal action against people doing the axonar movie

    posted as i just saw it, finding the the whole situation annoying due to how bad it stank of 'litigation as a cudgel' that could have been solved without getting lawyers involved, saving time, money and needless drama.

    its not like the people doing the axonar project had been secretive about what they where doing with any money they got.

    So? If that is true why the completely misleading title?
  • jodarkriderjodarkrider Member Posts: 2,097 Arc User
    There's already thread on this in Ten Forward Folks.
    Linky link here.
    /Closed
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