I wish him the best of luck - it should be an exciting experience whatever the outcome. The likelihood of a project coming directly from this is <ahem> beyond unlikely, and he seems to understand that. Getting noticed by folks out there and getting your foot in the door is a remarkable accomplishment in and of itself, and who knows what else might come of the opportunity?
No actually its what people say when they consider something a possibility. I have no dog in this I marginally care, however its plausible.
Plausible is a hell of a long way from likely. It's plausible that I could send in a fanfic to CBS and they love it, giving me the green light on a new series, but it's not likely.
What exactly was your part in these trademark domain seizures? I have an acquaintance who is actually specializes in copyright and trademarks, and he says there isn't anything the trademark owner can do in this case to force Gummelt into giving up the domain. The primary instance they can be forced is as a result of the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act, but this case clearly does not fit under that. He said that in this instance, Gummelt could probably actually sell the domain given the right representation, and that he would strongly advise against trading it for a pitch that will likely go nowhere. I'm guessing Gummelt doesn't have a lawyer here.
I think the problem here is 1) it wouldn't make a bit of difference and 2) said fans have already bought all the merch at this point, so uh...bring it on? *logs onto eBay and waits patiently*
Meanwhile there's finally been a common sense response to all this noise. USS Intrepid shared this over in the fan film forum. http://1701news.com/node/846/misunderstanding-and-bad-journalism.html I entirely agree.
Well that much is clear. But in that case, I don't think he's thinking clearly, since they're not likely to even seriously consider such a pitch for so many reasons. They're humoring him just to get what they want. My lawyer friend said that it could even be possible that contract-law issues might even make such a deal invalid.
Here is one thing you all seemed to have forgotten: Gummelt wrote 'Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force'. That means a lot. That means, in the eyes of Producers, he did professional writing. And in the field of Star Trek. Now writing video games doesn't look like much, but do you know who else wrote video games? David Goyer. Now he's writing Blockbusters, The Dark Knight and Man of Steel. So what happened? Most likely it was what most of us are suspecting: Paramount execs realised there was already a small fansite where they wanted their big movie domain. So they had the options to either A) Buy him out B) Lawyer up and take the site or C) come to an agreement with Grummelt and get the domain rights for cheap. Since options A) and B) cost money, so they tried C). What is unique is that they really agreed to a pitch, instead of giving him a free studio tour or a lunch with Zachary Quinto. But again, the fact that he's a professional writer may have helped. All in all, for Grummelt it would probably have been better to take a lawyer and sell the domain rights for a reasonable prize. But he is a Trekkie. He spent much work on his little fan project, and presenting it to the real people meant more to him. In the end, Star Trek: Uncharted will probably not get made. Hell, I hope that he really talks to the real people, and not that they sent two unimportant lower-ranks-exes to get bored for two hours to get the domain rights for free. Also, it means two things: 1) Paramount doesn't want to just take the website. They know what a mob we Trekkies can be. The Star Trek license is still a license to print money with the merchandise and all that. And it's the Trek-community that keeps this brand alive, so it's better not to piss it off. 2) They actually agreed to a pitch. It will probably lead to nothing, but it means there are people behind the scenes who realises Star Trek is still a household name. And, who knows, now that Star Wars and Jurassic Park triumphantly return and crash the Box office, and nerdy superhero-television series gain buttloads of viewers, maybe there is still some money to squeeze out of Star Trek. So, as a community: We should support Grummelt. Talk about his pitch (you know, what it's actually about, not WHY Paramount invited him) and show Paramount that in this form or another, there MIGHT be enough interest for a new series
I am trying to keep my reader engagement on this limited, because I really enjoy reading what others have to say — for or against — and feel there are definitely times to listen, and times to participate. I can say that with this story, my biggest red flags was that this was single-sourced. The reporter for this story told me later in email that she did reach out to Paramount, but chose not to include that in the story. I disagreed with that move, since at least a statement that would help show some sort of vetting would've went a long way with the story. We are working right now to get someone from Paramount and someone from CBS on the record (Paramount doesn't typically comment on pitches). And I think it's great that a fan has a chance to pitch a show. But I also feel that that fan, who seeks out publicity for such a pitch, should be upfront on how that pitch came to being. According to the TM article, Paramount stumbled on his concept when they were looking at his Star Trek Beyond domain name. They liked what they saw, and basically called this guy in to do a pitch. Let's just say from what I have heard from the studio (and what many fans already have deduced), that is not exactly how it happened. The Star Trek Beyond domain was involved, but reportedly far more than what Mr. Gummelt is sharing. And let's say he did negotiate a pitch in return for the domain name. Why not just say that? Is that so bad? When I sold the Syfy name, I wish I knew it was NBCU, I might have negotiated a pitch or some sort of something in there, too. There's nothing wrong with that — a pitch is a pitch is a pitch is a pitch. I don't think anyone has a problem with how he would obtain a pitch -- the issue I have is how the genesis story of that pitch is being presented here.
...probably because the specifics of this deal are specified in a contract that is not to made public? And because Paramount doesn't want any hardcore-fans to register all possible Trek-domains in the hopes of getting a pitch themselves...
Rahul, if there is an NDA in place, then the story could say that details of how this pitch offer came about is protected under an NDA. The reporter should have asked that, and if received that response, then should have shared that response with her readers. Also, if there is an NDA in place, that does not provide anyone the license to then create a fake story describing the genesis of the pitch. I am not saying that was done here, but an NDA does not provide a license to make something up. I think more Trek fans, or people in general, would want to register Trek names more to make money off them, rather than earn the chance to pitch.
Oh, and that would be a rather strange NDA ... you can say there is a pitch happening, and what you are pitching. But you can't say how we came to you to make the pitch. Never heard of that.
Actually: ALL movies or projects you have ever heard of. Ridley Scott wants to do Prometheus 2? What will it be about? Which actors will be back? It's all there in the interviews. The details of his contract? Not so much. (Is he already contracted? Will he get a two-movie deal and get a personal film funded as a reward? IS THE DEAL ACTUALLY ALREADY SETTLED? Who knows...) That we already know so much about this pitch is indeed a bit strange. But probably comes from the unique situation that this pitch is the result of a fan-outline on the web. I think the less we hear about this pitch is actually the better. I would rather have them make a deal behind curtains à la 'we can use this and/or this idea if we ever produce a new series for this much money/a writer credit' instead of a detailed 'THIS IS THE EXACT WAY HOW MY PITCH FAILED!'. Again: The only reason I'm cautiously optimistic is because it sounds cheap for Paramount (comparing to BUY his website for their big blockbuster) and because he's a professional (well, video-game-)writer. Soo... what do you guys think about the content of 'Uncharted'?
Looking at his iMDB page, he has one writing credit for a Star Wars game. Nothing mentioned about Elite Force. But either way, I simply don't believe it. I don't believe Paramount would waste their time when they could do "startrek . com / beyond" as the website or some type of variation.
To answer your question about the content of Uncharted, I would have to say that overall, I think he is on the right general path -- I like the idea of sending a ship to another galaxy (ours is becoming a little too cozy) -- similar to ships voyaging across the Atlantic to find the New World. I like this idea of being far removed from immediate help but having a couple of sister ships make the voyage with them (sort of like the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria). Unlike Voyager, however, they are intentionally separated from home and have a way to get back, but first, they have a mission to accomplish. I also like the idea of once again pushing the tech and social speculation to continue the Trek ideal. Finally, I find doing a limited number of shows, that can allow for more expensive individual episodes (and fewer "filler" episodes), very appealing. These are my initial impressions having skimmed the website. I need to re-read the content more thoroughly to discuss problematic areas. What say you?
Sounds like a partial reboot... From the article at Slashfilm... http://www.slashfilm.com/star-trek-uncharted/
Good catch on that! I forgot that part, and, if I had my druthers, would want them to extrapolate forward in the Trek Prime timeline -- and not change stuff like the fate of the original Enterprise. However, I don't mind getting creative with how things might have played out moving forward. I think it might be cool to have a few scenes sprinkled throughout the series that are set back in the Milky Way and give us a window into a "reshuffled" galactic political arena back home.
I am not a big fan of absolutes, so even if I change that to "many," which is less quantifiable, that is not correct. How is that a pitch? And when did this guy go from being someone who has not produced anything getting a chance to pitch something, to becoming Ridley Scott pitching a sequel? How is all this part of the pitch? Even if Ridley Scott was successful in his pitch, the pitch meeting would not also negotiate his contract. So I am completely lost at where you are going with this. Not an outline. This gentleman has actually posted complete scripts. Even "50 Shades of Grey" was changed from its original online source material. That is not a pitch, that is a contract negotiation. You do understand there is a difference, correct? What are you "cautiously optimistic" about? That Paramount will succeed in getting the "Beyond" domain name? That Mr. Gummelt will indeed get his pitch meeting? Or that the pitch will somehow turn into a television deal, despite the fact that, as far as we all know, Paramount doesn't have the ability to even do that? And while I am not an IP lawyer, I can tell you that it would not be too expensive if Mr. Gummelt resisted handing over the domain. Because it has "Star Trek" in it, a trademarked term, it would probably require a few hours work by the studio's attorney, and they will get the domain. Obviously, negotiating with Mr. Gummelt would get them the domain faster, and cheaper, and with less of a PR nightmare. So the motivation here on Paramount's side is obvious, if the story is indeed that the pitch came as a result of negotiations for the domain. But let's be clear: The TM story does NOT state that at all. In fact, Mr. Gummelt implies he doesn't know the genesis of Paramount's offer to allow him to pitch. In fact, Mr. Gummelt goes on to speculate that Paramount discovered his work when looking at the Star Trek Beyond domain name, and was so impressed with his work, they asked him to come in and tell him more. If there is an NDA, I'm shocked that it didn't include the actual fact that such a pitch meeting was taking place. Not my focus at the moment, so I will leave that to others to discuss.
Oh, I would believe that, if that's what was presented. And I bet many people who are talking about this would believe that. The fact that the pitch came through a negotiation to acquire a domain name is far more plausible than Paramount just killing time on the Internet, looking at fan work on Star Trek, finding "Uncharted," and saying, "Holy crap! Where has this been all our lives?" Maybe that did happen. We're working to find out. But yes, having a direct domain name rather than one that is not, and the cost is simply allowing someone to come in and pitch for an hour? Absolutely.