CBS/Paramount sues to stop Axanar

Other Fan films, haven't used funds raised under the guise of "Non Profit fan film" marketed using CBS/Paramount IP, to create infrastructure for a For profit entertainment studio....

Axanar is going to lose, and I do admit, other fan films may take friendly fire....

 

This is sad news. I would advice that people who want to keep watching their favorite fan productions download them while you still can. After this they may not be available for online streaming for much longer.

I am sure everyone is eager to find out what has happened and why now? CBS could have acted long before now if they had wanted to.

To those asking about getting your money back I sympathize. I am not sure if anyone would be entitled to a refund. Kickstarter campaigns always advertize the risks and challenges. Not every production is guaranteed success. I always thought that there might be a risk this might happen but I took a gamble by contributing to their kickstarter campaigns.

 

Lawyer fees will quickly bankrupt and shutdown this production which may be the whole point after all.

 

I am not friends with her.. this was more second hand info to me... I wonder if they are taking her previous posts (with the announcement of Trek '17)....

 

The Internet gives me a headache sometimes.

I assume all those hashtaggers would have zero issues with someone else making money off of things they created.

 

That's a pretty big damned difference. "We're no different than the other guys, except we employ people to produce something using CBS's intellectual property and they profit from it.

#ThelawstandswithCBS

I don't think the courts care about what's trending anyway.

 

Are the "professionals" in these Fan productions paid? Does anyone make money off these ventures? If Axanar is used to help other profitable ventures I can see grounds to sue. If not what legal ground would CBS have to sue? Or are they afraid of competition siphoning viewers from their 2017 effort.

 

I just posted that hashtag on the Axanar page.

 

Very true. However, it should give other fan productions pause for launching any Kickstarter until this is all sorted out.

 

The Facebook comments on that status update are painfully unaware.

The only thing that surprises me is that it took this long. I hope other fan videos don't get caught up in the wake of this.

 

Yeup. They don't need to "win" they just need to curb stomp them with legal fees, and it'll still send a clear message to other productions.

 

I

 

I wanted to see Axanar, but I fully expect them to get seriously crunched. My real question is what's going to happen with the other films. My guess is that STC is likely to be the bellwether due to their level of fundraising and public profile.

 

Yes.... and Yes, in a round about way....

In 2014, when the first Kickstarter for the Axanar Feature was launched, they were looking to raise some 800K for the full film. Of the 800K listed as a budget in that first Kickstarter, they raised some 650K....

In 2015, when they launched the Indigogo, they started asking for some 1.4 Million, to complete the feature. When people asked why they needed 2 Million (combined total) to make this film, they said, that the 650K raised in the first kickstarter went to go into the infastructure that is "Ares Studios" where they would make Axanar. The problem, is that although Axanar is a not-for-profit venture, Ares Studios is a for profit venture.....

So whether they intended to or not, TPTB at Axanar used funds which used CBS IP in the raising of.... this is a serious dark grey area....

 

The Facebook status from Axanar that I quoted above has been removed.