As I know Alec Peters (and several other independent producers this might affect) I have to suggest that this could be a big mistake for the studio and the network to go after fan films. Most of the fan film producers are good guys, they are enthusiastic fans. (Even the one or two I don't like very much.)
It's likely going to piss off the fans and damage both Paramount and CBS' relationship with the core audience -- and that audience is already seething about the way Trek has been presented in the last two movies.
The fan films have, to a great extent, recaptured the spirit of the original series, something that seems to have eluded some of those who have actually been entrusted with custody of the franchise.
Too often, Star Trek has been reimagined and reinvented in someone else's image, and the result is not the Star Trek Gene Roddenberry created. (Gene seethed about that too -- but Gene wasn't always right either.)
With this action, CBS and Paramount are sending a strong signal that their intention is to shut down not just this fan film, but any fan film that they choose to disapprove of. In this case, I would guess it's because Axanar has raised too much money and intends to create a truly professional-looking product.
What some have suggested -- and it's an interesting thought -- is that Paramount has a new movie coming out in 2016 and CBS has a new series planned. It could be that on some level they are concerned about the inevitable comparison with Axanar and other fan productions. (Especially if the fans demonstrate that they can do for one million dollars what a studio can't accomplish with 100 million.)
But the lawsuit suggests that CBS and Paramount might be missing the point. The fan productions are about the hunger for new Star Trek. They're not competition as much as they are signs that the franchise is alive and well. Keeping the fans engaged is the best thing that CBS and Paramount can do to keep the franchise alive.
I understand the corporate desire to protect their rights to the franchise, but that cat got out of the bag a long time ago. If they weren't going to shut down Star Trek New Voyages and Star Trek Continues and Star Trek Renegades and Star Trek Farragut for "copyright infringement" -- and those productions use Kirk, Spock, et al, and the original enterprise -- then they're going to have a much harder case with Axanar which barely touches the same specific content of the original series.
I suspect that the lawsuit isn't about copyright infringement as much as it's designed to intimidate Axanar's producers. I'll be interested to see how this proceeds.
I wonder how much money Axanar can raise if they crowdfund their legal costs....
[I have no direct access and no specific information on this situation, other than the new reports I have read. My comments are my own thoughts on the matter and are not to be interpreted as representing anybody else's opinion or the opinions of anyone involved in the case.]
[And if I did have access to that kind of information, I wouldn't repeat it, because it would violate the confidentiality of the participants.]
Source: https://www.facebook.com/david.gerrold/posts/10207057494648136
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