CBS/Paramount sues to stop Axanar

[GeorgeKirk]

My absolute favorite response to this whole thing appeared in the comments section of the Wall Street Journal article on the subject:

Sprinkling in the occasional misspelled Klingon word really makes an incoherent rage-gasm sound like a cogent argument, doesn't it? Also, what heck does "Mok!!" mean? I assume it's supposed to be Klingon, but it sounds like a cartoon sound effect.

I wish someone would call this guy as an expert witness.

 

[SeerSGB]

This is OT but I came across this in an old court opinion while researching IP cases related to Star Trek:

Similarly, the fact that the claimant collected Star Trek memorabilia into his 40s, while perhaps not the norm in rural Tennessee, is a hobby that literally tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of people routinely engage in, as evidenced by the well-attended Star Trek conventions and brisk sales of Star Trek memorabilia on Ebay. Some people even dress up as their favorite characters on Star Trek when attending the conventions. This does not establish they are mentally ill or retarded.

HEY! I'm from TN and collect Star Trek...and Star Wars...and Transformers...and My Little Pony...and Monster High...and Knives

Why is everyone staring at me?

 

[Smoked Salmon]

My absolute favorite response to this whole thing appeared in the comments section of the Wall Street Journal article on the subject:

Sprinkling in the occasional misspelled Klingon word really makes an incoherent rage-gasm sound like a cogent argument, doesn't it? Also, what heck does "Mok!!" mean? I assume it's supposed to be Klingon, but it sounds like a cartoon sound effect.

I wish someone would call this guy as an expert witness.

That's golden.

 

[Campe]

My absolute favorite response to this whole thing appeared in the comments section of the Wall Street Journal article on the subject:

Sprinkling in the occasional misspelled Klingon word really makes an incoherent rage-gasm sound like a cogent argument, doesn't it? Also, what heck does "Mok!!" mean? I assume it's supposed to be Klingon, but it sounds like a cartoon sound effect.

I wish someone would call this guy as an expert witness.

Oh, and sometimes people like this wonder why Trek fans have a bad rap.

 

[SeerSGB]

You know, I still can't fathom why a 20 min talking head greenscreen short film and one 3 minute Vulcan scene is greeted (to the axanauts /axanorks or whatever they are called) like the second coming, that Peters etc "get" Star Trek more than anyone else.

It was okay. Not outstanding but okay. The Fx looked good but surely that's Tobias Richter. Am I the only one that thought the costumes looked cheap? And that Richard Hatch looked ridiculous?

Don't watch a lot of fan films but much preferred all the New Voyages / Continues stuff.

If Paramount / Cbs wanted to shut down those guys I could at least understand the anger. They would be shutting down something that actually exists.

Prelude is what killed my interest in Axanar. If they were selling a BSG fanfilm it might work, as it is it's a VFX reel with some talking. Just another fanfilm that wants to do a war movie in the Trek verse.

 

[Red Shirt]

Is Axanar licensed by CBS/Paramount? No, Axanar is an independent project that 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.

Those coffee bags are $15.95 a pop so Alec's argument he isn't charging for IP that doesn't belong to him is a lie.

"Your honor, CBS and Paramount have no opening statements - or case prepared. We're just going to call Peters to the stand and let him talk for 15 minutes."

 

[Franklin]

Hansa Coffee Roasters, based near Chicago, have their logo on the bags of Axanar coffee. Couldn't that mean trouble for them, too? Wonder about the details of the agreement between Hansa and Axanar. Did Axanar ship them labels and the coffee was bagged and labeled by Hansa? Also, doesn't this make Axanar a retailer of Hansa coffees? Their prices are within a dollar or equal to the prices on the Hansa site. A portion goes to the film, probably the difference between the wholesale price they paid Hansa (with crowdsourced money, no doubt) and the retail price. So, the profits from the sale of the coffee go to the movie. At least that's how it looks to me.

I believe a few pages back someone mentioned that Hansa approached Peters with free samples and then Axanar asked them to produce the coffee. So my take is that Axanar and Hansa are in business together, making a profits from the CBS IP.

That's not a "take", that's fact.

Then that means even the label producer Hansa used is potentially in deep manure, right? Making copies of CBS IP for profit.

Peters must be a hell of a salesperson, or there are just a lot of ignorant people out there who don't know better. Except apparently at Staples and other copy places near where SeerSGB lives. (He posted way back that he has trouble with Staples people wanting to make copies of forms for him for home school use for fear of treading on a copyright.)

 

[Tim Thomason]

Izar is a real star (Epsilon Bootis), so I think "Izarian" can't possibly be copyrighted or trademarked or whatever. "Garth of Izar" can, of course, but I don't think there's anything to stop anyone from developing Izarian characters or Izarian-based fiction.

 

[SeerSGB]

Those coffee bags are $15.95 a pop so Alec's argument he isn't charging for IP that doesn't belong to him is a lie.

"Your honor, CBS and Paramount have no opening statements - or case prepared. We're just going to call Peters to the stand and let him talk for 15 minutes."

Bonus if he shows up in costume.

 

[Smoked Salmon]

I believe a few pages back someone mentioned that Hansa approached Peters with free samples and then Axanar asked them to produce the coffee. So my take is that Axanar and Hansa are in business together, making a profits from the CBS IP.

That's not a "take", that's fact.

Then that means even the label producer Hansa used is potentially in deep manure, right? Making copies of CBS IP for profit.

Peters must be a hell of a salesperson, or there are just a lot of ignorant people out there who don't know better. Except apparently at Staples and other copy places near where SeerSGB lives. (He posted way back that he has trouble with Staples people wanting to make copies of forms for him for home school use for fear of treading on a copyright.)

In theory Hansa could be sued, in reality their profit is likely too low to make it worthwhile.

 

[Tim Thomason]

Sprinkling in the occasional misspelled Klingon word really makes an incoherent rage-gasm sound like a cogent argument, doesn't it? Also, what heck does "Mok!!" mean? I assume it's supposed to be Klingon, but it sounds like a cartoon sound effect.

I wish someone would call this guy as an expert witness.

"moQ" means to beat (as in mok'bara or the weapon moQ). But it's not really used as an expletive as far as I can see.

 

[GSchnitzer]

My absolute favorite response to this whole thing appeared in the comments section of the Wall Street Journal article on the subject:

Sprinkling in the occasional misspelled Klingon word really makes an incoherent rage-gasm sound like a cogent argument, doesn't it? Also, what heck does "Mok!!" mean? I assume it's supposed to be Klingon, but it sounds like a cartoon sound effect.

I wish someone would call this guy as an expert witness.

I think he probably means "baH"--(prounced like the composer "Bach")--rather than "mok." BaH means "to fire the weapons!" (Fire!) As in the German "Torpedo eins: Los!"

 

[HMS Ark Royal]

"Your honor, CBS and Paramount have no opening statements - or case prepared. We're just going to call Peters to the stand and let him talk for 15 minutes."

Bonus if he shows up in costume.

That happened in the courts here in the UK... Juror turned up for Jury Duty in dress uniform with the pips denoting the rank of Commander - even had a Type 1 phaser on the inside of the uniform jacket

 

[BillJ]

So, what does qualify as copyright infringement in Alec Peters world?

 

[Smoked Salmon]

Bonus if he shows up in costume.

That happened in the courts here in the UK... Juror turned up for Jury Duty in dress uniform with the pips denoting the rank of Commander - even had a Type 1 phaser on the inside of the uniform jacket

That was in Arkansas mate.

 

[Maurice]

I'd give real money if he'd shut up.

WIN.

 

[HMS Ark Royal]

Bonus if he shows up in costume.

That happened in the courts here in the UK... Juror turned up for Jury Duty in dress uniform with the pips denoting the rank of Commander - even had a Type 1 phaser on the inside of the uniform jacket

That was in Arkansas mate.

Happened in the UK as well

 

[Amaris]

This is OT but I came across this in an old court opinion while researching IP cases related to Star Trek:

Similarly, the fact that the claimant collected Star Trek memorabilia into his 40s, while perhaps not the norm in rural Tennessee, is a hobby that literally tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of people routinely engage in, as evidenced by the well-attended Star Trek conventions and brisk sales of Star Trek memorabilia on Ebay. Some people even dress up as their favorite characters on Star Trek when attending the conventions. This does not establish they are mentally ill or retarded.

HEY! I'm from TN and collect Star Trek...and Star Wars...and Transformers...and My Little Pony...and Monster High...and Knives

Why is everyone staring at me?

Can I, uh, can I see the ponies?

 

[tharpdevenport]

Good God. This is what seperates the Browncoats from the people in white coats that tie behind the back.

 

[Campe]

So, what does qualify as copyright infringement in Alec Peters world?

Exactly what he's doing. He's just using the "everyone else is doing it" defense. At least publicly.