They put up all of 20-30 seconds of a clip some intern found on the net. How many times a day does this happen, especially at CNN? I think mountains are being made from this molehill.
CBS/Paramount sues to stop Axanar
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This would be a good place to give TNZ's own Dennis a plug for his Polaris project. In effect, he's doing just what you suggest. Hopefully it will get done in the not-too-distant future.
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Real Trek will be on CBS's online service, not YouTube.
And if it could happen to an intern at CNN, why wouldn't it happen to a casual fan looking for the new series online? That's the kind of confusion Paramount/CBS want to avoid.
Please re-read my comment. We know that, it'll be heavily promoted as such, but there will still be people who think they can just google it. Besides, you'll still be able to watch it on CBS.com and the average casual viewer may just type "New Star Trek Series" into their browser when they hear about it from a friend.
Especially when people like the guys behind Renegades talk about pitching their project to CBS as a pilot, or Alec Peters showboating about how Axanar is a "professional independent film."
Look.. I get it. Don't think that when CBS starts their online service that everything Star Trek on other streaming services isn't going to get pulled down. The Axanar fight will guarantee that will happen sooner than later.
Guy tells his friend, "hey, you see the new Star Trek show? It's not on TV, it's online! Go check it out!"
Friend gets home, googles "New Star Trek series", and finds New Voyages. Not being familiar with fan-films, he thinks this is the new show and is very confused.
Considering a lot of Star Trek fans are 65+, it's not hard to imagine that scenario, and if I were CBS it would be a legitimate concern.
Friend gets home, googles "New Star Trek series", and finds New Voyages. Not being familiar with fan-films, he thinks this is the new show and is very confused.
Considering a lot of Star Trek fans are 65+, it's not hard to imagine that scenario, and if I were CBS it would be a legitimate concern.
I wanted to thank everyone for their concern and support. I just wanted to clarify a couple of things before making some final remarks on the situation. And yes, this will be my last post in any public forum on this subject.
1. I removed my own posts earlier today before restoring them. There was no external hacking or interference with my website.
2. Nobody from Axanar Productions, nor any of their supporters, have directly threatened me. But in the course of reporting on this story, I have learned and heard a number of things which led me to conclude there was a not-insignificant risk to myself as the Axanar situation continues to deteriorate. Given that I have no professional or personal interest in this story, even a negligible risk is not worth it.
3. My decision to cease blogging and commenting (after this post) is also driven by my belief that "my work here is done." I am a professional legal blogger by trade. I generally write to educate the public on legal subject. I feel I've done so here. At the end of the day, this is not a complex matter. The law is fairly straightforward. Continuing to write about this would only draw me into the dispute itself, and I have no desire to make myself or my writing the story.
4. While Mr. Peters' recent comments about me were unfortunate, they certainly were not unexpected. I certainly never claimed to be an expert on intellectual property. But my posts were backed by research and reporting. I have been a paid legal writer going on 16 years now. I have authored thousands of article on a wide range of legal topics. I currently author paid content for eight separate legal websites. I have helped research and draft dozens of legal briefs to the Supreme Court and other federal courts and agencies. Heck, I'm even a "legal footnote" in a major intellectual property case. So I'm not some "know-it-all" hack throwing spaghetti against the wall to see if it sticks.
5. The only remaining thought I have regarding Axanar is simple: Alec Peters took a stupid risk with other people's money. I had followed Axanar's progress for some time before this lawsuit and I saw red flags months ago. And the moment CBS announced the 2017 series, I knew Axanar was finished. Anyone who was paying attention should have realized that.
6. I don't have much to say regarding the "fan" aspect of this story, i.e. David Gerrold's comments, what constitutes the "real" Star Trek, and so forth. I watched Trek back in the 1990s but I have not been an active fan for many years. But after witnessing recent events, I will say one thing: My respect for Rick Berman, which was always high, is that much greater today. He kept Star Trek running for 18 years and did so without getting himself involved in these sorts of ridiculous fan schisms (even if he inadvertently provoked a few of them). That may not sit well with folks like Mr. Gerrold who want a "visionary" leader for Trek, but in my experience, visionaries don't get things done and they don't take care of their own people. They usually sacrifice their colleagues and subordinates in order to maintain their own delusions of grandeur.
And with that, I bid you a very heartfelt good night.
1. I removed my own posts earlier today before restoring them. There was no external hacking or interference with my website.
2. Nobody from Axanar Productions, nor any of their supporters, have directly threatened me. But in the course of reporting on this story, I have learned and heard a number of things which led me to conclude there was a not-insignificant risk to myself as the Axanar situation continues to deteriorate. Given that I have no professional or personal interest in this story, even a negligible risk is not worth it.
3. My decision to cease blogging and commenting (after this post) is also driven by my belief that "my work here is done." I am a professional legal blogger by trade. I generally write to educate the public on legal subject. I feel I've done so here. At the end of the day, this is not a complex matter. The law is fairly straightforward. Continuing to write about this would only draw me into the dispute itself, and I have no desire to make myself or my writing the story.
4. While Mr. Peters' recent comments about me were unfortunate, they certainly were not unexpected. I certainly never claimed to be an expert on intellectual property. But my posts were backed by research and reporting. I have been a paid legal writer going on 16 years now. I have authored thousands of article on a wide range of legal topics. I currently author paid content for eight separate legal websites. I have helped research and draft dozens of legal briefs to the Supreme Court and other federal courts and agencies. Heck, I'm even a "legal footnote" in a major intellectual property case. So I'm not some "know-it-all" hack throwing spaghetti against the wall to see if it sticks.
5. The only remaining thought I have regarding Axanar is simple: Alec Peters took a stupid risk with other people's money. I had followed Axanar's progress for some time before this lawsuit and I saw red flags months ago. And the moment CBS announced the 2017 series, I knew Axanar was finished. Anyone who was paying attention should have realized that.
6. I don't have much to say regarding the "fan" aspect of this story, i.e. David Gerrold's comments, what constitutes the "real" Star Trek, and so forth. I watched Trek back in the 1990s but I have not been an active fan for many years. But after witnessing recent events, I will say one thing: My respect for Rick Berman, which was always high, is that much greater today. He kept Star Trek running for 18 years and did so without getting himself involved in these sorts of ridiculous fan schisms (even if he inadvertently provoked a few of them). That may not sit well with folks like Mr. Gerrold who want a "visionary" leader for Trek, but in my experience, visionaries don't get things done and they don't take care of their own people. They usually sacrifice their colleagues and subordinates in order to maintain their own delusions of grandeur.
And with that, I bid you a very heartfelt good night.
I prefer to think that people aren't that stupid. And once CBS starts their online streaming service, it's a good bet that all things Trek will be taken down from the rest of the web.
That's what the creators of Star Wreck: In The Pirkinning did when they made Iron Sky and it was a tremendous success.
Well, I can imagine people who, of limited means, decide to donate to Axanar rather than buy the "Into Darkness" Blu-Ray. "Sorry CBS; I'm sure you understand and are sympathetic that I'm on a fixed income and had no make a choice."
I don't know how much of the Kickstarter money came about by cannibizing some of Paramount/CBS' revenue. They seem to think that the answer is not $0.00.
Once again, you said, "I don't think anyone is going to be confused about Axanar." and once again, we've demonstrated that there has already been confusion. There's no "what if" or "I don't think". It happened and there is proof of it happening. They put up a clip of the knock-off (no offense intended @Tom) and credited it to the actual studio.
Neil
There is a big difference between donating to Axanar's kickstarter and buying Into Darkness.. The biggest one is that movie actually exists!!! Beyone that I can't see such a scenario, unless it's one of the JJAbrams bashers, on a fixed income.
BTW, Nice job on the latest Phase II show!!
Since your here, let me ask you:
Do you think I am just being an alarmist here regarding the future of fan films? You've been doing this now for a decade, how do you feel about all of this, Greg?
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Irrelevant. Never said it was my copyright. Never said there was no confusion. Just saying it doesn't matter. After all, Time magazine reported that Khan was a cyborg.
Somebody at CNN decided it didn't matter, and no one cares.
Pointing to a CNN puff piece isn't conclusive proof of anything (except of how out of touch CNN is these days).. If "viewer confusion" is the focus of CBS/Paramount's lawsuit, I would hope they would do better than show that clip. If they are concerned, however, about the use of IP to make money on something that's supposed to be non-profit, there is plenty of rope to hang Axanar with.
Exactly. The mainstream media get things wrong all the time, especially when it comes to Star Trek.Irrelevant. Never said it was my copyright. Never said there was no confusion. Just saying it doesn't matter. After all, Time magazine reported that Khan was a cyborg.
A big "Thank You!" to oswriter for sharing your knowledge and insight. I also very much appreciate your post explaining your decision to quit writing about this. I do hope you won't be a stranger. We need more posters like you!
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