CBS/Paramount sues to stop Axanar

[Karzak]

It's a question of accountability. A PR person should still be held accountable for what he says.

Too true. It's a shame that this -- accountability -- has been the missing ingredient in this entire Axanar mess.

Count me among those disappointed to see Bawden color the detractors so broadly and unfairly, if only because of the measured and factually-based approached you have taken in dissecting everything that has transpired thus far, Carlos. You didn't deserve that.

 

[Red Shirt]

Too true. It's a shame that this -- accountability -- has been the missing ingredient in this entire Axanar mess.

Count me among those disappointed to see Bawden color the detractors so broadly and unfairly, if only because of the measured and factually-based approached you have taken in dissecting everything that has transpired thus far, Carlos. You didn't deserve that.

I agree, Kazak, especially about Carlos.

 

[Red Shirt]

The issue is - It's NOT the PR guy's job to tell the truth. it's his job to spin whatever narrative is being put forth in the best most favorable way to the client (in this case Axanar Productions and Alec Peters.) If he can do that by telling the truth (impossible in this situation, but still); so much the better - but make no mistake - his job is to put the most positive spin on ANY issue raised and deflect or confuse the issue if that can't be done for certain situations. The actual person doing Axanar's PR is doing a hell of a good job right now, I must admit. A good PR man doesn't necessarily or actually believe everything he's saying; BUT he needs to come across like he believes in everything he's saying on his client's behalf.

Well said. A good P.R. rep will make his client happy saying what his client dictates like prewritten statements. A slick P.R. rep will do that and mollify, deflect and misdirect avoiding hard questions always returning to the clients chosen narrative while making you think you got your answer when in actuality you got a run around. Alec & Co tried doing their own P.R. with it blowing up in their faces. lol. What are they paying Bawden with? Donor money? Donor bit coins? A Prelude blu-ray? Patches?

 

[HMS Ark Royal]

Knowing that Alec and Terry, amongst others, have been on here before, is it possible to see if anybody has joined recently - since the lawsuit started - from the area in which Axanar is based?

 

[muCephi]

Knowing that Alec and Terry, amongst others, have been on here before, is it possible to see if anybody has joined recently - since the lawsuit started - from the area in which Axanar is based?

Technically, I imagine. But unless someone becomes a disruptive troll shouldn't they be allowed to read without being tracked?

If Alec/Terry are reading, they might actually have a wake up call here and there by reading something that plainly lays out a consequence with CBS or donors or the like which just hadn't occurred to them. I'm not imagining any argument on the merits would make much impression since they have their story they have to stick to in their heads, but clear unbiasable consequences about what the cbs legal process or future donor legal process could do might get through.

And besides, if you really wanted to do something like that, you'd have to allow that it could be any member of Axanar staff too. You wouldn't want to go around outing people who might face consequences simply for logging in here (say for example they used a recognizable ID). This shouldn't become an adjunct of axa-dissapearYou-land, imo.

 

[HMS Ark Royal]

Technically, I imagine. But unless someone becomes a disruptive troll shouldn't they be allowed to read without being tracked?

If Alec/Terry are reading, they might actually have a wake up call here and there by reading something that plainly lays out a consequence with CBS or donors or the like which just hadn't occurred to them. I'm not imagining any argument on the merits would make much impression since they have their story they have to stick to in their heads, but clear unbiasable consequences about what the cbs legal process or future donor legal process could do might get through.

And besides, if you really wanted to do something like that, you'd have to allow that it could be any member of Axanar staff too. You wouldn't want to go around outing people who might face consequences simply for logging in here (say for example they used a recognizable ID). This shouldn't become an adjunct of axa-dissapearYou-land, imo.

I quite agree, muCephi, however I was just thinking that it would be interesting to see what sort of traffic this thread is getting from Axanar High Command

 

[muCephi]

I quite agree, muCephi, however I was just thinking that it would be interesting to see what sort of traffic this thread is getting from Axanar High Command

that could be a little bit interesting but a little mystery is not a bad thing, either if any clear thinking from here sticks, we will see the consequences sooner or later...

 

[HMS Ark Royal]

We should plant a rumour or something here and see how long it takes for it to be labeled "Anti-Axanar" - I'll start...

In 1987, Alec was fined for speeding on a spacehopper

 

[Search4]

I think the focus on the fan film is misplaced. It's dead (Jim). The legal arguments are all imho to buy time so he can disentangle the studio which is the only asset that can survive this.

 

[HMS Ark Royal]

I think the focus on the fan film is misplaced. It's dead (Jim). The legal arguments are all imho to buy time so he can disentangle the studio which is the only asset that can survive this.

Indeed

 

[muCephi]

I think the focus on the fan film is misplaced. It's dead (Jim). The legal arguments are all imho to buy time so he can disentangle the studio which is the only asset that can survive this.

I thought a similar argument made upstream, that the 'Ares Digital' fulfillment company might actually be the asset they want to protect, was not a bad one. Although it takes an awful lot more than just a shopping cart website these days to have an asset anyone would consider unduplicatable in a month. And all sorts of people have made media-vending websites.

Collecting 'donations' instead of cash might be a bit hard to patent, since you are still using revenue processing back ends and you still are considering the 'donation' to be a payment method for the selected items.

But maybe there is something to it.

In any case, if it was essentially a work for hire done by a member of the paid Axanar Productions staff (you can't call it someone's private project if they did it on company time with company resources), then it could become fair game as an asset for the lawsuit I would think.

 

[Trekkin]

It's not a lawyers job to be 'just' (especially in a civil case) or to cast judgement on their clients. Their job is simply to be their clients voice. They put forward an argument, and it's the judge's job to say if it's full of shit (or the Bar, if they're being unethical). Although it can be vexing to see in action, it would be bad if lawyers were allowed to have more power then simply mouthpiece and advisor.

I mean, 'most politicians used to be lawyers' levels of potential bad.

PR is a little different. I'm not sure about in the US, but here it's only regulated if you volunteer yourself to be regulated. For alot of practitioners, there's simply no ethical guidelines to break. And you know what happens when you mix personal morals with money...

 

[RedForman]

Great post - and there is a simple answer to your questions: Mike isn't trying to construct a sound argument or win a debate. His job is to take the facts and spin/ignore/restate/selectively emphasize them in such a way to portray his client in the best light and to follow his client's instructions - which in this case appear to be "keep as many donors as possible in the fold." Fostering an "Us versus Them" attitude is an excellent way to keep donors from waking up and realizing they have been duped.

He should work for one of the cable news networks............

 

[PhaserLightShow]

Alec Peters just posted this on Doug Drexler's FB post on his page regarding this subject.

Of course, he doesn't say why CBS is gunning for them beyond that.

He does add this.

Wait a minute - how is a lawsuit to one illegally operating Star Trek fanfilm a threat to all other fan productions/fan projects? How does that threaten Star Trek Phase II/Star Trek New Voyages? Or any others.

@PhaserLightShow

 

[HMS Ark Royal]

Wait a minute - how is a lawsuit to one illegally operating Star Trek fanfilm a threat to all other fan productions/fan projects? How does that threaten Star Trek Phase II/Star Trek New Voyages? Or any others.

@PhaserLightShow

Because CBS / Paramount could then go after every single fan made production by sending them C&D notices - have you seriously not got the danger that Alec and his collection of morons and dipsticks have placed us all in?

 

[muCephi]

Wait a minute - how is a lawsuit to one illegally operating Star Trek fanfilm a threat to all other fan productions/fan projects? How does that threaten Star Trek Phase II/Star Trek New Voyages? Or any others.

@PhaserLightShow

he probably said a threat to Axanar is a threat to all fan films because he asserts that he has done nothing different from other fan films... its part of his attempt to deny the difference CBS has gone after.

it becomes a real threat in that if he makes it troublesome enough, he might force CBS to shut down fan films as a defensive measure...

which makes AXANAR the threat to all fan films...

 

[Sean_McCormick]

Knowing that Alec and Terry, amongst others, have been on here before, is it possible to see if anybody has joined recently - since the lawsuit started - from the area in which Axanar is based?

You do realise, that this board can be read without an account?

 

[HMS Ark Royal]

You do realise, that this board can be read without an account?

Yes - but to make replies one must be a member... I already have a suspicion as to at least one person

 

[KennyB]

Yes - but to make replies one must be a member... I already have a suspicion as to at least one person

Meh

 

[Sgt_G]

You know, if Marvin Gaye's estate could win their case against Robin Thicke / Pharrell Williams for "Blurred Lines" (they won that? really?? did the judge not have ears???), and now Justin Bieber / Usher are being sued for "Somebody To Love" because it has "the same beat pattern, time signature, and similar chords" as another song ("same / similar"?? really???), I really don't see how Axanar can possibly think they are "different enough" to not be infringing on the Trek copyrights.