One entity already holds the trademarks and copyrights for Star Trek: CBS. There seems to be some confusion about that on your part.
There seems to be confusion on your part that this was a "What If" scenario to begin with. It's in the title of the thread.
As the copyright holder, would I have to license my creation in order to get the stamp of canon? Or could I still get the committees approval without giving out a [license]?
How could anyone make a story that is in continuity with your story if they're committing a copyright violation by referencing it. What's the value of canon if people have to avoid it?
Could I charge a fee to license my creation? Or would I have to give it away for free?
If everyone could charge a fee for their own piece of canon, you'd end up with a Tragedy of the Commons where no one would be able to produce a film because they couldn't afford the combined licensing fees.
I respect the fact that you have passion for this vision but the most polite thing I can say would be: As conceived, it will never work.
The Axanar suit has proven that CBS will only allow people playing in their universe under certain conditions. And this? This is so complicated and convoluted that CBS would take one look at your proposal and show you the door. I'm not trying to be rude here. But no matter how you slice this, the idea comes off of trying to play in CBS' sandbox and [legitimizing] those players more than they had to in a post-Axanar world.
I have no delusions about CBS and Star Trek licensing. If I did, I would not have framed this as a "What If" in the first place. This is an intellectual exercise that uses Star Trek because its age and complexity pose a variety of intellectual challenges. The point of the thread is to produce a system that can be used for the canon of any franchise willing to adopt the model, which in all likelihood is not Star Trek.
If you're implying that official tie-in novels are in any way like fanfic, you're wrong. And if you're not, I don't know what it is that you actually are trying to say. Licensed novels are written by professional writers who have been contracted to deliver a particular book that both the publishing company's editor and the copyright holder's licencing people approve of. The books go through a pretty serious editing and approvals process. They're not canon, but it they are official.
Being "Official" may indicate quality, but it had no bearing on franchise continuity. Considering previous messages, is the majority of posters on this thread saying that having a process to ensure quality is okay if you're a company, but bad if you're a non-profit organization serving the community?
A) The current situation is that the TV series and movies are canon and nothing else is. That's actually easier than any council of canon. You want to know if something's canon? Is it a TV episode or movie from CBS or Paramount called some variation of Star Trek? No? Not canon. Period. No documentation needed. No nonprofit organization needed. No website needed. Simple and straightforward.
To my knowledge, there is no official canon statement for Star Trek. You're citing statements that have been removed from the Star Trek Website. As for whether community engagement is necessary for canon, it's my personal belief that involving the community is beneficial because a small pool of writers and decision makers could never exceed the sum total of all passion,creativity and talent of the fan community as a whole.
B) Canon has nothing to do with copyright or trademarks.
Then what's all this talk about how the entity that holds the trademarks and copyrights is the best to administer canon?
Case in point: the licenced novels. They are copyrighted by CBS. They use CBS trademarks with CBS's permission. They are not canon. Because, once again, canon has nothing to do with copyright or trademarks.
What you're talking about is just fan fiction blessed by the rights owner. I would argue that this practice is confusing, because it requires foreknowledge of the canon policy of the franchise. Also, elements of some novels have later ended up in the related series. And if any guidelines set by the publishers require the novels to be consistent with each other, you basically have a parallel canon situation.
Would it be possible to have the council ratify what ice powers the Andorians have, how they work and what laws will be put into place to control them?
If someone submitted a story that defined what powers the Andorians had, how they work and what laws govern those powers, and the majority of voters voted for it and resolved any conflicts with canon in its favor, then it would become part of canon.
A) Wait, a non-profit? What non-profit? You do realize that just callling something a non-profit doesn't make it so, any more than declaring fan fiction "canon" does, right?
To be specific, I'm thinking the organization would be a 501(c)(3) under US law.
B) An imaginary non-profit has the power to enforce absolutely nothing. Zip, zero, nada.
An an imaginary baseball bat has no power to crack your skull open. What's your point?
C) Do you have a pet halibut?
Yes, and it's fit for Jehovah. It's right here next to my cat -- Where'd it go?!?
As a guy who does taxes for a living, I really don't see why a group of fans voting on things they like requires 501(c)3 or maybe 501(c)7 status.
The organization also makes submitted content and canon documentation available to the public and provides assistance to content creators in the community.
Unless you take membership dues or submission fees? Oh god
I've already ruled out fees or dues. Donations only.
The more and more I read, the more it smells like something familiar.
Feel free to share any relevant link to a similar proposal. Don't hold back on my account.
