Was wondering the same thing myself. Someone should remind him that telling himself a story while taking a bubble bath doesn't count.
CBS/Paramount sues to stop Axanar
- Thread starter Richard Baker
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"Capatin's Log"
So the plan now is to have another Star Trek fan film group make Axanar pt 1 and 2. Alec will finish up pt. 4 and 5. Prelude to Axanar is now pt. 3? Is that the plan now?
Yea that caught my eye too:
How exactly is supposed to be possible with the 'no serialization' and 'max 30 minutes total per story' guidelines in place? Do they think that tag team hand off of series episodes, or of a single story between different fan groups to get around these restrictions will fly? Especially with the *intent* to make other parts of the same work stated up front?
And he has no idea what "open source" means. Open source refers to a software licensing method where the author has the right to apply that designation to the work, and any included works also carry that designation. Even if its just a metaphor in the context of Axanar, there's nothing in the Axanar work that could meet this bar.
and this from a fan of Axanar (emphasis added):
1. What is there to tour?
2. What resources to make films, even as a class project, does Rocketworx have?
3. What professionals would go near Axanar?
4. Yes, what if James Cameron or JJ Abrams showed up? My guess is they would be driving bulldozers.
5. Summer camp in a non-airconditioned warehouse outside Atlanta.. its disneyland.
They just keep selling fantasies to their potential donors, and as a result, donors suspend all critical analysis.
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And a Spock/Supergirl/Deadpool crossover.. The A"w c'mon guys, is this for real?" Team
Interesting. Did not AP himself mention something in his Twit feed how the ship we believe is the Shenzhou looked a lot like the Ares when that wire mesh image first appeared? It kinda does a little bit, to be fair, but that's beside the point. Talk about a flip flop!
I would not surprise me if he intends to write the scripts for the "other" Axanr episodes and hand them off to another fan-film company to produce.
That disclaimer is very interesting indeed. Certainly doesn't read like anything Alec would write, and generally he's sided on the position of bigging up all things Axanar given the opportunity.
I wonder if he's had a settlement-related warning shot fired in his direction...
I wonder if he's had a settlement-related warning shot fired in his direction...
We at Axanar would like to take a moment here to correct a common misconception. We do not claim that the Ares is "our" ship. We are informally granted a 'look the other way' permission by CBS/Paramount when it comes to making small variations on their copyrighted designs and their look and feel, so long as we use it solely for fan films within the guidelines.
We realize that our promise to make an unlicensed full length professional "real" Star Trek movie, to which you donated, probably created some ambiguity about our intentions and the rights of the studios in this matter. We apologize.
It is true that unsolicited works submitted to studios are ignored so that conflicts like these don't arise. However, we at Axanar would like to make it clear that we do not in principle claim it is possible for the owners of the Star Trek franchise to "steal" from us their own legally protected Trek intellectual property or our elaborations upon it.
Given in particular our conceding in court our history of overstepping copyright of Trek properties, it would just be ethically wrong of us to claim such a thing. We wouldn't do it, even if we could.
We hope this clarifies the point, and thanks for your support.
Thank you ....muCephi
Sure looks like somebody finally found a way to get LFIM to listen to reason. I wonder how they did that? *cue Godfather theme*
We realize that our promise to make an unlicensed full length professional "real" Star Trek movie, to which you donated, probably created some ambiguity about our intentions and the rights of the studios in this matter. We apologize.
It is true that unsolicited works submitted to studios are ignored so that conflicts like these don't arise. However, we at Axanar would like to make it clear that we do not in principle claim it is possible for the owners of the Star Trek franchise to "steal" from us their own legally protected Trek intellectual property or our elaborations upon it.
Given in particular our conceding in court our history of overstepping copyright of Trek properties, it would just be ethically wrong of us to claim such a thing. We wouldn't do it, even if we could.
We hope this clarifies the point, and thanks for your support.
Thank you ....muCephi
Sure looks like somebody finally found a way to get LFIM to listen to reason. I wonder how they did that? *cue Godfather theme*
"This morning, a lawyer from CBS Licensing came to call on Alec Peters at his new Georgia residence. The meeting lasted only a few moments before the lawyer left a decapitated-horse's head on Alec's bed. As this constitutes irrevocable proof that CBS is unhappy with our production plans, we regret to inform you that we will immediately suspend production on the Axanar features, return all our donor's money and ship out all the perks we schlepped from Los Angeles by the close of business today.
Thank you Axanar fans for a fantastic ride! It's a good thing you can't sue us!!!
-LLAP, Mike Bawden"
It reads like it was written by a lawyer as a canned response to any such question about CBS "stealing" from Axanar.
Then you have to consider John Van Citters who was tasked to create guidelines in order to put an end to the exploit of CBS/P's IP. Are there loopholes in the guidelines? you bet ya. But only for those that don't wish to work within the spirit of fan films.
I feel that John made his best effort to meet fan films half way and if Peters sucker punches him. I really don't want to consider the additional ramifications the rest of fan film might have to face.
I feel that John made his best effort to meet fan films half way and if Peters sucker punches him. I really don't want to consider the additional ramifications the rest of fan film might have to face.
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If Peters does try to sucker punch John, I sincerely hope that only Peters and his stupidity is punished, rather than other fan productions. Like you say, I think John Van Citters has been more than reasonable, and more than fair. I'm sure he can see, if he so wishes, that most fan productions are working their butts off to be compliant, or are communicating to CBS everything they're doing, and keeping their hands on the table. If Peters really does do something ridiculous, er, more ridiculous, then I can see CBS being merciless, and rightly so.
Exactly, even John answers to a higher power.
Prelude was always Part 3. It's part of the on screen title and everything.
It's called:
"Now that I'm trying (and close to) creating another 'legitimate' business of my own - I actually READ the Settlement Agreement I agreed to and found I could be liable for monetary damages if I breach it in word or deed -- and claiming the ST: D Production design team 'ripped off' the design of U.S.S Ares to create the U.S.S. Shenzhou would most likely qualify."
(And seriously, the design of the U.S.S. Ares is HARDLY original. Some of the concept work for the 24th century TNG 'Enterprise' makes it look like Alec Peters' ship designer could have used that as inspiration; and further - there have been fan-based and other actual licensed Star Trek ship designs in RPGs and "Tech Manuals" that show a TOS style "Mirada Class" type design that look similar to Alec Peters U.S,S, Area dating back to the mid 1980ies - a year or two after STII:TWoK was originally released in 1982.)
It's also worth noting that it was admitted several times Alec's love of the Centaur class formed the starting point of the Ares. At this stage, I have to imagine that its hard to properly claim fully ownership of any kind of Starfleet ship design really, since a lot of the variations have been covered across various media. There really is only so much you can do with a saucer and some nacelles. Some designs, of course, stand out, but they're always going to have some sort of obvious design lineage.
Don't get me wrong, the Ares is undoubtedly a great looking ship. But it seems fairly common knowledge that the Shenzhou is based on a John Eaves design.
Don't get me wrong, the Ares is undoubtedly a great looking ship. But it seems fairly common knowledge that the Shenzhou is based on a John Eaves design.
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