CBS/Paramount sues to stop Axanar

[9gs]

I'm against Axanar because there's too much evidence stacked against them for mismanagement at best, and outright fraud at worst. It continues to bother me that there's no notice about the lawsuit on their funding page, and I consider that further evidence.

If you want, go to the Axanar IndieGoGo site filling out a complaint with a link to the lawsuit paperwork. I did and I'm still waiting for a reply.

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/2660454-Startreklawsuit.html

Ah, serendipity. I was looking for that link that someone posted probably fifty pages back. I'm going to note what page this one is on.

CBS/Paramount is asking for either statutory damages of up to $150,000 per individual copyright infringed upon, or actual damages sustained based on proof the defendants profited by violating the copyrights. They also want all reasonable attorneys' fees to be paid by the defendant.

I stopped counting at twenty listed copyright infringements claimed in the paper. That's as much as 3 million dollars in statutory damages. CBS/Paramount's Attorneys' fees may be in six figures if it drags on, and especially if it goes to court. I imagine the CBS/Paramount lawyers are in the $800 to $1000 an hour range. Then, Peters has to pay for his defense. If it goes to trial, even his $400 to $500 an hour lawyer could build up a mid five-figure bill.

They're toast. Burned toast. Burned to a char toast. So unrecognizably badly burned that you wouldn't even give it to the dog toast.

It would be nice to know when they got a C&D order which I would bet they did and how long they have ignored it.

 

[Shaka Zulu]

Something I saw posted on Twitter at Burnett's Twitter page: #TreadingOnTheTailOfCBSIsOnlyGoingToGetYouMauledBadly

Wish that he and Peters had thought about that a while back.

 

[Ion]

*I wonder if IndieGoGo can be a 'Doe' in the lawsuit. They are currently profiting from a project that's violating IP, which is against their TOS.

That's a tough one to even guess at.

I suspect that IndieGoGo would normally be protected by the difficulty of making a case against them. They have clear terms of service, and one of those terms is that you must own or have license to all of the IP related to your campaign. Thus the blame could shift to Axanar, as they violated IGG's terms of service.

But if the rumors are true and IGG was knowingly and actively competing for Axanar's business, it might muddy the waters. They had to know what was involved in the campaign, which I would guess would be something along the lines of "contributory infringement," or however it's stated legally.

But IGG would still be a much tougher nut to crack than little ol' Axanar Productions.

And going after IGG and/or Kickstarter really could be the kind of PR shitstorm that Axanar Productions only wishes the "fan backlash" would turn into.

Yeah, I'm thinking probably not.

 

[Tosk]

UPDATE: I just discovered that it's now disclosed on the indiegogo page, most of the way down the page, in tiny little print.

It's listed twice (the other one is near the top of the page) and it is in the same size text as everything else.

PLEASE NOTE: As of 1/30/15 Axanar Productions has been served...

January 30th, 2015?! The what?

 

[lurok]

I know we're all treading water a bit now while wait for next development...but I'm still amazed people are continuing to contribute to that indiegogo even with all the negative publicity.

 

[starburst]

UPDATE: I just discovered that it's now disclosed on the indiegogo page, most of the way down the page, in tiny little print.

It's listed twice (the other one is near the top of the page) and it is in the same size text as everything else.

PLEASE NOTE: As of 1/30/15 Axanar Productions has been served...

January 30th, 2015?! The what?

I am guessing its a typo and should have read 12/30/2015

 

[Amaris]

I know we're all treading water a bit now while wait for next development...but I'm still amazed people are continuing to contribute to that indiegogo even with all the negative publicity.

It's the same people who stood on the tilting deck of the Titanic and proclaimed that only a fool would step off of the nice, warm ship, just to drift away in a flimsy lifeboat.

 

[lurok]

Just to broaden the memes...I really should be working, but couldn't resist this : D

 

[Maurice]

Just to broaden the memes...I really should be working, but couldn't resist this : D

Now "EPIC KICK-ASS LEGAL ACTION".

 

[lurok]

Now "EPIC KICK-ASS LEGAL ACTION".

I did say I should have been working

 

[Woulfe]

Something I saw posted on Twitter at Burnett's Twitter page: #TreadingOnTheTailOfCBSIsOnlyGoingToGetYouMauledBadly

Wish that he and Peters had thought about that a while back.

I think Burnett might have woken up and smelled the Axanar Coffee, well, so to speak that is, not literally mind you ;-)

 

[Maurice]

Something I saw posted on Twitter at Burnett's Twitter page: #TreadingOnTheTailOfCBSIsOnlyGoingToGetYouMauledBadly

Wish that he and Peters had thought about that a while back.

I think Burnett might have woken up and smelled the Axanar Coffee, well, so to speak that is, not literally mind you ;-)

??? So, someone posted it @ him. He sure didn't post it.

 

[Woulfe]

Something I saw posted on Twitter at Burnett's Twitter page: #TreadingOnTheTailOfCBSIsOnlyGoingToGetYouMauledBadly

Wish that he and Peters had thought about that a while back.

I think Burnett might have woken up and smelled the Axanar Coffee, well, so to speak that is, not literally mind you ;-)

??? So, someone posted it @ him. He sure didn't post it.

I donno I don't follow Burnett or Peters on Twitter, don't want to start, just to find out, or watch the bridges burn down.

 

[Karzak]

UPDATE: I just discovered that it's now disclosed on the indiegogo page, most of the way down the page, in tiny little print.

It's listed twice (the other one is near the top of the page) and it is in the same size text as everything else.

PLEASE NOTE: As of 1/30/15 Axanar Productions has been served...

January 30th, 2015?! The what?

If true, then that's really, really bad. But it's probably a typo. Peters isn't exactly Ernest Lehman, and if Burnett's sad appearance on the I Stand With CBS page is to be believed, even his precious Axanar script had to be "completely re-written" by Burnett and Bill Hunt before it could go before cameras.

Just to broaden the memes...I really should be working, but couldn't resist this : D

Now "EPIC KICK-ASS LEGAL ACTION".

 

[Karzak]

Apparently, Burnett came back the FB group to comment some more after I went to bed last night and deposited this little turd over night:

Robert Meyer Burnett said:

I hope all of you bought the I LOVE LUCY, BONANZA and THE FUGITIVE restorations CBS Home Video painstakingly provided. CBS spent a great deal of money restoring those shows. I was astonished how much time and effort went into those home video releases. Of course, it goes without saying all of you own the STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION Blu-rays CBS spent MILLIONS of dollars creating HD masters for...right?!? Having worked on those special features for three years, I'm so glad to see such a loyal fan base here. It's really too bad TREK loyalists didn't buy more copies, because I really wanted DS9 on Blu. But you guys seem to be at the forefront of supporting everything CBS has done for TREK. I stand for CBS too, because I know how much time and effort they put into the TNG restoration, an effort unprecedented in television history. I'm sure every TREK loyalist displays their TNG blus right next to their most valued possessions. I know I do.

Link

I mean... now it's the fans' fault? Is this guy a piece of work or what?

 

[Maurice]

Hey if we support CBS's position we are morally required to buy all their stuff.

Not.

 

[SPCTRE]

Hey if we support CBS's position we are morally required to buy all their stuff.

Not.

You're such a hypocrite.

You can easily prove me wrong by posting a picture of your Blu-ray shelf.*















*I'll actually have to see a picture with the receipts for all seven seasons of TNG on Blu-ray as well.

 

[oswriter]

Apparently, Burnett came back the FB group to comment some more after I went to bed last night and deposited this little turd over night:

Robert Meyer Burnett said:

I hope all of you bought the I LOVE LUCY, BONANZA and THE FUGITIVE restorations CBS Home Video painstakingly provided. CBS spent a great deal of money restoring those shows. I was astonished how much time and effort went into those home video releases. Of course, it goes without saying all of you own the STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION Blu-rays CBS spent MILLIONS of dollars creating HD masters for...right?!? Having worked on those special features for three years, I'm so glad to see such a loyal fan base here. It's really too bad TREK loyalists didn't buy more copies, because I really wanted DS9 on Blu. But you guys seem to be at the forefront of supporting everything CBS has done for TREK. I stand for CBS too, because I know how much time and effort they put into the TNG restoration, an effort unprecedented in television history. I'm sure every TREK loyalist displays their TNG blus right next to their most valued possessions. I know I do.

Link

I mean... now it's the fans' fault? Is this guy a piece of work or what?

Hey, I didn't "buy" a Blu-ray. I received a "perk" for making a donation to support Amazon's infrastructure costs.

 

[northstar]

Apparently, Burnett came back the FB group to comment some more after I went to bed last night and deposited this little turd over night:

Robert Meyer Burnett said:

I hope all of you bought the I LOVE LUCY, BONANZA and THE FUGITIVE restorations CBS Home Video painstakingly provided. CBS spent a great deal of money restoring those shows. I was astonished how much time and effort went into those home video releases. Of course, it goes without saying all of you own the STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION Blu-rays CBS spent MILLIONS of dollars creating HD masters for...right?!? Having worked on those special features for three years, I'm so glad to see such a loyal fan base here. It's really too bad TREK loyalists didn't buy more copies, because I really wanted DS9 on Blu. But you guys seem to be at the forefront of supporting everything CBS has done for TREK. I stand for CBS too, because I know how much time and effort they put into the TNG restoration, an effort unprecedented in television history. I'm sure every TREK loyalist displays their TNG blus right next to their most valued possessions. I know I do.

Link

I mean... now it's the fans' fault? Is this guy a piece of work or what?

He did not say that - and in fact it is nothing new really. CBS was disappointed by the sales numbers of the BluRays, therefor no DS9, as this would be even more expensive to produce.

 

[Trekkin]

The sort of people that would create any kind of Facebook page about a Star Trek fan film, are probably the people most likely to have brought the restorations. The attempt at passive aggressive guilt-slinging is bizarre.

And no mention of the TOS and ENT blurays that no-doubt also had a lot of work put into them? Wonder why that could be...