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CBS/Paramount sues to stop Axanar

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I am concerned with many of the senior staff who are really good guys (like Terry) that want to stick in there with Alec, during the lawsuit.

If any of the Axanar crew is reading:

Dear Axanar Crew,

I implore you to get out now, while you still can. There are 20 Doe defendants still to be named and it could be you! There is almost no way Alec can win this case, the odds are stacked against him. While I admire you comradery to your team, and dedication as a Star Trek fan, you need to think of yourself and you family! Is this really losing your shirt over? Please consider this situation carefully as it is very serious. Should Alec somehow succeed, then you can consider rejoining the team at a later date. If I we in Alec's shoes I would urge you all to leave the team, and shoulder the charges myself. While Captains do go down with there ships, there is no reason the crew needs to remain. Again, think of your families and your livelihood and your future prospects, is this worth it?

Tom, it's pretty obvious the lawyers know who most of the Doe defendants actually are. I suspect they only named Peters in the complaint--heck, they didn't even name Burnett--because they are clearly trying to give the staff a chance to abandon ship and force the production to shut down.

The complaint indicates that they don't know who all of them are, but it'll be really easy for them to find out. In fact, it's all over the interwebs.
 

My favorite: "And the donors are already working on a class action against CBS/Paramount, so let the games begin."

Good plan. And then Paramount's lawyers will amend their complaint to name all the Axanar donors as co-defendants.

Hell no.... I have to get my name stricken off that list....

I can't see how any class action could have any legal merit until the initial suit was completed... I can't imagine any lawyer who is worth their salt would take any such case.... (although I am sure many out there not worth their salt would)
 
In the complaint, I think this is the key bit:

The Axanar Works are intended to be professional quality productions that, by Defendants’ own admission, unabashedly take Paramount’s and CBS’s intellectual property and aim to “look and feel like a true Star Trek movie.” On information and belief, Defendants have raised over $1 million so far to produce these works, including building out a studio and hiring actors, set designers, and costume designers.

Indeed. Honestly, all the lawyers have to do is have the judge listen to all of Peters and Burnett's podcasts where they talk about their professional-level production. I mean, they're basically 1960s Batman villains telling you their entire plan.
 
I am concerned with many of the senior staff who are really good guys (like Terry) that want to stick in there with Alec, during the lawsuit.

If any of the Axanar crew is reading:

Dear Axanar Crew,

I implore you to get out now, while you still can. There are 20 Doe defendants still to be named and it could be you! There is almost no way Alec can win this case, the odds are stacked against him. While I admire you comradery to your team, and dedication as a Star Trek fan, you need to think of yourself and you family! Is this really losing your shirt over? Please consider this situation carefully as it is very serious. Should Alec somehow succeed, then you can consider rejoining the team at a later date. If I we in Alec's shoes I would urge you all to leave the team, and shoulder the charges myself. While Captains do go down with there ships, there is no reason the crew needs to remain. Again, think of your families and your livelihood and your future prospects, is this worth it?

Tom, it's pretty obvious the lawyers know who most of the Doe defendants actually are. I suspect they only named Peters in the complaint--heck, they didn't even name Burnett--because they are clearly trying to give the staff a chance to abandon ship and force the production to shut down.

I think this is the case... just suck all the talent out...
 
For any of you doing fan products out there, guys, you're *not* Hollywood professionals. Don't get big-headed. There's enough of that from those who are professionals at times.

This.

Yep. I think too many fanfilm makers and followers suffer from delusions of grandeur. I like the fanfilm guys and gals whose attitude are always "we're making what we want and if other people like it, cool," and no one freaks out of people don't like it or even ridicule it.
 
I am concerned with many of the senior staff who are really good guys (like Terry) that want to stick in there with Alec, during the lawsuit.

If any of the Axanar crew is reading:

Dear Axanar Crew,

I implore you to get out now, while you still can. There are 20 Doe defendants still to be named and it could be you! There is almost no way Alec can win this case, the odds are stacked against him. While I admire you comradery to your team, and dedication as a Star Trek fan, you need to think of yourself and you family! Is this really losing your shirt over? Please consider this situation carefully as it is very serious. Should Alec somehow succeed, then you can consider rejoining the team at a later date. If I we in Alec's shoes I would urge you all to leave the team, and shoulder the charges myself. While Captains do go down with there ships, there is no reason the crew needs to remain. Again, think of your families and your livelihood and your future prospects, is this worth it?

Tom, it's pretty obvious the lawyers know who most of the Doe defendants actually are. I suspect they only named Peters in the complaint--heck, they didn't even name Burnett--because they are clearly trying to give the staff a chance to abandon ship and force the production to shut down.

The complaint indicates that they don't know who all of them are, but it'll be really easy for them to find out. In fact, it's all over the interwebs.

This is true, but if they leave now there maybe less of a chance of them getting in trouble. I know some of these guys and am worried about them. I don't want to see any of them lose there shirts because there leader was reckless. These people love Star Trek and they should not be punished for trying to create something from there passion.
 
Well, Fan Productions are nice and dandy and grass roots and done in a great spirit when the big studio hasn't a project going.

But when you've got blockbusters coming out left, right and centre and a budding series in the offing you've got one twitchy, trigger happy studio on the one side and on the other side, every idealist and/or hustler trying muscle in on it.

This unsightly debacle will probably have the studio kill off all fan productions I assume.
 
Well, Fan Productions are nice and dandy and grass roots and done in a great spirit when the big studio hasn't a project going.

But when you've got blockbusters coming out left, right and centre and a budding series in the offing you've got one twitchy, trigger happy studio on the one side and on the other side, every idealist and/or hustler trying muscle in on it.

This unsightly debacle will probably have the studio kill off all fan productions I assume.

I think if anything CBS may tighten the ship... issue C&D's on fundraisers.. maybe shut down productions that pay people..

I mean, no disrespect to Renegades, Tom... but I don't know how one could be a "fan film" and consider themselves a "fan film" and pay people...
 
Tom, it's pretty obvious the lawyers know who most of the Doe defendants actually are. I suspect they only named Peters in the complaint--heck, they didn't even name Burnett--because they are clearly trying to give the staff a chance to abandon ship and force the production to shut down.

The complaint indicates that they don't know who all of them are, but it'll be really easy for them to find out. In fact, it's all over the interwebs.

This is true, but if they leave now there maybe less of a chance of them getting in trouble. I know some of these guys and am worried about them. I don't want to see any of them lose there shirts because there leader was reckless. These people love Star Trek and they should not be punished for trying to create something from there passion.

Tom, the more I look at this case, the more it seems to me the studios are making this about Peters. There's a reason he's the only individual named in this complaint. This does not strike me as an attempt to punish the larger fan film community.
 
There is only one, final question regarding this whole sad affair that I really want an answer to:

Where's the goddamned "Hitler Reacts To The Axanar Lawsuit" video?

You know it'll be classic. :lol:
 
Come on Squiggy! Make it! Peters and Burnett have basically written their dialogue for it already with their temper tantrum rants. :lol:
 
My first reaction just now when logging in was, "WOW, my account still works!" (the second reaction was "oh my god I've been registered on this site for something like 15 years, oh my god oh my god")

I only logged in to say that it is an absolute joy to see that this thread is almost universally attended by people with common sense and an understanding of how our industry operates (more or less). Thank you all for being sane.

*disappears*
 
It occured to me while reading more posts here that it's not just about the small amount CBS might lose if every Axanar person boycotted the new Trek film* and whether CBS/Paramount are in the right. Over a fifteen years now they've given us bad Trek series and films, essentially given the middle finger to the core base in hopes of rekindling it with a newer base that will accept soft rebooting and even re-visioning if it comes to that, and then gave us the Godawful TNG film send off. There's a festering anger about what they've done to Trek and what they continue to do to Trek, and whether they are right or wrong, whether Axanad Peters is coo coo for Cocoa Puffs, or what ever, I think something of a tipping point has been creeping in and how CBS and/or Paramount handles this case and the innocent people involved in aspects of the production such as the composer (to pick a random person), will determine a good deal of just how much backlash there really will be. It'll go beyond simply boycotting one film.

* = I should say, even if they manage a 100% Axanar fan boycott and ahieve that small lose for the upcoming Beyond, that's not necessarily the only profit they could lose. There is also foreign box office and DVD/Blu-ray sales, along with merchandising. Then of course there's how the case is handled. There's a lot of pent up anger from a good deal of Trekkies from Voyager onward, and this just might be the prelude to something bigger. OR maybe not. I just feel this is different now.
But I have to feel that as small as a million dollars is, CBS would certainly take note that some fan film production they took to court cost them a million dollars revenue. I don't think such a thing would have even remotely happened ten years ago. The tide is a changin'.
 
It occured to me while reading more posts here that it's not just about the small amount CBS might lose if every Axanar person boycotted the new Trek film* and whether CBS/Paramount are in the right. Over a fifteen years now they've given us bad Trek series and films, essentially given the middle finger to the core base in hopes of rekindling it with a newer base that will accept soft rebooting and even re-visioning if it comes to that, and then gave us the Godawful TNG film send off. There's a festering anger about what they've done to Trek and what they continue to do to Trek, and whether they are right or wrong, whether Axanad Peters is coo coo for Cocoa Puffs, or what ever, I think something of a tipping point has been creeping in and how CBS and/or Paramount handles this case and the innocent people involved in aspects of the production such as the composer (to pick a random person), will determine a good deal of just how much backlash there really will be. It'll go beyond simply boycotting one film.

* = I should say, even if they manage a 100% Axanar fan boycott and ahieve that small lose for the upcoming Beyond, that's not necessarily the only profit they could lose. There is also foreign box office and DVD/Blu-ray sales, along with merchandising. Then of course there's how the case is handled. There's a lot of pent up anger from a good deal of Trekkies from Voyager onward, and this just might be the prelude to something bigger. OR maybe not. I just feel this is different now.
But I have to feel that as small as a million dollars is, CBS would certainly take note that some fan film production they took to court cost them a million dollars revenue. I don't think such a thing would have even remotely happened ten years ago. The tide is a changin'.

I must disagree... This is, to use the quaint American phrase, a small amount of butt hurt from fans who spew nothing but bad stuff. CBS is not going to miss a million dollars in the long term...

Me, personally, I liked Voyager although I feel that Janeway should have been Court Martialed the moment Voyager reached Spacedock for a good number of events during the series run - I think some website once did that for real - and as for Enterprise... well at least S3 and S4 were okay.

My only complaint with Star Trek XI was that Kirk jumped from Cadet to Captain of the Flagship without going through Ensign, Lt jg, Lt, Lt Commander, Commander and THEN Captain. The last two films have given us some great moments - I loved the Enterprise dropping out of warp and firing the phasers (even if they are cannon shots now) at Nero's torpedos.

As for the "Godawful TNG film send off"... Maybe it could have stood to give us a little bit of a better send off, some deleted scenes should have stayed in, but it least it gave me more Lt Jae time on screen *goes off to dream of Lt Jae*
 
Why is it that the "core fanbase" is always described as people who think the JJ-films are bad and embrace "real Trek" via fan productions? I've been a Trek fan for 21 years now. And I like the JJ films. Okay, ST09 was better than STID, but I still like them, and many of the rebooted elements...and I ALSO like classic Trek! Am I not a "real fan"?

I don't think Paramount has been giving anyone the middle finger. They rested the franchise after it suffered from lack of interest and oversaturation, and then rebooted it several years later, breathing new life into a franchise that was basically on life support. That's par for the course for Hollywood.

I liked what I saw of the 2 pieces of Axanar footage we were given. I'm sure I would've enjoyed it had it been made into an actual film, just as I enjoy Star Trek Continues. But why can't I be a fan of both that and the JJ-verse films? Why is that so wrong?
 
Why is it that the "core fanbase" is always described as people who think the JJ-films are bad and embrace "real Trek" via fan productions? I've been a Trek fan for 21 years now. And I like the JJ films. Okay, ST09 was better than STID, but I still like them, and many of the rebooted elements...and I ALSO like classic Trek! Am I not a "real fan"?

I don't think Paramount has been giving anyone the middle finger. They rested the franchise after it suffered from lack of interest and oversaturation, and then rebooted it several years later, breathing new life into a franchise that was basically on life support. That's par for the course for Hollywood.

I liked what I saw of the 2 pieces of Axanar footage we were given. I'm sure I would've enjoyed it had it been made into an actual film, just as I enjoy Star Trek Continues. But why can't I be a fan of both that and the JJ-verse films? Why is that so wrong?

I agree
 
Why is it that the "core fanbase" is always described as people who think the JJ-films are bad and embrace "real Trek" via fan productions?
In practice the term almost always seems to mean 'me and people who agree with me.' I don't think much of gatekeeping frankly; a hypothetical eight year old watching Into Darkness over and over on a Blu-ray is as much a fan as I am.
 
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