CBS/Paramount sues to stop Axanar

[Smoked Salmon]

I'm kind of amazed that people think it's proof of "pocketing money" for people to get salaries from working on a nonprofit venture. $38K a year is just $15K over the poverty line. It is not an outre salary for someone working on a nonprofit venture or proof that someone is being given money for doing nothing.

One Rule, always stood out.... If CBS was clear about anything, was, if, you, the fan, was going to make a "fan film" then you couldn't make money.

I don't care if Peters took $38k, $100k or just $1.00, he drew a salary as producer, he made money...

And the inevitable question to follow, "You do expect him to do this for free do you?" my response, If the guy wants to play with CBS IP and make a fanfilm and not make money
, That's his choice, not mine....

Personally, if it's a "fan film", I'd say yes.

 

[OpenMaw]

Honestly, although there have been some laughs. I'm really starting to become angry with Alec Peters and his compulsive lying and arrogance. Really not funny anymore, dude.

 

[SuperSpaceMan]

I'm kind of amazed that people think it's proof of "pocketing money" for people to get salaries from working on a nonprofit venture. $38K a year is just $15K over the poverty line. It is not an outre salary for someone working on a nonprofit venture or proof that someone is being given money for doing nothing.

One Rule, always stood out.... If CBS was clear about anything, was, if, you, the fan, was going to make a "fan film" then you couldn't make money.

I don't care if Peters took $38k, $100k or just $1.00, he drew a salary as producer, he made money...

And the inevitable question to follow, "You do expect him to do this for free do you?" my response, If the guy wants to play with CBS IP and make a fanfilm and not make money
, That's his choice, not mine....

Personally, if it's a "fan film", I'd say yes.

If he wants to make it, yes it should be for free... If he doesn't want to do it for free, then he simply shouldn't do it...

 

[BigJake]

I actually question the idea of starting any kind of corporation (non-profit or otherwise) to make fan films without written approval from CBS.

I would guess CBS agrees with you. (Nevertheless I kind of doubt Peters "pocketing" 38K was somehow the major breaking point for them. I guess we'll find out.)

 

[Amaris]

I actually question the idea of starting any kind of corporation (non-profit or otherwise) to make fan films without written approval from CBS.

I would guess CBS agrees with you. (Nevertheless I kind of doubt Peters "pocketing" 38K was somehow the major breaking point for them. I guess we'll find out.)

It's not so much the distance he jumped, it's that he jumped over the line at all.

 

[Maurice]

Personally, if it's a "fan film", I'd say yes.

 

[Ion]

I actually question the idea of starting any kind of corporation (non-profit or otherwise) to make fan films without written approval from CBS.

I would guess CBS agrees with you. (Nevertheless I kind of doubt Peters "pocketing" 38K was somehow the major breaking point for them. I guess we'll find out.)

Oh, I agree, I think there was far more to it than that. This is just one small aspect of the whole shit sandwich.

I really wish it had gone better. I was really looking forward to seeing what they produced.

 

[aalenfae]

As far as ST:C goes, the IRS filings that oswriter is talking about indicate that they don't have employees, let alone take salaries, so they're off the hook on point one. Don't know if they sell merchandise; as I said upthread, I know precious little about ST:C or its crew, which I do intend to rectify; color me interested.

STC does not report any merchandise sales in its tax filings. Their Kickstarter "perks" do not include anything like DVDs or the patches that the Axanar campaigns offered. Indeed, STC made it clear in their letter to the IRS they would consider any type of DVD sales a violation of CBS copyright.

The thing is, the newest Star Trek Continues Kickstarter did actually offer merchandise as donor perks. DVDs and Blu-Rays are both offered. Not to mention cast photos (which may or may not have them appearing in IP-infringing costumes. Not sure about that one)

 

[Red Shirt]

In case anyone was wondering, yes indeed, people are still contributing toAxanar's indiegogo.

Near as I can tell, their Indiegogo page says nothing about the lawsuit. The closest I can find is by following the link to their own web site, where the homepage has a tiny mention down in the blog section at the very bottom of the page, where not everyone will look. Oh, and one comment asking about it, with no replies.

This is amazingly shady. I'm wondering if the folks at Indiegogo are even aware that Axanar is under threat of an injunction with a high probability that said injunction will be granted in the next few weeks...

IMNSHO, the first thing the Axanar crew should have done is posted a warning about it on their Indiegogo page. Continuing to accept donations is one thing; but doing so without warning the donors about the legal issue is quite another. That they did not, suggests to me that they don't really care about the donors as long as they keep sending money.

I filled out a complaint at Indiegogo about Alec Peters and Axanar to the Indiegogo staff regarding the lawsuit pertaining to copyright violations. Apparently copyright violations are big no no at Indiegogo. Perhaps Indiegogo will look into the matter closing down Axanar donations.

 

[BigJake]

I really wish it had gone better. I was really looking forward to seeing what they produced.

Peters is quite clearly his own worst enemy.

 

[Smoked Salmon]

As far as ST:C goes, the IRS filings that oswriter is talking about indicate that they don't have employees, let alone take salaries, so they're off the hook on point one. Don't know if they sell merchandise; as I said upthread, I know precious little about ST:C or its crew, which I do intend to rectify; color me interested.

STC does not report any merchandise sales in its tax filings. Their Kickstarter "perks" do not include anything like DVDs or the patches that the Axanar campaigns offered. Indeed, STC made it clear in their letter to the IRS they would consider any type of DVD sales a violation of CBS copyright.

The thing is, the newest Star Trek Continues Kickstarter did actually offer merchandise as donor perks. DVDs and Blu-Rays are both offered. Not to mention cast photos (which may or may not have them appearing in IP-infringing costumes. Not sure about that one)

A signed photo of Vic?

Where can I get this cherished piece of merchandise? I'm willing to pay at least £1.

 

[Smoked Salmon]

I really wish it had gone better. I was really looking forward to seeing what they produced.

Peters is quite clearly his own worst enemy.

Without question. A textbook case of narcissistic personality disorder.

 

[Ion]

I really wish it had gone better. I was really looking forward to seeing what they produced.

Peters is quite clearly his own worst enemy.

Amen.

What bugs me the most is that I can't suss out his intentions. He might be a gifted grifter, or he might just be delusional enough to actually believe his own press.

 

[KennyB]

I really wish it had gone better. I was really looking forward to seeing what they produced.

Peters is quite clearly his own worst enemy.

Amen.

What bugs me the most is that I can't suss out his intentions. He might be a gifted grifter, or he might just be delusional enough to actually believe his own press.

I'm the same.........I think he started off meaning well and then was seduced by the dark side.

 

[Amaris]

I really wish it had gone better. I was really looking forward to seeing what they produced.

Peters is quite clearly his own worst enemy.

Amen.

What bugs me the most is that I can't suss out his intentions. He might be a gifted grifter, or he might just be delusional enough to actually believe his own press.

I generally believe he's both. He started off innocently enough, realized that he could do so much more than just a fan film, and found ways to milk the fans for more money, but ended up believing his own vision of what could be.

Just my two bits, though.

 

[jamestyler]

I'm kind of amazed that people think it's proof of "pocketing money" for people to get salaries from working on a nonprofit venture. $38K a year is just $15K over the poverty line. It is not an outre salary for someone working on a nonprofit venture or proof that someone is being given money for doing nothing.

[Look, "non-profit" does not mean and has never meant that there is no income and nobody is paid. It makes people sound profoundly ignorant to talk that way and they should stop.

Non-profit is an often misused term, but the financial aspect of this is very important - even if we were to take Peters' words as law.

This is supposed to be a fan film. He said CBS Was cool with that as long as no money was made.

It's bugger all to do with how the logistics of a non prof work. He made money. He has gained financial reward. Ignoring the studio, mentions of it's future and financial gain; even by the one rule he lays claim to CBS giving him, he has broken it and earned something.

And worse - He's admitted nice and openly in that report that all this money never had to be spent or raised. He never had to spend that time, he never had to build a studio, he never had to do any of this - they decided money raised was better spent elsewhere, and a portion of that money best spent elsewhere involved taking himself to conventions, paying his other half and paying himself.

It may be the norm for a legitimate non profit, or any number of other tags he's given himself. But no matter how the words are spun, he has broken terms, broken the law and misrepresented himself and how he intended to spend that money that was kindly given to him by trusting fans who will never see it again, nor anything come from their donation.

....this may be lengthy, but I lost it earlier as the amount of people defending this absolute nonsense it beyond belief!

 

[BigJake]

Ion: Oh, I don't think he's a grifter at all, and I think he completely believes his own press. I'd go so far as to say I think he even had some of the necessary chops to get there; Prelude wasn't peanuts, and it did a lot for his credibility.

But there comes a point where whatever else is going on just drags him under. Christian Gossett's transition to hostility was a major sign that in retrospect I was reluctant to fully heed; if I'd known about Tony Todd jumping ship back when it happened I'd likewise have been far less optimistic about Axanar surviving, and it's very telling that he lied about it. (In his mind I'll bet it probably even wasn't lying at first, it was just a short-term problem he was going to fix. It just crept into deception amid false self-certainty, day by day.)

 

[Red Shirt]

Peters is quite clearly his own worst enemy.

Amen.

What bugs me the most is that I can't suss out his intentions. He might be a gifted grifter, or he might just be delusional enough to actually believe his own press.

I'm the same.........I think he started off meaning well and then was seduced by the dark side.

That's what happens when an unbridled ego and lack of impulse control meets a lot of money. Like throwing gasoline on a fire.

 

[Smoked Salmon]

Christian Gossett's transition to hostility

Oh?

 

[BigJake]

^ Came up a few months back, yes. Christian Gossett departed Axanar and grew openly hostile to Peters, like so (just a f'rinstance).