I would think anything Axanar related would be on hold for the time being.
CBS/Paramount sues to stop Axanar
- Thread starter Richard Baker
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I would think anything Axanar related would be on hold for the time being.
Whose autograph?
Call your hero's starship the Centennial Eagle, and for fun, have him refer to it fondly as "the great bird of the galaxy."
This whole thing reminds me of when a student thinks it's not plagiarism because, "I changed the words around."
You would think...
...Except for Axanar - the last I checked, they seem to be proceeding like nothing has happened.
Steampunk?
Wow, so I just caught up. This is awful. Am I justified in fearing that Axanar could mess it up for every other fan film out there?
Soliciting donations for a fan film was unheard of in the early days of NV. They turned away money every time it was offered. The show was funded largely on Elvis Impersonation money, for heaven's sake!
Now here we are, and these guys are earning a salary?? And defending themselves by saying it is below industry average? The industry average for fan films is $0! Other than some nominal amount paid to union actors, earning money from such a labour of love is the last thing any true Trek fanatic should worry about.
This is just so worrisome. I liked the trailer for Axanar, sure, but if every fan film starts getting C&D orders than there will be an explosion of vitriol and it won't be directed at CBS. This is just crazy.
Soliciting donations for a fan film was unheard of in the early days of NV. They turned away money every time it was offered. The show was funded largely on Elvis Impersonation money, for heaven's sake!
Now here we are, and these guys are earning a salary?? And defending themselves by saying it is below industry average? The industry average for fan films is $0! Other than some nominal amount paid to union actors, earning money from such a labour of love is the last thing any true Trek fanatic should worry about.
This is just so worrisome. I liked the trailer for Axanar, sure, but if every fan film starts getting C&D orders than there will be an explosion of vitriol and it won't be directed at CBS. This is just crazy.
I'm cautiously optimistic.
If I'm CBS/Paramount and I want to shut down fan films in general, I don't file a single lawsuit against the "largest" production; I file lots of lawsuits against all of them, or at least send them immediate C&D's. CBS/Paramount have enough money, and most likely enough legal muscle, to take on more than one small fry at a time and win handily.
That nobody else has been C&D'd, Rengades and others are still up on YouTube (which is an easy one to hit with a DMCA notice), etc., suggests to me that this is exactly what it looks like: CBS/Paramount feel that Axanar specifically overstepped the line.
Of course, I'm not CBS and/or Paramount, nor am I affiliated with them in any way, so take that with a pound of salt or so.
Ah, the 284th Rule of Acquisition.
They were filmed. Reportedly, New Voyages removed all pictures of the shoot from their Facebook in the past few days.
Haven't seen this one here yet. Much to my surprise, it would seem that Jerry Doyle (of B5 fame) is also drinking the Kool-Aid.
I think I'll just... get back to work.
Doyle's a butthead from way back. It would be difficult for him to say something stupid enough to surprise me.
Ironic, considering JMS tends, or use to, shut down fans trying to make a buck on B5.
Um, the coffee uses, inter alia, the following IP:-
1) Klingons
2) Klingon iconography
3) A TNG matte painting
4) A Klingon ship based off canon design
5) A federation ship using multiple design elements from the IP
Seriously, what planet is Peters on??
Axanar. Duh!
(jk). I think one C&D to Hansa should do the trick.
From a trademark standpoint, Peters may have a case. None of the words used to advertise the coffee are actually trademarked. I checked, and the only one that comes close is "Andorian," where there's an expired trademark related to the old 1970s Mego toys.
Now the artwork is more problematic. Looking at the "Decaf-6," "House of Kharn," and "Izarian Gold" labels, I think CBS could argue, with justification, all infringe on their copyrights. The Kharn label, for example, features a clear recreation of the Klingon Great Hall seen in TNG.
He can't possibly, actually believe that... Of the 4 coffees I've seen, 3 had pretty clear CBS IP on it:
- The word "Andorian" and a picture of Andoria
- The Qo'Nos matte painting from TNG and a Klingon likeness
- The D-6 coffee isn't CBS IP, but the design is definitely derivative of the D-7 that CBS owns
- The Izarian coffee isn't CBS IP, but is "Izarian" and the ship design are definitely a derivative work of the classic TOS designs
Edit: Whoops, late to the game.
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And yet a Klingon battle cruiser and something that looks an awful lot like the Klingon High Council Chambers appear on the coffee. Not to mention the design of the Klingons, a Klingon and the name Andorian appear on the coffee.
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