CBS/Paramount sues to stop Axanar

[OtherGene]

Per RMB: "I'm gonna' shoot some awesome scene recreations on our sets."

Will that include recreation of scenes showing the marketing and sales of Axanar coffee, model kits and other merch? A room full of undelivered perks?

I suspect not.

M

It could feature some scenes re-enacting events that took place, though. Like those god-awful daytime programmes about murder, kidnapping etc etc.

V/O "And then I got the call the coffee had been cancelled"

Black and white slow motion shot of Alec thumping table.

V/O "But that was just the start of our problems"

 

[oswriter]

It could feature some scenes re-enacting events that took place, though. Like those god-awful daytime programmes about murder, kidnapping etc etc.

V/O "And then I got the call the coffee had been cancelled"

Black and white slow motion shot of Alec thumping table.

V/O "But that was just the start of our problems"

There's a "Rescue 911" with Shatner sketch in this idea.

 

[mos6507]

The other day I mentioned a long-running Federal Trade Commission case against a defendant who tried to create loopholes. Well, when the FTC ordered the defendant to cease publishing materials that contained false and misleading health claims, the defendant's next move was to publish a book explaining how the government was out to get him and that he was the real victim. The book, of course, repeated all of the false and misleading claims that got him into trouble in the first place. And the FTC was not amused.

Plenty of people who get in trouble with law attempt to peddle that into some sort of I'm the victim narrative. G Gordon Liddy, for instance.

 

[jespah]

Thank you @Fenrir767 @Professor Zoom and @Earthrise - much to think about that! This helps SO much.

 

[muCephi]

wonder what this is?
https://twitter.com/AxaMonitor/status/747720955083001858?lang=en-gb

Some things just beg for overvoiced/popup bubbled/folded-in interview counterpoint/said-the-exact-opposite reenactment YouTube fair use productions.

Good thing they didn't piss off anyone with those skills or knowledge of any such material.

 

[oswriter]

Plenty of people who get in trouble with law attempt to peddle that into some sort of I'm the victim narrative. G Gordon Liddy, for instance.

Except in this case the FTC went after the guy a second time, arguing his book violated the terms of the first order.

 

[fireproof78]

WTF. That is so wrong.

Trey and company at www.pinkfive.com whatever they want but that doesn't mean I have to like it there are plenty of ways to monetize a project. I never said the project look bad or was bad I just don't like the way he feels like monetizing it but to each their own.

The 5 dollar fee is for all three episodes and you can stream it for 3 months.

But, feel free to leave your comments. I'll forward them along to Trey.

 

[RCAM]

No one is arguing that it's bad value for the money. They're arguing that charging anything isn't kosher.

I'd never heard of this outfit before and don't have a strong feeling about it. But it's not unfair to suggest charging a rental fee for a fan film isn't the best look.

 

[Admiral2]

Didn't you just contradict your earlier statement? It's not a requirement at all!

It wasn't my earlier statement. It was George RR Martin's, and it is a requirement if you want to keep the copyright. A copyright that is continually infringed upon that the owner does not defend can be legally said to be abandoned.

A copyright must be defended. The defense does not have to be selective.

And we are all damned lucky CBS and Paramount aren't defending their rights the way George Martin defends his. They could have killed fan everything. They didn't. They compromised. And I just wish everybody would stop whining about it.

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

wonder what this is?
https://twitter.com/AxaMonitor/status/747720955083001858?lang=en-gb

RMB proposed doing a documentary like this after the legal battles. Guess, he felt now was the time. He actually tried to do a call for "haters" on Facebook, so he could get the other side. I offered to be interviewed. He expressed interest than never followed up. And he's since blocked me on Twitter. And I've blocked him on Facebook.

Apparently, RMB will be filming parts of this at San Diego Comic Con. Can't I go to one event where these blowhards don't show up? Where they don't make the event about them?

They've been at every SDCC for the past few years. And every year I run into one of them. Last year it was RMB at the hotel bar pontification on "True STAR TREK." Ugh.

Robert Meyer Burnett and Alec Peters masturbating over each other for two hours, while shitting on every other fan film (except Ambush!) and blaming CBS for everything they themselves brought about.

I doubt it'll be objective. Of course, it's their prerogative to make it subjective. But even then you can be fair. They won't be fair to their haters-detractors-heathens or whatever word they're currently using for people who object to their operations.

It'll be how they're standing up for all Fan Films, Trekkies and all of STAR TREK. Peters as the hero with RMB as his Sancho. And David Gerrold as the legend behind them both. Screw that noise.

 

[Professor Zoom]

It wasn't my earlier statement. It was George RR Martin's, and it is a requirement if you want to keep the copyright. A copyright that is continually infringed upon that the owner does not defend can be legally said to be abandoned.

That. Is. Trademark.

 

[BillJ]

They've been at every SDCC for the past few years. And every year I run into one of them.

And I'm sure the donors are footing the bill. Nice movie they got.

 

[aalenfae]

That. Is. Trademark.

Yep. A copyright holder needs to consciously and willingly release their material into the public domain in order to abandon it. It can't happen accidentally or by neglect.

 

[Brendan Moody]

That. Is. Trademark.

Exactly. George R. R. Martin is simply wrong in that linked post. He's a writer, not an intellectual property lawyer, and he's trying to defend an instinctive aversion to fan fiction, with his misunderstanding of copyright and with his reductive theory about Burroughs and Lovecraft. He walked both back in a subsequent post. The novelist Nick Mamatas wrote a response that points out some of the holes in Martin's thinking.

 

[fireproof78]

No one is arguing that it's bad value for the money. They're arguing that charging anything isn't kosher.

I'd never heard of this outfit before and don't have a strong feeling about it. But it's not unfair to suggest charging a rental fee for a fan film isn't the best look.

That's fair. I guess I've been in the SW fan film scene much longer than the Star Trek one, and have been aware of multiple projects that have different ways of support, not just Kickstarter.

And, as I said, Lucasfilm is aware of the project, and gave it an award. But, that's tangential. It's been out there as a project for a while now, so the outrage is amusing to me.

 

[Sean_McCormick]

This is not a good mental image...

And those of us, who listened to the G&T Show the past weeks also have the accompanying sound effects stuck in their head.

 

[Sgt_G]

From that Twitter exchange:

AxaMonitor ‏@AxaMonitor: @jpbernard82 A documentary would more clearly fall under the fair use provisions of copyright law as a work of news/research/commentary.
​

If it's done in-universe / in-character, it's -NOT- a real documentary. Just shooting a fictional story in a style that looks like a documentary, the so-called "mockumenary", does not change the fact that it's still just a fiction story. This should not fall under "fair use" copyright exemptions.

Robert Meyer Burnett‏@BurnettRM: Once again prepping my Kickstarter for THE BATTLE OF AXANAR documentary. I'm gonna' shoot some awesome scene recreations on our sets.​

Ah, what sets? TrekWorks was there just a couple weeks ago, and you had no sets worth shooting on. Based on what I saw in their tour video, you have at least six to eight weeks of hard work remaining to get them ready to shoot. And given how long you've been working on them, I'd say your pace puts you at six to eight months away from being ready.

 

[BillJ]

...I'd say your pace puts you at six to eight months away from being ready.

Gives him plenty of time to bilk fans through Kickstarter two or three more times.

 

[RCAM]

That's fair. I guess I've been in the SW fan film scene much longer than the Star Trek one, and have been aware of multiple projects that have different ways of support, not just Kickstarter.

And, as I said, Lucasfilm is aware of the project, and gave it an award. But, that's tangential. It's been out there as a project for a while now, so the outrage is amusing to me.

That's interesting that it had touch from Lucas at some point. I'm sure they'd argue implied permission.

Back to 'Battle of Axanar':

EDIT: Maybe I'm misunderstanding, and this is actually a documentary about the lawsuit. Even more reckless, if so.

ORIGINAL COMMENT:
I think this will be the approach:
- Real documentary about FAFSA/Four Years War concept.
- Talking heads (Alec, RBM, etc.) commenting on the history of the idea/why it's cool.
- Talking heads will describe the plot/story (via voice over) while dramatic reenactments play on the screen.

RBM will argue that it's no different than a History Channel documentary reenacting the Revolutionary War.

 

[Professor Zoom]

RBM will argue that it's no different than a History Channel documentary reenacting the Revolutionary War.

But... The Revolutionary War is in the public domain... it's an ACTUAL thing that happened... The History Channel doesn't need to get permission to report (distort) history.