Well, I think whether we have, or have not, signed the petition, I believe it is out of our hands anyway..... So why not just sit back and see what happens........ 
Fanfilm Axanar under attack
- Thread starter ARMORMAN
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- Apr 5, 2013
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We could buy Tomatoes for possibly ruining the chance of any fan made movie ever being made. As technology moves forward, this will be easier, far more easier. The damage they may have done could be far greater than we can anticipate. I hope it doesn't reach out to other activities. They could tell us to get rid of everything Star Trek on this forum, and we would have no choice.
Better start downloading guys!!
Better start downloading guys!!
- Apr 5, 2013
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Geeze Dan, what did you have for dinner! PeeeYouuu....................Oh wait, that was my Cat that just bombed the living room.
Oh my, I knew the forum was interactive, but I had no idea to which extent..! Just gotta open a window..! 
Very interesting read:
http://skipoliva.com/index.php/2016/01/01/star-trek-lawsuit-illustrates-legal-issues-with-fan-films/
(start at the bottom of the page)
http://skipoliva.com/index.php/2016/01/01/star-trek-lawsuit-illustrates-legal-issues-with-fan-films/
(start at the bottom of the page)
- Apr 5, 2013
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We could call it, "The Smello-forum" or, "Stinky-Modelers" or , "The "Lets clear the air craftsman", or, lastly, "Paperfartsmen". The last one makes for a food diorama, sound chip installed
- Apr 5, 2013
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[QUOTE="Revell-Fan, post: 1004752, member:
http://skipoliva.com/index.php/2016/01/01/star-trek-lawsuit-illustrates-legal-issues-with-fan-films/
(start at the bottom of the page)[/QUOTE]
This is a MUST read. It sums this whole situation up perfectly. Great find, Revelle-Fan! fan film attorney
http://skipoliva.com/index.php/2016/01/01/star-trek-lawsuit-illustrates-legal-issues-with-fan-films/
(start at the bottom of the page)[/QUOTE]
This is a MUST read. It sums this whole situation up perfectly. Great find, Revelle-Fan!
fan film attorney
Well looks like ananexar ruined fan films for every one. They made CBS crack down hard.
Fan Films must be less then 30 min long.
No actors that are from star trek allowed (no guest stars)
No profit (this one is a good one)
Now allowed to continue a characters story
And a lot of other stuff (there is a post about it on /r/startrek)
Fan Films must be less then 30 min long.
No actors that are from star trek allowed (no guest stars)
No profit (this one is a good one)
Now allowed to continue a characters story
And a lot of other stuff (there is a post about it on /r/startrek)
I agree on the tricky thing. However, Star Trek is the intellectual property of CBS / Paramount and they have all the rights to determine what is allowed to do with it. In fact, they are forced to do so in order to protect their copyright - or loose it forever. That's the reason why Lucasfilm is so eager to protect their franchises, too.
Nine of the rules are logical and understandable to me. However, the first one (limit to two 15 minute stories only and NO sequels) is hard to accept. This will put an end to all the ambitious fan creations like "Phase II" and "Continues" which is truly sad. I enjoyed them very much. A few days ago I found two excellent ST fan films which are absolutely worth watching (in fact, these and the "Darth Maul: Sith Apprentice" movie are THE BEST fan films I have seen this year):
http://www.startrekhorizon.com/
and this German production (english subtitle available):
I better post them here for you to enjoy before they (might) disappear. I say that because I am really curious to know what will happen to all the fan films which are still out there (Hidden Frontier, Helena Chronicles, New Voyages etc.). Will they be allowed to stay on YT or will they have to be taken offline within the next few weeks? I have no idea.
However, there is still s glimpse of hope (and hope dies last ): CBS / Paramount call these "guidelines" which means that a fan production follwing them is quite safe from getting a C & D letter from them. So you may still have fun. In a limited time frame. The final paragraph is very important: It is up to the property owner to revise or withdraw these guidelines for whatever reason. My hope is that the ambitious fan productions like "Phase II" and "Continues" which have been around for quite some time reach out to CBS / Paramount to achieve some sort of agreement to release the episodes which are still in post-production (6 in total if I am correct) and to end the shows properly - or to continue under special terms. AFAIK these two did not do any harm to the franchise and at least Cawley had good relations with CBS / Paramount. Of course that would open a huge can of worms (people might argue, why them and not us?) but, well, who knows. So there might be hope. The future will tell what happens.
I have noticed that a lot of controversy was created by paragraph #4:
"If the fan production uses commercially-available Star Trek uniforms, accessories, toys and props, these items must be official merchandise and not bootleg items or imitations of such commercially available products."
(source: CBS / Paramount press release)
Does that mean that you are forced to buy the Anovos costumes and official props at all costs? I guess - only IF you choose to buy them. So IF you buy a uniform or a prop it must be an officially licensed item. IF you choose to tailor your own suits - you may do so because then you do NOT use a commercially-available costume. It is part of the fan effort. Now you may argue, that's an imitation and that's not allowed. Well, I would say, yes, but your own imitation is not a commercially-available item and thus no official merchandise. You made it yourself and you are free to use it. It is a bit tricky to understand but I guess you got my meaning.
There is a wild discussion going on on trekmovie.com . One of the participants called the first paragraph (length limitation and no serials) the "Axanar Rule". I really like that term. Because IMO CBS / Paramount would not have put out these guidelines if they hadn't been poked by "Axanar". I don't want to start a flame war here (and I don't want anyone to do that; this is a peaceful forum and I don't want to see this change), but it is clear to me that this movie and the attitude of the one(s?) responsible caused the whole trouble. CBS / Paramount simply answered to a real threat to their intellectual porperty. The way they did may be hard but it is their decision. And that has to be respected. By anyone... Or not? The law suit is still ongoing, they are in settlements, the new guide lines clearly forbid a film like "Axanar", and the team behind "Axanar" has nothing better to do than to release two more trailers just after the guide lines have been revealed? That seems very stupid to me. But who am I to judge?
Nine of the rules are logical and understandable to me. However, the first one (limit to two 15 minute stories only and NO sequels) is hard to accept. This will put an end to all the ambitious fan creations like "Phase II" and "Continues" which is truly sad. I enjoyed them very much. A few days ago I found two excellent ST fan films which are absolutely worth watching (in fact, these and the "Darth Maul: Sith Apprentice" movie are THE BEST fan films I have seen this year):
http://www.startrekhorizon.com/
and this German production (english subtitle available):
I better post them here for you to enjoy before they (might) disappear. I say that because I am really curious to know what will happen to all the fan films which are still out there (Hidden Frontier, Helena Chronicles, New Voyages etc.). Will they be allowed to stay on YT or will they have to be taken offline within the next few weeks? I have no idea.
However, there is still s glimpse of hope (and hope dies last
): CBS / Paramount call these "guidelines" which means that a fan production follwing them is quite safe from getting a C & D letter from them. So you may still have fun. In a limited time frame. The final paragraph is very important: It is up to the property owner to revise or withdraw these guidelines for whatever reason. My hope is that the ambitious fan productions like "Phase II" and "Continues" which have been around for quite some time reach out to CBS / Paramount to achieve some sort of agreement to release the episodes which are still in post-production (6 in total if I am correct) and to end the shows properly - or to continue under special terms. AFAIK these two did not do any harm to the franchise and at least Cawley had good relations with CBS / Paramount. Of course that would open a huge can of worms (people might argue, why them and not us?) but, well, who knows. So there might be hope. The future will tell what happens. I have noticed that a lot of controversy was created by paragraph #4:
"If the fan production uses commercially-available Star Trek uniforms, accessories, toys and props, these items must be official merchandise and not bootleg items or imitations of such commercially available products."
(source: CBS / Paramount press release)
Does that mean that you are forced to buy the Anovos costumes and official props at all costs? I guess - only IF you choose to buy them. So IF you buy a uniform or a prop it must be an officially licensed item. IF you choose to tailor your own suits - you may do so because then you do NOT use a commercially-available costume. It is part of the fan effort. Now you may argue, that's an imitation and that's not allowed. Well, I would say, yes, but your own imitation is not a commercially-available item and thus no official merchandise. You made it yourself and you are free to use it. It is a bit tricky to understand but I guess you got my meaning.
There is a wild discussion going on on trekmovie.com . One of the participants called the first paragraph (length limitation and no serials) the "Axanar Rule". I really like that term. Because IMO CBS / Paramount would not have put out these guidelines if they hadn't been poked by "Axanar". I don't want to start a flame war here (and I don't want anyone to do that; this is a peaceful forum and I don't want to see this change), but it is clear to me that this movie and the attitude of the one(s?) responsible caused the whole trouble. CBS / Paramount simply answered to a real threat to their intellectual porperty. The way they did may be hard but it is their decision. And that has to be respected. By anyone... Or not? The law suit is still ongoing, they are in settlements, the new guide lines clearly forbid a film like "Axanar", and the team behind "Axanar" has nothing better to do than to release two more trailers just after the guide lines have been revealed? That seems very stupid to me. But who am I to judge?
Do not blame Axanar. the blame lies with the incompetent execs and do-nothing/take everything lawyers who started this whole thing. They've done nothing for the last 4o years to deter fan films and when suddenly the technology and writing becomes so good that it shows the ineptness of the things Hollywood is producing, they start whining. Sorry, I don't blame Axanar for this mess, I blame CBS, Paramount, and their team of leeches for this mess.
The bad thing about this all is, we do not know for certain what caused this situation. There is a lot of hearsay involved; now Peters says he was in touch with Paramount when he started the production in order to see if there were any objections. Paramount did not object, he says. Too bad he has no evidence to prove that statement. The only thing which might be true is that his endeavour was not non-commercial, and the aggressive tone right from the start (the "we will be giving the fans what they want" declaration). That upsets me. A LOT. And this is why I don't see any chance for them to survive the suit (in the figurative sense). Many people will loose a lot of money and their reputation.
Paramount had no choice but to intervene. The way they did might be questionable (and I really hope there will be some room for discussion later when the waters have calmed down a bit, especially when it comes to the duration of the film and the serial option). However, they have made their stand point clear. If Paramount had not intervened "Star Trek" would have become public property and ANYONE (if talentd or not) would be allowed to dish out Star Trek movies and merchandise at will. That's how copyright law works and there is no way around it. The franchise belongs to CBS / Paramount, they are calling the shots. Period.
One question is still unanswered to me: Why is everybody so convinced that "Axanar" is THE film fans have been waiting for for decades? Why is that THE film the fans want to see? So far nothing but a series of trailers and a "Prelude" were released. Fine CGI, of course, and the actors are well-known. However, with all due respect, do big names, pretty effects and an interesting story automatically make a good movie? I really don't think so.
Paramount had no choice but to intervene. The way they did might be questionable (and I really hope there will be some room for discussion later when the waters have calmed down a bit, especially when it comes to the duration of the film and the serial option). However, they have made their stand point clear. If Paramount had not intervened "Star Trek" would have become public property and ANYONE (if talentd or not) would be allowed to dish out Star Trek movies and merchandise at will. That's how copyright law works and there is no way around it. The franchise belongs to CBS / Paramount, they are calling the shots. Period.
One question is still unanswered to me: Why is everybody so convinced that "Axanar" is THE film fans have been waiting for for decades? Why is that THE film the fans want to see? So far nothing but a series of trailers and a "Prelude" were released. Fine CGI, of course, and the actors are well-known. However, with all due respect, do big names, pretty effects and an interesting story automatically make a good movie? I really don't think so.
- Apr 5, 2013
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They blew it when they announced people were getting paid. If those people didn't include CBS or Paramount, then it was ...............................THE AXANAR INFARCTION............(greedy jerks blew it for everyone else. I read a detailed article on how they planned to make money of this. I went back to copy the article, but it is now 404'd. Basically, the producers are pretty forthright with their intention to make money cover their costs. That's a "no no". So AXANAR shall go down in the annals of Star Trek Fan History as the bunch of idiots who blew it for everyone else. Peters can say he was "in touch" with Paramount, it could be true, he could have been saying, "Please, Please, Please, Please", and Paramount could have been saying "No, No, No, No,". He doesn't say exactly who he was talking too, what department, he offers nothing. Frankly, I don't buy it.
If he was actually speaking to someone that mattered, he could just come out and say their name. They could deny it, but at least would have some credibility. Any idiot knows that you can't make money off of someone else's copyright. People did get paid, I wonder if this wasn't some kind of pyramid scheme to begin with. All those famous "has beens" to promote a film you know can't be produced, you get paid for your time, after all, it is your time. The "has been" actors and actresses" clutching for 15 more minutes of fame, while certain key peoples draw a salary from whomever was stupid enough to pay for all the C.G. and the sets? I small a lawsuit from within the Axanar group itself.
If he was actually speaking to someone that mattered, he could just come out and say their name. They could deny it, but at least would have some credibility. Any idiot knows that you can't make money off of someone else's copyright. People did get paid, I wonder if this wasn't some kind of pyramid scheme to begin with. All those famous "has beens" to promote a film you know can't be produced, you get paid for your time, after all, it is your time. The "has been" actors and actresses" clutching for 15 more minutes of fame, while certain key peoples draw a salary from whomever was stupid enough to pay for all the C.G. and the sets? I small a lawsuit from within the Axanar group itself.
I just had an idea. The guidelines restrict the format of "fan films". However, they are not enforcible UNLESS you distribute the film you have made. So in fact you may continue making your own private Star Trek fiction films as you wish - just keep them for yourself. As long as the film doesn't get online Paramount will leave you in peace. Anyway, who is able to forbid your free time activities? You can't be sued if you walk around in your home town the whole weekend, dressed as a Starfleet captain. I wouldn't carry those guns with me, tough.
If you think about it there is a very simple workaround which also might be suitable to continue the shows which have been started: Stop distributing films and switch to audio stories and comics instead. "Hidden Frontier" proved that this could be as exciting as a home-made movie. It is not necessarily cheaper or faster though. One way to achieve this could be: Shoot your fan film at home just the way you want it, take many screenshots from it and use them as panels for the comic book / photo novel. The audio / soundtrack / story could be made available for free download. The audience could enjoy your story and listen to the soundtrack in the background. Problem solved.
If you think about it there is a very simple workaround which also might be suitable to continue the shows which have been started: Stop distributing films and switch to audio stories and comics instead. "Hidden Frontier" proved that this could be as exciting as a home-made movie. It is not necessarily cheaper or faster though. One way to achieve this could be: Shoot your fan film at home just the way you want it, take many screenshots from it and use them as panels for the comic book / photo novel. The audio / soundtrack / story could be made available for free download. The audience could enjoy your story and listen to the soundtrack in the background. Problem solved.
I have a big problem with them restricting the use of actors...the studio does not have them under contract, if they want to do it, why not let them?
Surely it is because of their definition of a "fan film": "fan film" = amateur production with amateur actors, "motion picture" = professional production with professional / hired / trained actors. Having "real" actors on board could also mean that there are pay rolls involved which contradicts the non-commercial nature. In addition, any use of the real actors could imply the film to be an "authorized" endeavour. Again a point which "Axanar" successfully delivered to be dealt with.
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