During the first ever Star Trek fan event at Paramount Studios this evening, JJ Abrams made a surprise announcement which could have wide ranging impact for the fan productions:
A few months back there was a fan movie, Axanar that was being fan made, and there was this lawsuit between the studio and these fans. And Justin was sort of outraged by this as a longtime fan. And, we started talking about it and realized this was not an appropriate way to deal with the fans. The fans should be celebrating this thing, we all [as] fans are part of this world. So he went to the studio and pushed them to stop this lawsuit and now within the last few weeks it will be announced that this is going away and the fans will be able to [continue] their productions.
To that announcement the audience broke into applause. Now it should be pointed out that there’s a wide difference between JJ making the announcement and Paramount and CBS making the legal filings to end the lawsuit. And even when and if that should occur, they may come back with some guidelines for fan productions to adhere to. However this could be the start of a new level of relationship between the studios and the fans.
The most immediate impact would of course to allow Axanar to resume production, but also for Star Trek Horizons, who recently shut down their crowdfunding efforts after being suggested by the studios that it would be their best course of action.
Update: CBS & Paramount have made a statement confirming that they are abandoning the suit, and that they are indeed working on a set of fan film guidelines
Well, what was unexpected.
*that 😅
You’re saying “that” was unexpected? I think “what” was unexpected, whereas “that” would’ve resulted in a very expected cliche. Well played the first time around, Grand_Nagus. What is never expected is when That is What, that’s what.
Dayamn. Where the “like” button?
Wasn’t for me, no lie.
Hey Nagus, miss you over on the STO forums, hope your back soon. LLAP
Great news for all of Trek fandom. Yes, you must be mindful of intellectual property rights, but copyright means little if you so turn off your fans that you through the proverbial baby out with the bath water….
I’m not thrilled about it. Peters is a charlatan.
@Jack,
Wish I could upvote this.
Agreed
Yep. Exploited Paramounts’ generous “look the other way” attitude for profit, and nearly wrecked freedom in the the fanfilm community.
As a noble and respected Vulcan once said: “Only Nixon could go to China…” And perhaps, now that guidelines are going to be set-up, we’ll know exactly what can be done and what cannot be done and that sounds like a “Prime Directive” to me…
And like one future old admiral stated: “Like we say in Temporal Mechanics, there’s no time like the present.”
Yeah now that they’re setting up guidelines, that gray area about copyright is getting more clear and showing what fans can do with their own material (in public) in the setting.
This is thrilling news! Alec Peters is a respectable, hard-working man with a great appreciation of and a wonderful vision for Trek! Hopefully, he will get to finish Axanar as he originally envisioned this part of our favourite show! Congratulations to Alec for all his hard work on the fans behalf!
@My Two Cents,
Well said.
@ My Two Cents
Here. Here.
“Alec Peters is a respectable, hard-working man”
Maybe in the Mirror Universe…
not even there. Remember what Spock said in COURT MARTIAL about not needing to watch the hammer fall if he dropped it in a gravity environment?
Terrible.
One damage control move after another…
Paramount had a case to be made, but like a poor marksman, they keep missing the target!
All this could have been settled out of court. My dream scenario is that CBS includes Axanar in the “All Access” umbrella somehow.
Because we should give in to terrorists?
Wow, you really have to broaden your definition of “terrorism”, if you think Alec Peters and the Axanar team are terrorists.
@Jack,
What a dumb comment.
@Ahmed,
The only dumb comment here is yours.
Jack actually has a very valid point.
Peters & Co. (and especially Peters) seems to have behaved like snotty-nosed entitled brats. They should’ve been decimated by Paramount/CBS.
Ain’t nothing fun about watching the law broken, and those benefiting from this getting away unscathed.
As the saying goes, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
@GO68,
Comparing the actions of fan-film producer to terrorists is DUMB, pure and simple!
Get real, dude. I know it was a big shock to people like you obsessed with seeing the end of Alec Peters but guess what? Axanar and Peters won the day thanks to Justin Lin & Abrams, deal with it.
@Ahmed,
“Obsessed with seeing the end of Alec Peters”? LOLz. Some of us have a life, y’know?
Seems like you’ve made Axanar your religion, however.
I honestly couldn’t care less about Peters and Axanar, specifically due to whatever I’ve seen to date seeming like even more mindless action (Trek 2009 or Into Darkness, anyone? Yeah, I don’t care much about JJ’s world anymore, either).
It just irks me to see someone getting away with crime, and in my opinion, Lin & Abrams are doing the franchise a disservice here by diluting CBS/Paramount’s ownership.
Oh, and despite your claims of “obsession”, I’m not gonna be losing any sleep over this, don’t worry.
@GO68,
“I honestly couldn’t care less about Peters and Axanar”
Riiiiight, this is why you are comparing them to terrorists!
Oh, I see… I’m not allowed to have or express an opinion without being accused of obsessing.
You seem to have quite the black & white view of the world. Must be nice.
By that standard, I suppose I could also regard your blatant happiness to gloss over Peters’ obvious terrori… err…hooliganism (better?) as a form of obsessing.
G’day.
“snotty-nosed entitled brats” = Terrorists
In what fantasy-world are you living in? In what world, are brats considered the same as terrorists?
Same motivation – a false, perceived sense of entitlement.
And what makes you certified to claim I’m not allowed to draw that comparison?
All I see is petty fools that hold a grudge because they were banned from the site and social pages… So know you don’t have any valid point. You lost the war, bitch. Trek yourself, before you wreck yourself.
Perhaps referring to Peters as a terrorist is a bit extreme, but I agree with Jack also.
I think that the most important point is that the Judge agreed that Paramount/CBS had a LEGITIMATE right to sue Axanar/Alec Peters over copyright infringement. In other words, the law was on the side of the studios, which was what was being contested.
If Alec Peters or others think that he has won, because Paramount (and CBS?) have dropped the suit, then they are wrong. It is good that the studios are clarifying the guidelines in order for fan films to be made and hopefully the guidelines will be as generous as they have been so far, which have allowed for fan film makers to continue if they wish, without fear of being sued. Unlike Axanar/Alec Peters, this should present few, if any, problems since all they need to do is carry on as they have been.
No it was ignorant, uninformed and stupid as is yours. WTH do you know about real terrorism? NOTHING. For those of us that have actually SERVED and had to DEAL first hand with real terrorism comments like this are beyond stupid. Terrorism? Simple minded git. Now go educate yourself before you flap your pie hole. You lost. Now go eat your crow.
Youre an idiot. As someone involved with Axanar from the beginning AND as a decorated combat vet you know NOTHING about either. You are ignorant and offensive. Maybe keeping your mouth shut would be a good idea since you obviously didnt read the manual that came with it. In it you would find you are first supposed to connect it to your brain or else theres a strong possibility it will malfunction and stupid things will come streaming out. Now go back to bed, its past your bed time.
@Trek Tech,
You may want to clarify exactly who your finely crafted comments – which can be regarded a form of terrorism unto its own – are aimed at.
Your words are truly the manifestation of pure Star Trek spirit, and no doubt an excellent representation of the kind of culture/personalities at play at Axanar (“as someone involved with Axanar” by your own admission).
And how about you come live with us here in Israel a bit before sharing with us your wealth of intimate familiarity with terrorism?
Anti-semitic, anti-Israel comments in 5… 3… 2… 1…
@jack
The nickname “jackass” would be more suitable for you, I think.
@quantum47,
Keep it classy.
Paramount actually made the right call on this one and Peter’s, not Paramount, should have made a case to make their fan film without antagonizing the copyright holder.
I’m looking forward to the film! You guys are crazy. Does respecting copy right laws appeal to all of you more than having MORE TREK TO ENJOY?!? Seriously, all you ppl do is complain about the officially made trek, and now that someone is taking matters into their own hands, you are all sticklers for a law that really doesn’t affect any of you in any way.
Paramount / CBS are doing pretty well for themselves! I don’t think they’re in any danger of going out of business. Besides, when exactly were you expecting for this story to be told anyway?
The answer imo is now or never. God damn Star Trek fans are whiney little bitches. More Trek, be is by legal or illegal means, is a good thing. Oh and check this out — the law is broken all the time by official and unofficial groups! This is one case that it will benefit Star Trek fans!! What the hell is wrong with you people?!?! Do you have shares in Paramount or sometihng?!?!?1
Everyone who is complaining about Axanar but then goes on to watch it is a hypocrite. I dare you to back up your own vitriol and now watch the final product, no matter how many positive reviews it gets
@Mellvar
I was never going to watch it. If I was going to watch any Trek fan film it would have maybe been Continues, but then Vic annoys me too.
Paramount can do whatever it wants to,
I won’t lift a finger to support Axanar.
What is that supposed to even mean?
I hope that Axanar can move ahead as a feature and has another Indiegogo campaign so I can support it more than I already have! Prelude to Axanar is the some of the best Trek we’ve had in the last two decades and there is every reason to think that Axanar will be equally incredible!
Hey, to each their own. Personally, I thought Prelude to Axanar was just as weak as most fan films.
Will you watch the final product?
Nobody cares. I think its been proven you arent needed.
Well, it looks like JJ Abrams and crew got involved. And if Abrams’ assertions are correct, you have him to thank for this (hopefully) soon-to-be resolved matter. LOL! Seriously, though, I’m glad that this is going to be resolved sooner than later. Most likely what happened, it finally dawned on CBS/Paramount that it isn’t wise to be heavy-handed, in regards to fan productions, even if they did have a strong case to make. Personally, if I was CBS/Paramount, I would set not only clear guidelines on how fan films are produced in the future, but I would, if necessary, require a licensing fee, focusing on money raised via Kickstarter and other similar sources. I would also throw in consultation and material support, and even a streaming service where these fan films can be showcased. In fact, I would do what Lucasfilms have done, and hold annual contests for the best fan film of that year, with some studio perks thrown in for the winner.
Just a thought.
Lucasfilms also has much stricter rules, from what I understand. They wouldn’t let a ‘professional production’ do the crap Axanar has done.
Actually, Luassfilm has been very generous over the years with fan films. Lucas himself made an entire library of sound effects available to fans for their films. It was his company so it was his call. How long this will continue under Disney is anyone’s guess.
@Jack
Define “the crap”
He cant. Hes one of the minority of haters with nothing better to do. Hes like that angry monkey in the zoo throwing crap at the glass in the futile hope its going to change the fact that hes in a box looking out at others going about their lives productively. Id say he, and those like him, need a new hobby
Again with the statements with nothing to back them up.
yep agreed
Hopefully, Paramount’s rules won’t be as stifling as Lucasfilms! I know that all us true Star Trek fans want to support full format fan films moving forward! Nice to see all the positivity has made its way back to this site!
dswynne,
Les Moonves said in the past that he hoped to be able to air fans’ eSheep Trek productions, so I think he is open to it. I’m not sure what Viacom/Paramount/Brad Grey are willing to do with their piece of it to those ends.
What on earth is going on???
I think this is great news overall, because I want to see Axanar come out, but Axanar productions has pushed the limits regarding fan productions and I feel like they just received a presidential pardon, and I just hope this power doesn’t go to their heads.
Pushed the limits? They blazed past it with full Speed and then had the balls to flip of the traffic cop…
Axanar know they F*ked up, Paramount knows they F*ked up, they just said play by these rules & we won’t destroy you & Axanar said Yes Sir, Sorry Sir, Thanyou Sir & now everyone is happy.
Can’t wait for the fan films to continue.
Tremendously disappointed that Paramount is wimping out on this…bad idea.
I’m not thrilled because I’ve developed a real dislike for Peters’ and Burnett’s tactics. But, that said, it seems like Paramount has decided to stop taking Peters’ bait and be the adult in the room.
Now Peters has to come up with some other excuse for not making the thing.
I wonder if they have basically set something like the movie’s ‘swarm’ in motion, given that there are tons of opportunists like AP out there and unless some very strict guidelines are written and enforced, they are going to be feasting on the CBS/Par IP and tearing the guts out of it just like the starship getting gutted in the trailer.
Also wondering if, ‘risk is our business’ is getting ‘evolved’ into ‘risk management is our business.’
Yes! It’s a great day for everyone.!
Maybe two cents should change name to plugged nickel — as in, not worth a ______
I will say one thing though, reading between the lines, this shows that Paramount and CBS likely have supreme confidence that their two new Trek products are going to blow Axanar out of the water….and they effectively delayed Axanar getting done until after Beyond the new series are out.
Well that is certainly one way to spin it….
@Prodigal Son,
Riiiiiiiiight! LOL
It’s all about the bad publicity they were getting, dude.
Ahmed,
Tough times for the predictions biz with all those negative results predicts for the fans and Axanar flying right out the window with the lawsuit. I’m surprised he still had it in him to kick sand in Axanar’s face one more time during what should be a time of great reconciliation and celebration.
@Disinvited,
Oh, I’m not surprised. Reading comments by the rabid anti-Axanar on ‘CBS/Paramount v. Axanar’ Facebook group & Trekbbs, you would think that Abrams & Lin committed high treason!
Filing a lawsuit was a mistake in the first place. CBS & Paramount should have reached out to Peters & have a talk. They didn’t bother sending C&D to Axanar, or even having official set of rules for the fan production, just went ahead & filed a case.
Good thing that Lin & Abrams have better understanding of the situation & got this under control. It’s the 50th anniversary, time to celebrate our Trek, not to waste it in dumb case.
Yep and it gives me warm fuzzies watching them pound their keyboards in frustration and angst. Crow is a dish best served cold.
I think Paramount’s decision to file suit was the proverbial “shot across the bow” to get somebody’s attention…
LOL. What are you talking about? Paramount obviously would have prevailed in court. Who knew Lin and JJ would be a “wild card” to mess things up?
Here’s a new prediction for you — this movie will exceed $600 mil in wordwide box office.
Really? Guess you werent following the court case or you wouldnt have said something as uninformed as which you just did. Paramount was getting set back on its heels REPEATEDLY and their case was NOT going the way they thought it would. That is fact. My prediction for you: we are going to finish Axanar. It will be popular. You will still be doing nothing. I think its funny you say JJ and Lin messed things up. Whose things did they mess up? Your petty hopes? I guess they are a little more practical and thoughtful than you and Justin is a FAN of prelude. Where does that leave you? As a spectator so you may as well enjoy it.
Prodigal Son,
In reply to your comment uniquely iidentified by the following URL:
“Who knew Lin and JJ would be a “wild card” to mess things up?” — Prodigal Son
LOL, according to your overinflated self-professions of never-miss predictions, YOU.
JJ, the so-called “Saviour” of STAR TREK and STAR WARS, who you claimed you could predict his every Trek move, is now a “wild-card” that you couldn’t see as having the ability to “mess things up” by getting this more in line with a STAR WARS fan approach? ROTFL
And it’s not as if this possibility took you by complete surprise in regards to Lin, either. You’ve known he was actively speaking against the lawsuit since Ahmed made you aware of it on 3/14/16 where you went out of your way to describe Lin as “A dude with confidence …” for speaking out and you even went on to say his voice on Axanar said to you that “[Lin’s] in a good place”.
https://trekmovie.com/2016/03/11/iranian-actress-shohreh-aghdashloo-joins-star-trek-beyond-as-film-goes-back-for-reshoots/#comment-5297447
Then the next day, you ultimately and ironically undermined that sense of confidence you had when you felt:
“At the risk of sounding cynical, by Lin saying this, Paramount kind of wins, because the law suit marches on, …” — Prodigal Son
https://trekmovie.com/2016/03/15/zoe-saldana-shows-off-uhuras-uniform-in-new-pic-from-reshoots/#comment-5297588
And contrary to your prediction that the lawsuit would march on in spite of of Lin confidently and from “in a good place” saying this, the lawsuit marched off the field directly because of it.
600 Million? Not a Chance.
Into Darkness made less money than the 2009 film & was a dissapointment.
@ Trekboi: Actually, the worldwide boxoffice for Into Darkness is roughly 20% higher than for the 2009 film (467 mil vs. 386 mil). It might have been a disappointment for Paramount in terms of domestic boxoffice (which in fact was lower), but they were able to expand internationally. Justin Lin’s Fast and Furious movies have been very successful internationally so that is probably what the studio is counting on.
DIGINON,
In reply to your comment uniquely identified by the following URL:
Actually, when you account for STID’s IMAX 3D higher ticket prices and non-IMAX ticket price inflation the difference between the two film’s worldwide BOs is not statistically significant. Also, JJ was not a fan of 3D so Paramount had to eat the cost of converting STID into 3D,
A similar to IMAX 3D inflation should result for BEYOND’s Barco Escape conversion. However all the parties seems to be enthused for that, so Paramount probably has a sweeter deal in spreading around the cost.
Nah. Nobody outside of fanboy internet types is following this.
@Prodigal Son,
LOL
Oh sure, no one is reading the trade magazines, Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter and Variety. While you’re at it, no one is watching CNN or BBC as well! /S
The average action/summar movie moviegoer worldwide has either no knowledge of this, or would need to be reminded of this…fact
And yet its worldwide news being covered by major media outlets. I guess you need to be reminded of this…Fact. Wow you are either willfully or woefully ignorant. Perhaps both. Must be tough always picking the wrong side.
Exactly. Hes just one of a gaggle of petty little haters who are too lazy or too scared to actually READ whats going on. LOL. Pretty pathetic
Prodigal Son,
In reply to your comment uniquely identified by the following URL:
https://trekmovie.com/2016/05/20/jj-abrams-announces-paramountcbs-has-agreed-to-drop-axanar-lawsuit/#comment-5305678
“Nah. Nobody outside of fanboy internet types is following this.” — Prodigal Son
Who are EXACTLY the only audience that you’ve claimed innumerable times for fan films with their Internet only distribution, such as Axanar will be, for which you specifically created this branch to claim, “…Paramount and CBS likely have supreme confidence that their two new Trek products are going to blow Axanar out of the water….”.
If fanboy Internet types are not of concern, then for whom is it that Paramount and CBS lacked the confidence that they might impress more than AXANAR in the first place such that your tortured reading between their lines could now find them supremely so?
Of course they will blow Axanar away – they have 10 to 100 times the budget and resources that Axanar have. If they do not deliver a superior product then a lot of people did not do their job properly. The thing is it will be interesting to see what Axanar can do with the tiniest fraction of a budget of those production. Especially since I would assume the budget has shrunken down due to the delay even more.
Exactly its NOT nor ever was a COMPETITION. Axanar has ALREADY shown what it can do with a small budget for PRELUDE. It is heads and tales above any other fan production IMHO.
Nah, much simpler then that. The judge told the Axanar folks to knock of the motions to dismiss, C/P figured out that even though they would win the battle, they might lose the war, and the judge pretty much told all parties you have enough time now to figure this out before trial. Looks to me like they figured it out.
Sweet! I’m sure that Paramount would have lost their claim to the Klingon language, at best! But, why bother nitpicking about the legalities of the situation now. It’s a great day for the venerable Alec Peters and Rob Burnett, Trek fans all over the world and all of us right here. What’s the harm if Paramount and CBS get to enjoy a little love for doing the right thing? It’s all good!
I’m shocked – they had a decent case against Axanar: The Movie, Axanar: The Warehouse, Axanar:The Coffee, Axanar: The Model Kits etc.etc. If this is real, and if twitter reports that CBS has said yes, they’re working on a settlement and a set of rules and guidelines for fan films – then this is the best possible outcome.
I still think that Alec Peters is a douchebag for the way he’s treated all the fans wanting their money back. I hop as part of the settlement, Alec has to have a complete third-party audit of the missing funds.
I would never recommend, or donate again ANYTHING to a project with Alec Peters involved
There was a Bloomberg story yesterday that made it sound like Paramount was suing Axanar because they were worried about the amount of money Peters got on Kickstarter etc. My local radio news had a story about how Paramount is afraid of Axanar because if the budget involved.
This is a smart move by Paramount. Let Peters make the thing – or find more excuses not to — and let fans realize that Prelude was all about promise and packaging and not much else.
You hit the nail on the head. It gets rid of the bad blood between fans, and lets Peters stand or fail on his own.
I am all for that.
Way to share the good vibes guys! That list up there had nothing to do with any of this. But, some people just have to cling to something to feel important sometimes, I guess I hope that the great and honourable Alec Peters is finally able to bring his vision to life. With our support, he may be able to accomplish his goal!
Well, he already has my money. Lets see if he’s true to his word ;)
Makes me wonder if this whole thing was orchestrated just so Abrams could come to the rescue and redeem himself in the eyes of the fans!
First, JJ doesn’t need to “redeem himself” in the eyes of a vast amount of fans because they enjoy the two movies he’s done. Second and more importantly, I doubt that JJ cares enough what some (fringe?) part of Star Trek fandom thinks of him. Yes, Paramount probably deliberately chose this fan event to announce that the settlement is coming, but to suggest that the whole law suit was just a ruse to set up Abrams as the saviour of fandom is ridiculous.
@DIGINON
It turns out JJ cares about a “fringe”(in YOUR opinion) fandom after all. Otherwise he wouldn’t have bothered with this at all. And yes, this could also be viewed as a way of redeemibg himself for the gross aleration of the franchise with the reboot movie (whether 1st or second, or both), which I sincerely doubt have a “vast amount” of fans. I at least, as a JJ hater, must honestly admit that I suddenly have respect for JJ because of this. Of course, we shouldn’t also forget Mr. Lin, who first voiced his disagreement about the Axanar lawsuit.
I thought I’d never have respect for JJ Abrams, but after this I must honestly say, respect. A great thing he did that, it’s indeed a way to redeem himself in the eyes of the fans. I think the fans will appreciate that.
According to Peters, Axanar is not a fan film.
Then Peters is a moron. His whole case hinged on the idea of fair use, and that he and his production staff was not profiting on CBS/Paramount’s property. Personally, the fact that Peters was constructing a studio that could potentially be used to make money down the road, could be construed as an intellectual property infringement. However, by saying that AXANAR isn’t a fan film, his project does skirt dangerously into a potential lawsuit. Nevertheless, I am glad that this is going away, even as I still support Peters and his team right to make a FAN FILM.
BS – what he meant is it will not look like a fan film. Of course it is a fan film – just done by mostly professionals (which happen to be also fans).
When I was watching the live stream, I could not believe what I was hearing. Deep down I had a feeling there would be an amicable solution, there is no way the golden jubilee of Star Trek would be stained with such an action. What a 50th! Many events, a new TV show on the horizon, Beyond looks fantastic, and fan films will be made. For those of us who believed and had faith all along that this would come to an amicable end, fate has rewarded, kudos! To those who spewed unfettered hate and negativity, the people who said Alec Peters will loose, Axanar will never be made, sorry I just have to laugh. CBS, Paramount, JJ, Justing Lin you have my gratitude, my thanks, and my respect! Thanks for keeping the family together. The future is bright indeed. #IStandWithAxanar #IStandWithBeyond #IStandWithStarTrek
I got to meet Alec Peters tonight (kind of) and realized I had nothing to say because what I *wanted* to say was, “weird seeing you at Paramount tonight given the lawsuit” and much to my delight JJ then made this announcement. Mr Peters if you read this, I am the guy who recognized you in line outside the studio and what I would say if I could do it again is, I am very proud to have contributed to Prelude and Axanar and could not be more happy that this is being resolved.
Well said! I am also a contributor and hope that Axanar can eventually be made in accordance with Alec’s vision! First and foremost, I believe Alec is a Trek fan, so it’s not surprising he was there. Only time will tell how accommodating these new rules will be. Stay hopeful, stay positive! And to all the haters here…become positive.
Great news.
CBS furnishing fans with fan-film guidelines is an eminently reasonable idea that will provide clear boundaries for the Alec Peters of the world who can’t help themselves taking as much as they can get away with. Hopefully these guidelines will allow the likes of STC, NV, Horizons, et al to be as creative and industrious as they can be in their fan projects, thereby giving us fans a wealth of new fan Trek imaginings onward into the future. The bull’s eye would be if these new guidelines contain a provision for CBS opting to distribute fan productions that they deem worthy. But, I’ll be surprised if it goes that far. So long as the guidelines aren’t prohibitive of fan productions being good quality and enjoyable, I think this move by CBS will be regarded favorably by all interested parties.
It seems odd that Justin Lin would have much influence on making this happen, being that he’s a newcomer to the franchise and on the Paramount side at that. But, to the extent that Lin was influential, he deserves credit.
And I’m sure that many of us appreciate his efforts in that regard.
I would like to see these ‘new’ guidelines publicly released so we can ALL read them and see what this new perspective is going to be.
I would have no doubt that they would do this. Anyone interested in making a fan film, which could be any random member of the public, should have access to these guidelines, so that they can be well informed before proceeding with their production.
Very good move by CBS/Paramount – thanks for Lin and Abrams. They have been getting swamped with bad press and finally realized that this is not the way to treat fans. I hope the settlement will allow Axanar to continue. Guidelines will be good, even if it means stricter rules, but all the fan film makes won´t be in a grey area anymore and need to fear a call or even a lawsuit.
I think Peters will eventually come up with something else as to why it is delayed or eventually not coming… probably something about “tremendous price” of the fight against this lawsuit or something like this… He crossed the line, knew it and just did what he could to make it as unprofitable as possible for Paramount/CBS to pursue a case against him.
Of course this will delay the whole process by at least half a year or a year – they first have to wait until a settlement is reached and those guidelines are hammered out. Then they have to start the casting again and basically start over. All that takes time. But I have no doubt the Axanar people will try to do everything they can to deliver something. Bear in mind that the budget they had was only for 1 1/2 of the 4 episodes they had envisioned. And since that delay cost a lot of money (studio rent and other stuff) I would assume even less money is available now.
@northstar,
Agreed. They need to have clear guidelines.
At no point in time did Mr. Peters cross any imaginary line! Maybe his biggest mistake was caring too much about what his supporter thought. I sure hope he isn’t put off of Trek by all the trouble he’s been put through and all the hate that the lesser of us seem to enjoy. If he needs more money to finish his vision, I’m sure there will be more than enough decent, caring people who want to help him out.
CBS/Paramount were not treating fans badly at all. All the hype and controversy made it appear that way. People who like Star Trek are many and varied and if Peters, as one fan, thinks that he represents all fans, then he is wrong there as well.
People who are disappointed really sicken me. You should support fellow fans and be thankful Justin Lin & JJ Abrams have helped broker some sort of peace with the studios, allowing for guidelines to be drawn up benefiting all. Axanar looks like the most true piece of Star Trek we’ve had since 2005. I despair sometimes at Trek fandom and its obnoxious fickleness.
I despair sometimes at trek fandom and its obnoxiously lemming-like behavior, especially those who gulp down KoolAid from professional charlatans who Rollo Tomasi their way out of richly-deserved fates and then proceed to stir the colored water for another batch of trek-lemmings.
Why don’t you get this is not about how fans are being treated? It is about punishing those who are exploiting them as well as C/P.
A film fully about War, action and “Kaboom”… “A true piece of Star Trek”… Yeah, right.
Deep Space Nine had all of that (war, action, kaboom), and yes it is very much considered “A true piece of Star Trek”
Not by everyone
@SelorKiith,
Looks like you never watched DS9!
@Ahmed @Meurik Oh I did… I just wanted to gently point in the… mhm… hypocritical direction some are going here, praising a War Movie like Axanar while simultaneously bashing NuTrek for the same godforsaken things.
@SelorKiith
I guess that rules out every episode of historic Star Trek with a battle in it, and hell pretty much the entire of DS9 and all movies since ST09. None of them are “a true piece of Star Trek” then either I guess?
Some twisted logic right there. The events surrounding Axanar were established in Trek lore long before Alec decided to make his fan film. I guess non of the Star Trek backstory that established the events in Axanar are “true” either, right?
@SexyTribble,
It really shocking to see the level of vitriol directed at Axanar, Peters & the supporters. Entire blogs/Facebook groups dedicated to nothing but continuing attacks & making personal threats against the other side.
I’m glad that Lin & Abrams took care of this madness.
I’m with you, you Sexy Tribble! Great name!
What I find most ironic in all of this is that it has been Peters who has slammed the BR JJverse Star Trek, quite obnoxiously so at times. Yet, it is the same JJ Abrams, along with Justin Lin, director of the next BR/JJ Star Trek movie, who have managed to broker a deal that gets Peters off the hook.
However, the law was and is on Paramount/CBS’s side – lest Peters or anyone else forget that!
@SexyTribble.
I will never support a liar and thief like Peters, ever.
Great move by Paramount and CBS and kudos to JJ Abrams. Looking forward to more Star Trek fan films from both New Voyages, Continues, and Renegades.
That was unexpected.
Settlement talks not drop. Some perspective please.
Settlement talks can break down if one or noth sides do not agree.
Fan film rules could be BAD as it could take form of the Star Wars ones 5 min no longer etc..
Lets not celebrate prematurely Axafans.
Obviously, you have NEVER read the rules for Star Wars fan films.
The 5-minute rule is ONLY for fan movies being submitted to the Star Wars Fan Films competition, held every year.
As for SW fan films in general, LucasFilms are fine with movies being any length, just as long as the makers don’t try and make money from it, make merchandise, etc…
So, before you start crying like a baby, get your facts STRAIGHT.
Geez, you Trekkies will cry over anything.
I would imagine that most people haven’t read those rules unless they were planning on making a fan film. James is being realistic and there is nothing wrong with that. He is certainly not “crying like a baby”.
The whole “in your face you loser” attitude isn’t really necessary. You are clearly happy with this turn of events but the way you are responding makes you look very immature.
I don’t think that the guidelines will be too restrictive with respect to running time. The plaintiffs weren’t going after other long format fan films. Time will tell. Be positive!
Love or hate Alec Peters, this is GREAT NEWS for New Voyages/Phase II, STContinues, Horizon (if they want to go on with their sequel afterall), Farragut and all the other up and coming fan films that wanna start off! Once paramount releases their guidelines, everyone will know what they can and can’t do (FINALLY!!)
@ TokyoGaijin: Depends on the guidelines. On the one hand, it’s good because it gives them some assurance that they won’t get sued as long as they stick to the rules. On the other hand, we don’t know if the new guidelines will allow for the likes of New Voyages, Renegades or ST Continues to continue what they have been doing. See other comments that LucasArts limits its sanctioned fan films to 5 minutes of length.
Can’t wait for that Axanar movie now that it’s let on to production stage
Man oh Man! I can’t wait for this show to be finished and my Blu-Ray box set arrives in the mail! I hope things go well from here on for Mr. Peters and the Axanar gang.
Despite being underwhelmed by the 20 minute prelude, I’ll watch this if and when it sees the light of day. The fellow making this (can’t remember his name) comes across as very arrogant in his interviews which is sullying my view of this project.
Sanity prevails – great to see that the two sides can reach agreement without enriching the lawyers. I hope that any guidelines for fan films are well-reasoned and allow some of the real creativity we’ve seen to flourish.
The latest Beyond trailer looks much more promising, the talent behind the new CBS series is exciting and now this – great times to be a Trek fan again!
High Five, Brother!
Wow David really can triumph over Goliath. Yay for Axanar, yay for all the fans who’ve supported it.
Yep, I was very happy when I heard JJ saying that last night. Justin Lin deserves our thanks for taking the charge here & ending this madness.
So. Are my prayers going to be answered and Axanar is gonna be produced by TPTB for real (and maybe aired on the CBS gimmick?) That would certainly look romantic in a legal bedroom fashion…
In doing fans this “favor” it woud appsar they have given Axanar a free pass to use fan $ donated, with no real accountability. Was the money used for building a set or a trip to Tahiti?…who knows? And now, sadly, it’s a case of “who cares?”. This hurts fans more than it helps them…at least where crowd funding comes into play. I sure hoped the guidelines are very specific and come with very real consequences attached.
@Jonboc,
You don’t know what you are talking about. STC raised several hundred-thousands of dollars & they didn’t release their financial statements. So why pretend that Axanar is the only one doing that?
Axanar is the only one that got sued. My sentiments appl!y to ANY crowd funded fan film that accepts fan funding. It’s ripe for abuse, it needs strict guidelines and transparency. If you believe, for one minute, that there ARENT less than honorable individuals out there just itching to part passionate fans from their hard-earned money, with less than honorable intentions…you better think again.
@Jonboc,
“My sentiments appl!y to ANY crowd funded fan film that accepts fan funding. It’s ripe for abuse, it needs strict guidelines and transparency.”
Actually I do agree with your sentiments here. CBS/Paramount should make very clear guidelines in regard to fan productions & crowdfunding. My problem was that they went after Axanar only while leaving STC, STR & the rest untouched. At least with Axanar, they published their financial statements, the others did not.
Well I guess if “fans” are stupid, they can give their money away if they so choose.
I believe that in order to get charitable status with the IRS you must publish your financial statements. STC has been granted that status so I would expect that they are somewhere. I haven’t searched for them but they should be publicly available.
Financial statements are one thing. Audited financial statements are another.
Agree 100% Jonboc….Pete’s gets more money to siphon off for his classic cars and vacations.
That’s a pathetic, revisionist, simplistic, ignorant comment, right there Jonboc! This is a great day for Trek, Axanar and the ability of the little guy to stand up to the big guy and come out on top!
@ my two cents. Don’t be so naive.
@JonBoc
He isn’t being naive. He’s saying it how it is.
You are making unfounded, ignorant commentary with no basis in fact or evidence.
Exactly.
@Ryan Spooner-
Oh, I’m sorry. I thought I had read somewhere that some of the money, donated by fans to help with expenses of producing Axanar, along with profit made by selling Trek branded coffee…among other things….was being spent on a studio that would be rented out to other film productions, creating a future revenue stream for Peters. I mean, why rent space in an existing studio, with fan money, when you can spend MORE fan money…earmarked for something else…. to build your own studio and form a production company to profit from? If that wasn’t the case, my apologies, my commentary was “ignorant” indeed. If it is true, then I stand by my commentary that passionate fans are an easy mark…recognizing and acknowledging that by taking advantage of it, is professionally and ethically wrong.
Hi Bernie!
Great news.
#AxanarLives
Fist bump, buddy! #IStandWithAxanar
#IStandWithCBS
Fantastic News! I really liked Horizon and was disappointed when they announced that they were told to stop. Bring on more Horizon!
Yeah, I’m seeing this way too much today… you guys aren’t reporting the facts properly. They are not DROPPING the case. They are SETTLING the case. There’s a BIG difference.
We are reporting what JJ Abrams said at the Fan Event last night.
Kayla, you guys did GREAT last night with Periscope.
These are the kinds of events that it would be great to livestream in 360 VR.
@Tzadik,
Read the quote, dude.
“And, we started talking about it and realized this was not an appropriate way to deal with the fans. The fans should be celebrating this thing, we all [as] fans are part of this world. So he went to the studio and pushed them to stop this lawsuit and now within the last few weeks it will be announced that this is going away and the fans will be able to [continue] their productions.”
Regardless of how you try to spin this, Axanar was given a lifeline thanks to Lin & Abrams.
And that quote doesn’t contain the word “drop” anywhere……….as for a lifeline……….let’s see what the terms of the settlement are.
The TrekMovie event blog stated that footage from the film was shown along with the trailer and that a report would be forthcoming later in the evening! I’ve stayed awake overnight waiting for the report and…NOTHING! That’s just so wrong.
This is great news!
Sounds like a settlement to me. It’ll be interesting to see how Mr. Peters responds……
1. Alec Peters is still a d*ck. That hasn’t changed.
2. Glad fans who invested will get something for their money; if they don’t they should sue Peters the d*ck.
3. Excited for the possibilities their decision opens up for fan productions.
4. I think CBS/Paramount may regret this decision in the future.
5. Excited that a theoretical basis now exists for fan productions not only to rival studio productions, but to challenge shut-down orders from the IP holders when they get spooked by the quality of what fans may end up producing; this might give new incentive to make these kinds of movies while filmmakers take a salary out of crowd-sourced money.
6. But we still have to see what caveats CBS/Paramount imposes on Axanar as conditions for lifting the lawsuit.
Hahahahahahahahahahahhaaaa! Whew. That’s funny. I’m so glad that Movie makers like JJ Abrams and Justin Lin don’t feel that way.. The good guys win!!!!
Who are you, Alec Peters’ Axanar funded butler? You are worth every cent, dude. All two of them that you bring to the table.
@dmduncan
So, for somebody to have a differing opinion to your own, must mean they are being paid by Alec Peters? Just wow.
Wrong interpretation.
There’s a bigger story here. Corporations don’t just back down over something like this unless they’re afraid something bigger can be unearthed…
Nah, I don’t agree. Corporations are not people, but they do have individual personalities and cultures, and it is totally believable that they were persuaded by highly persuasive individuals speaking out on behalf of fans. They are coming up with fan guidelines, so that means they are not giving away the store.
If it turns out the guidelines DO give away the store, then I will be shocked.
Maybe they think they can do this without endangering their IP in the future. I don’t know. I would love to know what legal counsel had to say about it all. Were they on board or did they disagree?
Actually, corporations are people, just like unions are people. Just because a group of people are in the business of making money off of goods and/or services, that doesn’t mean they lose their agency.
Corporations are not PERSONS. If you want to say corporations are groups of people, that is so true that is is a trivial point to make. Corporations are not ARTIFICIAL PERSONS. Biggest load of BS perpetrated on the modern mind.
Amen Dom, they knew they bit off more than they could chew.
Do you have any particular conspiracy theory in mind?
You mean things like “This is going to get too unprofitable” going by the frak Peters put out only in order to delay the case and not make a point? That they realised that he would do anything he can to prolong it as much as possible?
Fan films should be 100% non-profit, All services(cast,crew,production etc.) provided voluntarily and fun raising for set materials only be limited to one third the the total coast.
How do you define “profit”?
People who manage and run legally not for profit organizations are permitted compensation for their time and effort. Why shouldn’t the makers of fan films also be allowed compensation, especially since quality is a measure of time spent, and fans want quality?
I think there should be a new not-for-profit classification created that allows corporations to be set up to produce crowdsourced works of art, and which — like other not for profit groups — permits operators compensation for their work under not-for-profit rules.
It wouldn’t have to be specifically to produce movies, but movies would be a subset of allowable works produced under the new classification.
A not-for-profit corporation set up to produce a crowdfunded movie might actually be able to employ union people outside of union rules if unions are geared strictly to Hollywood for-profit productions. I don’t know.
But this would be a completely new type of animal that no one has any rules set up to address yet.
Thy name is semantics.
NOT semantics. That dude just gave a definition of non-profit that would poof 501 orgs out of existence if literally followed. In the real world “non-profit” does not mean nobody makes money.
non·prof·it
adjective
adjective: non-profit
1.
not making or conducted primarily to make a profit.
“charities and other nonprofit organizations”
noun: non-profit
1.
a nonprofit organization.
“I spent the next six years working for small nonprofits”
Semantics. I don’t have to file for non-profit status in order to be a “non-profit”. I simply can’t make money off of a product and/or service, especially when it comes to using existing properties under “fair use”. This issue in regards to AXANAR was whether or not the studio that Peters was building for AXANAR could be used for other productions, invariably to make money, and therefore may or may not be seen as profiting off of an existing property. That’s what was at play here.
Personally, I think that non-profits (including taking away the tax-exempt status of religious and academic institutions) should be done away with, and just tax them like any other business venture. I also think that fan film productions who use Kickstarters and other revenue generating sites should be required to pay a tax, as well as a licensing fee to copyright holders. You know, something that is modest and requires very little government intervention other than contract law enforcement and tax collection.
Define “make money” and “profiting off of an existing property.”
Assume Vic Mignogna does not want to build a studio to make other movies for profit, should Vic be able to compensate himself with a modest salary for his efforts in making each episode of Star Trek Continues? Is taking such a salary “making money” or “profiting off of an existing property”?
Should Vic be forced to survive on bulk corn for the duration of production? Or can he eat luxuriously 3 or 4 times a day on crowdsourced dollars? Is he profiting or not if he does the latter? If Vic pays himself 40K for the year that it takes him to make an episode and he only uses 30K — can he invest the extra 10K in an unrelated money making venture of his choosing?
What if Vic’s Buick breaks down and he buys a CORVETTE 2 months into production and now can’t buy groceries. Can he go back to fans for more money to fund the project due to “unforeseen events and expenses”?
Did he profit or didn’t he?
Now, 2 things:
1. I’m not saying Vic does or does not take a salary — I’m simply using him as a hypothetical.
2. I’m not saying fan filmmaker’s should NOT want to take a salary. I think it’s reasonable and CAN fall within non-profit guidelines to take one — but the IP holders also have to permit it, it does not automatically fall within those guidelines, and it is fraught with the potential for abuse.
@dmduncan Non-Profit = Compensation strictly for time spend, nothing to “save”; Profit = Building/Buying a Studio with the Main Intent of renting it out later or using said Studio to make their own productions ie. making money.
“Compensation strictly for time spend” (sic), doesn’t say much since crowdfunding is an unregulated industry and nothing stops a person from collecting a fee as compensation that most of us would consider outlandish for a crowdsourced project. And profiting from another’s IP does not require that you build a studio for further productions — e.g., if I take an outlandish fee as compensation because my self esteem is too high, or because I want the disposable income I am used to having, then I am profiting from the IP in my personal life.
The depth of the disposable income margin is where the trouble is. Unless there is a way to regulate that, then there’s always the risk of attracting shady characters looking for easy money.
In the for-profit world, talent negotiates its fee based on proven past performance and a willingness of the studios to pay them that money, but that measure is absent here. In crowdfunding, the funders are in the role of the investors. Which means that to be honest, Peters and all others should declare their salaries during the fundraising process — just as investors agree to the fee a director is paid, rather than keeping silent on it. And then you let people agree with your self-valuation by either giving you their dollars. or disagree by not giving you them. Did Peters do that? I don’t know.
But arbitrarily and secretly setting your own rates without telling funders during the funding campaign what that rate is, invites abuse and exposes the whole system to eventual regulation. And it’s unethical, I think.
Who sets the worth of each compensated person’s time, and what are the criteria?
If Kanye West decides to crowdfund a Star Trek fan film, the first 5 million will just be his fee, and woe be to you all if you did not donate enough money to make the actual movie.
I agree 100% All fan films should be non-profit just like Axanar! Well said. Wait, if no one at all is getting paid, why are other fan films raising hundreds of thousands of dollars? Nonprofit doesn’t mean no one gets paid
Alec Peters: “I got to personally thank Justin Lin!”
The quote from a post by Peters on Axanar Fan Group
It would have been so cool to be there!
Absolutely.
Happy for Phase II, Continues and other fan efforts but Alec Peters is now damaged goods and that may have been been Paramount’s intention all along. He came across as arrogant and self serving and what goodwill he had with fans was seriously damaged as this lawsuit dragged on.
@Dan C,
Yeah, I can see that Peters is damaged goods /S
What happened last night was a surprise victory for Axanar & Peters. He now has the support of two top Hollywood directors who forced Paramount to drop the lawsuit and to allow “the fans to [continue] their productions.”
“He came across as arrogant and self serving”
Newsflash, most of Hollywood producers are arrogant and self serving!
I doubt that either JJ Abrams or Justin Lin could force Paramount or CBS to do anything. The two directors expressed their opinions publicly and after the studios heard the Judge’s verdict, ie law was on the side of the studios, decided to give Abrams the opportunity to announce Paramount’s decision to drop the suit and enter into settlement negotiations.
It was a win-win for all concerned.
By “verdict”, I mean that the Judge saw that the studios had a case. I believe the Judge also threw out Axanar’s countersuit, because of its illegitimacy.
There was no countersuit, just a motion to dismiss. That was not granted, which was to be expected. So nothing surprising here. That does not mean any pre-verdict or preference to one side or the other. The judge recommended a settlement, which probably is what is negotiated now.
Dan C Today 2:30 pm
Ahmed Today 2:50 pm
I think that you both make good points.
It may turn out something of a victory for Peters, depending on the conditions of the settlement.
But, the 6-month lawsuit has also attracted a lot of negative attention to Peters. He’s been viewed as someone threatening all fan-Trek by his hubris and greed, and that’s a blow to his pre-lawsuit reputation. Meanwhile CBS comes out of this relatively untarnished.
Oh it’s a clear victory for Peters whose butt just got pulled out of the fire by JJ and Lin — but more so the fans who were on the verge of having gotten screwed by his self-serving shenanigans. A good chunk of the money they invested is gone and they weren’t going to get it back if Axanar didn’t move forward.
And while Peters is a d*ck with more publicly demonstrated hubris than Steven Spielberg, Axanar might have actually helped fan films by drawing Justin Lin and JJ Abrams — two powerful allies — in on the side of them.
We’ll have to wait and see what the fan guide says, but I think all fans of fan films can breathe easier today.
@dmduncan, What happened to you to make you so angry? Is it just trolling? Having the help of two of the top guys in Star Trek isn’t a bad thing no matter how many vulgarities and lies fall out of your face. It is actually a great thing. Look at that photo of Alec and Justin. No damaged goods there. Sometimes we all need a little help to get good things done.
What happened to you to make you so dimwitted? You are apparently trying to introduce me to points I made in posts above yours (one of them immediately so), as if I didn’t make them — proving that you are not a stickler for paying attention to other people’s words.
Look, Two Cents. I don’t know who you are. For all I know you could be some 70 year old fan and that’s why you are replying to me the way you are. And if that’s the case then I apologize.
Nice!
The lawsuit was also not the smartest thing to do, business-wise, during the 50th Anniversary of a franchise that’s made them so much money. I’d bet that was brought up in the discussions.
Lone Browncoat Today 1:38 am
I would like to see these ‘new’ guidelines publicly released so we can ALL read them and see what this new perspective is going to be.
I don’t see why CBS wouldn’t make them public. And if they don’t, the fan productions will after they receive them. There’s no reason not to. CBS wants everyone to know the rules.
Perhaps the new guidelines should simply state that fans can’t make movies – only episodes or shorts.
Regards.
If it’s written by lawyers it’ll be 2000 pages long and incomprehensible by virtue of its sleep-inducing language.
Lawyers are the only people who can call a 2000 page document a “brief”!
@Harry Ballz,
LOL
YES! LOL to both comments by dmduncan and Harry Ballz…:)
That is good news.
FROM AXANARS PR GUY
An official statement from Axanar Productions on tonight’s statement from Justin Lin and JJ Abrams:
While we’re grateful to receive the public support of JJ Abrams and Justin Lin, as the lawsuit remains pending, we want to make sure we go through all the proper steps to make sure all matters are settled with CBS and Paramount. Our goal from the beginning of this legal matter has been to address the concerns of the plaintiffs in a way that still allows us to tell the story of AXANAR and meets the expectations of the over 10,000 fans who financially supported our project.
There is still a lot of work to do, but receiving this kind of public support helps immensely.
AND FROM CBS PARAMOUNT
We’re pleased to confirm we are in settlement discussions and we’re also on a set of fan film guidelines.
No where in either statement does the word Dropped appear.
As per agreed steps outlined in the joint statement and ordered by the court this is the next step and settlement is likely.
What form that is we may never know and! If the talks breakdown from one or both oartied failing to agree the lawsuit remains moving into its next phase.
I really wish people would keep to facts and not hearsay or conjecture.
I don’t watch these any way…far too armatureish for my time.
But cheers I guess for those who do.
My other comment still in moderation!!!
In other words, if Axanar is to go forward, CBS and Paramount, as well as Bad Robot, will get a cut and a say in production.
IOW, they want to bring over the looser and more fan-friendly rules from the SW universe, but they want control.
This was always going to be a settlement. Just because they dropped the lawsuit doesn’t mean that Axanar gets to go forward. The only question is why did CBS decide to proceed with a lawsuit, rather than go down the back door settlement path to begin with. One wonders if peters called their bluff …
@Curious Cadet,
“Just because they dropped the lawsuit doesn’t mean that Axanar gets to go forward.”
Did you even hear what Abrams said last night? Peters will gets to make Axanar.
Abrams: “So he went to the studio and pushed them to stop this lawsuit and now within the last few weeks it will be announced that this is going away and the fans will be able to [continue] their productions.“
It doesn’t say Axanar specifically gets to go forward, unless I did miss that — not really following it that closely. Whether Axanar gets made is directly related to the settlement. But one wonders how much crowdsourced money has been spent fighting this lawsuit, assuming CBS gives it a green light. The fact there are guidelines coming, will most likely limit the quality of a production as well. I wonder if there will be a limit to the amount of money fans can spend on a production.
Maybe not Alec Peter/Axanar, but it does mean that other fan productions can carry on. After all, neither studio sued these other fan productions, but they were asked to stop working on their own films in the meantime. The studio, Abrams and Lin were considering the needs and wishes of those other productions negatively affected but who had not (seriously) violated copyright etc, as Peters has done.
Peters should not get too cocky…
@Keachick, Curious Cadet,
OK, guess you two were watching Abrams from the other timeline, the one where he was talking about STC, STR, STNV ..etc but never mentioned Axanar at all!!
I’m not sure what you mean. As far as I know, the only parties involved in any settlement are Axanar/Alec Peters and Paramount/CBS. The other fanmade productions (STC, STR, STNV…) were never subject to a lawsuit. However, because of the lawsuit and controversy and uncertainty, at least one of the fanmade productions could only get half the funding it needed.In other words, other law abiding fans were being penalised. Hopefully, this will no longer be the case.
No, I didn’t watch anything. I read this article with a quote that doesn’t specifically state Axanar will be going forward. It’s a very ambiguous article that as you point out clearly doesn’t include everything one would need to draw a reasonable conclusion from it. All Abrams says in that quote is that the studio shouldn’t be suing the fans, and by dropping the lawsuit the “fans” (not Axanar specifically) can go forward with their “productions”. Other productions’ futures hang in the balance of the outcome of he Axanar lawsuit, and Abrams seems to be addressing that. But this article specifically states that Axanar is in settlement talks, which means Abrams comment can’t be applied solely to Axanar, but fan films in general, since the settlement must be reached before anything further can happen with Axanar.
@Curious Cadet,
There you go, watch the comments made by Abrams.
JJ Abrams Says ‘Star Trek: Axanar’ Lawsuit Is Ending
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZFycZqcQhQ
Sorry, that doesn’t change anything. First, Abrams sounds like he doesn’t know what he’s talking about first, or has had way too much caffeine. But more importantly, he’s talking about how he and Lin felt like Paramount should not be suing the fans, and they made a plea for them to stop. And now fans don’t have to worry about being sued by Paramount. Peter’s and Axanar is merely the catalyst to this story that’s going to allow all fans to produce fan films without threat of legal action.
Nothing in that video suggests that Axanar will be allowed to go forward without conditional restrictions. Indeed that’s the whole point of the Updated addition of the article — CBS will be outlining terms and guidelines, something they are likely to establish in part during their settlement talks with Axanar. Will Peters get to make Axanar as he originally planned? Unlikely. Will he get to make it in some form? Maybe. But that is a far cry from what you seem to be claiming Abrams said, who buy the way is just “some guy” as far as this lawsuit and general issue is concerned. The cynic in me reads this as Abrams and Lin don’t want this lawsuit to hurt his film franchise with the fans and that’s why they mounted resistance to it. Imagine what Abrams would do if fans had been producing Lost fan films during the long hiatuses between seasons and were coincidentally following the exact same unimaginative storyline Abrams series did, and getting a large fan following in the process. Then add to that the fans involved were building a studio at the expense of Abrams audience, which they could continue to use long after they produced the fan films. Chances are Abrams would have wants to shut that down as well. The difference is in how it was handled.
Should CBS have sued Axanar? No. Should they have worked with them to work this out behind the scenes? Yes. And that’s all this boils down to. And frankly that’s what likely happened until Peters called CBS’ bluff. And now Abrams has pressured CBS into taking a weaker hand with a guy who clearly has no respect for IP. And frankly it’s lose-lose for the fans who would make fan fiction, thanks to Peters and Axanar, as official guidelines are bad news for such projects.
JJ was specifically talking about Axanar, even mentioning it. But of course the settlement and guideline will dictate in what form they can continue.
Axanar has not vialoted copyright more then other productions do (e.g. STC by using Kirk, Spock, McCoy, exact set replicas, music and so on).
The ONLY other fanfilm that was recommended to stop was the Horizon sequel. NO other fan production has heard anything, in fact they are all working at full speed on their productions.
Sounds like fan films are a go with some caveats. Fingers are crossed for broader rather than narrower caveats, but it’s all a tense wait and see.
dmduncan Today 3:46 pm
Oh it’s a clear victory for Peters whose butt just got pulled out of the fire by JJ and Lin — but more so the fans who were on the verge of having gotten screwed by his self-serving shenanigans.
That’s probably true, but of course it’s impossible to know what would have happened had the lawsuit gone forward, and I can think of at least one scenario that would have been a huge win for Peters and Axanar—that being if Axanar were forced to replace all of its infringing content with original material, and did so while maintaining its loyal fanbase, thereby spinning off into an all-original franchise. Also, as Axanar had high-powered representation in the suit, there could have been an unexpected aspect to the ruling that set a precedent in IP law unfavorable to CBS. In terms of being off the hook, though, you’re right. I suspect that even the arrogant Mr. Peters is relieved by this outcome.
Axanar might have actually helped fan films by drawing Justin Lin and JJ Abrams — two powerful allies — in on the side of them.
Good point. Though, when CBS’s guidelines are made public, allies or not, the fan productions will have clear boundaries to either abide or violate. And if they violate the guidelines, support from the likes of Abrams and Lin won’t likely be an issue. Everyone, including Abrams and Lin, will be able to see whether or not a given production has violated the guidelines, and there won’t be much sympathy for those who choose to flout the new convention. That there will now be public guidelines, however—provided that said guidelines are not creatively oppressive—is a benefit to fan productions achieved in part by the support of Abrams and Lin, and—like it or not—by the dubious conduct of Mr. Peters and Axanar.
This is fantastic news! I have been looking forward to Axanar — it looks AMAZING — and now I sense a bright and promiding future for all fan made productions! Including the one that YOU may make someday!! Its my birthday today and I must say that this is the best present ive recieved so far (although I must admit, i am technically still in bed). More trek ^^
More hope for humanity :p