It was a very unwise move to sue the some of the best fans the franchise has. But fortunately, it is now dropped. It is incredible what can be produced by hobbyist today. Definitely worth a watch:
http://www.pcmag.com/news/344649/cb...ws&mailingID=F2984BF7B6E7AF487AE8C9A8641AD884
Where does one draw the line between fan film—an homage to a particular story, franchise, or genre you enjoy—and copyright infringement? That's the issue Star Trek fan film Axanar has been battling since December, when Paramount and CBS filed a lawsuit (on Christmas Day, no less) accusing the film's creators of violating all kinds of Star Trek copyrights when making their film.
However, there is a bit of a reprieve headed Axanar's way. According to io9, J.J. Abrams—who directed and produced many of the latest Star Trek films (in various combinations)—said yesterday that the lawsuit is going away.
"A few months back there was a fan film, Axanar, that was getting made and there was this lawsuit that happened between the studio and these fans and...we started talking about it and realized this was not an appropriate way to deal with the fans," Abrams said at a Star Trek Beyond fan event (at Paramount Studios) yesterday.
"The fans should be celebrating this thing. Fans of Star Trek are part of this world. So [director Justin Lin] went to the studio and pushed them to stop this lawsuit and now, within the next few weeks, it will be announced this is going away, and that fans would be able to continue working on their project."
CBS and Paramount have since confirmed that they are officially dropping their lawsuit.
"We are pleased to confirm we are in settlement discussions and are also working on a set of fan film guidelines," a Paramount spokesperson told BuzzFeed's Adam Vary.
As you might expect, the Axanar team was a little cautious when first hearing the news—which, according to reports, completely surprised producer Alec Peters. (He promptly started texting his lawyers when the announcement broke.)
"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," reads a statement from Axanar.
"There is still a lot of work to do, but receiving this kind of public support helps immensely."
Over on Facebook, the mood was decidedly more jubilant among the Axanar team.
"A huge THANK YOU to JJ Abrams and Justin Lin for their announcement last night that Paramount is dropping the suit against Axanar," reads part of a post from Axanar.
We're curious to see what kind of fan film guidelines CBS and Paramount might come up with. While it's great for Star Trek fans that Axanar has scored a reprieve, it's possible that future film projects might not be allowed to have as grand as scope (or as polished a look) as Axanar.
http://www.pcmag.com/news/344649/cb...ws&mailingID=F2984BF7B6E7AF487AE8C9A8641AD884
Where does one draw the line between fan film—an homage to a particular story, franchise, or genre you enjoy—and copyright infringement? That's the issue Star Trek fan film Axanar has been battling since December, when Paramount and CBS filed a lawsuit (on Christmas Day, no less) accusing the film's creators of violating all kinds of Star Trek copyrights when making their film.
However, there is a bit of a reprieve headed Axanar's way. According to io9, J.J. Abrams—who directed and produced many of the latest Star Trek films (in various combinations)—said yesterday that the lawsuit is going away.
"A few months back there was a fan film, Axanar, that was getting made and there was this lawsuit that happened between the studio and these fans and...we started talking about it and realized this was not an appropriate way to deal with the fans," Abrams said at a Star Trek Beyond fan event (at Paramount Studios) yesterday.
"The fans should be celebrating this thing. Fans of Star Trek are part of this world. So [director Justin Lin] went to the studio and pushed them to stop this lawsuit and now, within the next few weeks, it will be announced this is going away, and that fans would be able to continue working on their project."
CBS and Paramount have since confirmed that they are officially dropping their lawsuit.
"We are pleased to confirm we are in settlement discussions and are also working on a set of fan film guidelines," a Paramount spokesperson told BuzzFeed's Adam Vary.
As you might expect, the Axanar team was a little cautious when first hearing the news—which, according to reports, completely surprised producer Alec Peters. (He promptly started texting his lawyers when the announcement broke.)
"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," reads a statement from Axanar.
"There is still a lot of work to do, but receiving this kind of public support helps immensely."
Over on Facebook, the mood was decidedly more jubilant among the Axanar team.
"A huge THANK YOU to JJ Abrams and Justin Lin for their announcement last night that Paramount is dropping the suit against Axanar," reads part of a post from Axanar.
We're curious to see what kind of fan film guidelines CBS and Paramount might come up with. While it's great for Star Trek fans that Axanar has scored a reprieve, it's possible that future film projects might not be allowed to have as grand as scope (or as polished a look) as Axanar.
