‘Axanar’ Producer Alec Peters Responds To Paramount/CBS Lawsuit

I love the last sentence. A lot of potential there.

CBS sees money going to STAR TREK and it’s not THEIR legally licensed property. These films have always been financed by the fans and NOT for profit. Never released to theaters for pay or sold on video for money. It’s as if the BIG EYEBALL doesn’t want anyone else to play with their toys. Peters, Cawley and Mignona are fans playing make believe and being very imaginative about it. CBS doesn’t suffer. If anything, these productions keep the “franchise” alive and in the public awareness. It seems, on the face of it, to be like Mr. Wilson shooting Dennis the Menace for walking on his petunias. There are dozens of these fan films out there. Will CBS go after thrm as well? Hopefully, sane heads will take over and this will blow away like a leaf on the wind. Uh oh! I made a reference to another “franchise”. I’ll get a cease and desist order by mail soon.

The fact of the matter is this… When you tinker in someone else’s universe, whether to make profit or not, it is still considered copyright infringement unless you specifically have it in writing that you have their full support. If CBS or Paramount want to kill Star Trek, let it die off naturally or neglect it, it’s their property and licenses to do as they see fit. Even if we don’t agree on how they treat it. Taking $1,000,000 from fans for a project they didn’t endorse but is based on their material is definite grounds for a lawsuit. The lawsuit also states that the money was not properly tracked as to where it was being spent so there’s no way to know if the Producers, etc pocketted some of the money themselves. Whether Axenar is any good, remains to be seen. But CBS/Paramount are well within their rights to exercise their ownership of the franchise.

CBS and Paramount are acting like a pack of Ferengi’s and Cardassians trying to use a combination of both the rules of acquisition and brute force to put this project down. Shame on both production companies for doing this. I can understand that there are good grounds for them to do this, but at the end, they might as well even go after all the other fan films like Star Trek Continues and Star Trek Phase 2 for doing the same. Im a devoted Trek fan and I just dont find this right at all. To be quite frank, I actually enjoy watching the creative works all these fans have done…. and to add on, I think they are even better than that retarded JJ-universe that just doesnt work well with the rest of the cannon story lines. Fans like myself actually hated it to the core….. especially when it came down to the horribly incorrect specs and dimensions to the famed and celebrated USS Enterprise.

@startrekaxanar I recommend going to red alert and head to battle stations….. this gonna be a battle I, and other fans will be ready to fight for to defend both Axanar Productions and the new USS Ares. This fan film cannot be put down by corporate america and its greed.

As Captain Jean Luc Picard said in his log before the battle in the Bassen Rift “like a thousand other commanders on a thousand other battlefields, I wait for the dawn.”

#istandwithaxanar #defendtheussares #defendaxanar #fouryearswar #startrek #shieldsup #phasersatmaximum #photontorpedoesonstandby #thelinehasbeendrawn #wewillnotsurrender #resistanceisnotfutile #wearetheunitedfederationofplanets #wearestarfleet #unitedwestand

The big picture (pun not intended) here is that CBS has singled out Axanar. Why is that? Not to criticize another fan-film that also was crowd-funded, but they violated far more IP than Axanar has shown to have proposed. They’re even working on a second episode! So why is CBS not all in an uproar about it? Because it’s clear that the new series is going to be a prequel to The Original Series. Some of the models and conceptional art has already leaked onto the internet. It’s an NX-01 style refit. They’ve already denied that the Romulan War will play a factor so that leaves the history with the Klingon War. Axanar is a story that could play out an episode of this new series. Since Hollywood is pretty much tapped out on new ideas, it’s easier to litigate over IP on a small studio all-the-while stealing their idea. Suing Axanar is just CYA so that they can’t sue CBS on what is likely to be a future episode.

Well, the Fans behind Axanar have had the idea to make a movie in the Klingon War era way before CBS announced its intention to milk Fans with a new ST series offered only on its paid service.

If indeed they are going after Axanar because they decided to steal this idea from the Fans, oh they are in for a big surprise. Already because of their actions towards a Fan made Creation I was considering not paying for the new series in their own network, if it turns out that they set their new series sin that period then I am simply going to ignore anything CBS makes, their new Star Trek will never exist for me.

I am really disappointed by the Lawsuit, disappointed at Paramount and CBS. And I am hoping that somehow they will settle and Axanar finishes production. We shall see what will happen. One thing is for sure, Fans are concerned I seen many speak out their minds in various Star Trek related sites on Facebook, and various forums, and in my opinion the more CBS will pursue to shut down Axanar the more customers they may lose. I for one am closing my interest and wallet until this is resolved in favour of the Fans.

They maybe a business but a business cannot operate without customers. This a dependency and it doe snot go two ways nor can the statement “it is a business” be used as some kind of umbrella to consequences. This business exists because of the Fans.

Furthermore, Star Trek, also by their own admission too, has become a Cultural Phenomenon over 50 years. And it is normal that Fan made creations exist and abound about it, since it is part of Culture world Wide.

And now they are trying to copy right culture? How can you copy right culture?

This is deal, when you are raising fund for project that is not your intelluctual property then you will have big issue. I would sue as well. Non-profit still needs profit to grow. someone is making profit from startup kicks either by getting new assets or salaries.

#IStandWithAxanar

Ok this is how i understand it. Star Trek renegades was selling props like com badges and other easily identifiable Star Trek merchandise to raise money for production.It used big name star trek actors and minor supporting actors reprising the roles that made them famous.yet they were allowed to produce and then publish the movie on youtube and are currently working on a second film.But it sucked i did not like it at all. Axanar raised production money from crowd funding alone. it has big name Star Trek actors and minor actors reprising the roles that they played or taking on all new roles never seen before.And it looks like it would be a great film totally in keeping with the ideas and spirit of Star Trek.They reached the million dollar mark months ago still no word from CBS/Paramount.the new Teaser for the third J.J Trek drops every one and their Orion belly dancers hates it.CBS freaks out and has the lawyers drop the hammer on Axanar, Because it’s gonna be more well received by the fan base then this new cluster fudge called Star Trek beyond.To be honest i would rather see Axanar be the 50th anniversary Film for star trek then beyond.I’d pay money To see Axanar.as for star trek beyond i’ll wait to see it till i can find the DVD in the discount bin at wally world or it pops up on NetF***. There is no way I’m paying theater prices to see it unless i find it at a dollar matinee.

“first thing we do, let’s kill all the Lawyers” – William Shakespeare

This wouldn’t be happening if Axanar wasn’t so much better than the Abrams Sparkle Trek.