MovieChat Forums > Prelude to Axanar Discussion > Why do Paramount/CBS sue?

Why do Paramount/CBS sue?

posted 7 years ago by pfnuesel
3 replies | jump to latest

I understand why they sue the creators of Axanar.

Prelude to Axanar is exactly what Hollywood has been serving us all the time: Pretentious acting, cheesy lines, ridiculous twists, you name it. This has been successful for all these years without adding any creativity or innovation to the game.

It's a pity that we live in a world where fan projects get sued. But it's also a pity that a fan project only copies what the big players are doing.

[–] Sgt_G 7 years ago

It's a pity that we live in a world where fan projects get sued.

Project. One. No "s" to make it plural. Only one "fan film" was sued, which happened to be the one that claimed not to be a fan film at all but rather an "independent professional studio dedicated to creating new Star Trek movies better than what CBS or Paramount has done."

Axanar was sued because they crossed the line, were told they crossed the line, were told to dial it back, and they thumbed their noses at CBS and continued to proceed down the path they knew not to take. They knew from taking with other fan-film projects exactly where the line was and what things would get them in trouble with CBS.

They raised about four times as much money as the next-most expensive fan-film project (who were advised to dial it back and did so), and used said money to build a for-hire / for-profit studio. They used money raised in the name of Star Trek to pay themselves a salary, to pay expenses for attending conventions, and to pay for union / guild dues. They sold unlicensed merchandise that, while stripped of logos, were clearly based on Star Trek.

In short, they used someone else's intellectual property for unauthorized personal financial gain. That's what got them sued.

[–] bradsmithsite 7 years ago

Paramount and the big Hollywood companies don't know how to deal with this type of thing. It's like Nintendo trying to sue people for playing their games on YouTube. They want most of the profit, even if it's your crowd base and your channel. They should be honored that you're focusing on their game, instead, they stab you.

Boycott.

[–] hutsol386 7 years ago

You should be glad that Disney did not buy Star Trek. There would be NO fanboy films anywhere.