For an iconic and popular long-lasting series such as "Star Trek," fan-fiction is encouraged. But what happens when fan-fiction starts to be actualized into real films? That's a step too far into the neutral zone for some.
Paramount and CBS are suing a production company that has crowdfunded the first independent "Star Trek" movie, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The lawsuit was filed last week in California federal court over "Axanar," the upcoming feature film that raised more than $1 million on Kickstarter and Indiegogo. Producer Alex Peters hopes to make a movie that has the feel of a studio film.
"While some may call it a 'fan film' as we are not licensed by CBS, Axanar has professionals working in front and behind the camera, with a fully-professional crew - many of whom have worked on Star Trek itself - who ensure Axanar will be the quality of Star Trek that all fans want to see," Peters wrote in the pitch to investors.
Paramount and CBS are labeling the fan film a violation of their intellectual property.
"The Axanar Works infringe Plaintiffs' works by using innumerable copyrighted elements of Star Trek, including its settings, characters, species, and themes," the complaint states.
With the help of "Star Trek" actor George Takei, "Axanar" has become one of the biggest movie projects in Kickstarter history. The movie appears to be a prequel based on references to Gene Roddenberry's original TV series from the late 1960s.
"Axanar takes place 21 years before the events of 'Where no Man Has Gone Before,' the first Kirk episode of the original Star Trek," reads the movie's description. "Axanar is the story of Garth of Izar, the legendary Starfleet captain who is Captain Kirk's hero...Axanar tells the story of Gath and his crew during the Four Years War, the war with the Klingon Empire that almost tore the Federation apart. Garth's victory at Axanar solidified the Federation and allowed it to become the entity we know in Kirk's time. It is the year 2245 and the war with the Klingons ends here."
Paramount and CBS gave a joint statement on the matter: "Star Trek is a treasured franchise in which CBS and Paramount continue to produce new original content for its large universe of fans. The producers of Axanar are making a Star Trek picture they describe themselves as a fully-professional independent Star Trek film. Their activity clearly violates our Star Trek copyrights, which, of course, we will continue to vigorously protect."
