Advertisement

Creator of 'Star Trek' fan film responds to CBS, Paramount lawsuit

By Marilyn Malara

VALENCIA, Calif., Dec. 31 (UPI) -- CBS and Paramount Pictures are suing the makers of Star Trek fan-film Axanar over copyright infringement after the project raised $1 million in donations.

The crowdfunded film's executive producer, Alex Peters, publicly responded to the lawsuit on Facebook in a lengthly statement Wednesday, calling the film, "a love letter to a beloved franchise."

Advertisement

"For several years, I've worked with a number of people at CBS on Star Trek-related projects, and I would have hoped those personal relationships would have warranted a phone call in advance of the filing of a legal complaint," Peters wrote. "Nevertheless, I know I speak for everyone at Axanar Productions when I say it is our hope that this can be worked out in a fair and amicable manner."

The production company and Peters himself were faced with the lawsuit, which states the film Axanar infringes "[Paramount and CBS' works] by using innumerable copyrighted elements of Star Trek, including its settings, characters, species, and themes," Monday morning. Entertainment Weekly reports the two companies are looking for $150,000 in damages for each allegedly infringed creative element.

Through successful crowdfunding efforts on such sites as Kickstarter and Indiegogo, Axanar Productions raised over $1 million from fans who want to see the film professionally created.

Advertisement

"Axanar is a fan film," Peters said in his recent statement. "Fan films -- whether related to {i:Star Trek, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Power Rangers, Batman} or any other franchise- -- are labors of love that keep fans engaged, entertained, and keep favorite characters alive in the hearts of fans."

He went on to assert Star Trek fans are the most affected by the lawsuit. "For by suing Axanar Productions to stop making our movie and collect so-called damages, CBS and Paramount are suing the very people who have enthusiastically maintained the universe created by Gene Roddenberry so many years ago."

STATEMENT FROM ALEC PETERS, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER OF AXANARDecember 30, 2015This morning, I was greeted with news that...

Posted by Axanar on Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Latest Headlines