OPPOSING MOTIONS filed by both parties in the AXANAR LAWSUIT

axanar-logo-3First, I’d like to apologize if FAN FILM FACTOR seems like it’s turning into the ALL-AXAANR NETWORK.

Yes, there are still other Star Trek fan films out there, and I promise to get back to covering them.  But the Axanar news these past two weeks (and for the next three weeks) is truly significant and could, very likely, affect ALL Star Trek fan films and series…in a good way, a bad way, or possibly even both.  So in my opinion, this is news deserving of extensive coverage.

That said, shortly before midnight on Monday, both parties in the Axanar copyright infringement lawsuit filed briefs opposing the others’ motions for (partial) summary judgment.  Monday was the deadline, and these filings were widely expected by those following the case.

The goal of each legal team is not to win the case here and now, however.  In a situation similar to the old joke, “I don’t have to outrun the bear, I only have to outrun you!” the idea is to simply torpedo the other side’s motion to get the judge to issue any ruling BEFORE the case goes before a jury.  As such, if/when you read the filings, you’ll notice a tendency to argue that “the facts are still very much in question” rather than “they’re just plain wrong and we’re right.”  As long as the facts are still in dispute, this case goes to court, and a jury gets to decide.

Here’s a link to the Plaintiffs Opposition filing and also a link to the Defense Opposition filing.  And once again, they are both brought to you by the number 20…as there is a 20-page limit in how long these “briefs” can be.  Some day, I am certain, all of this filings in this case will be required reading in law school courses on copyrights and intellectual property law.  Yes, this case is THAT significant, and both sides are writing textbook motions that have a lot to teach future attorneys.

In a few days, I’ll try to provide my own “briefs” on these briefs…hopefully shorter than last week!  Some things to notice if you do bother to read these:

  • The plaintiffs are back to using pictures again!
  • Now it’s the plaintiffs’ turn to bring up Star Wars…and Harry Potter!
  • On the other side, the defense points out that Garth of Izar and Soval are not James Bond and Godzilla!
  • Apparently, long-time Trekkie and director of Star Trek Beyond, Justin Lin, never heard of Garth of Izar!
  • Apparently, no, the studio (Paramount) never bothered to register a copyright on Garth of Izar nor on Ambassador Soval.  (This could be problematic for the plaintiffs.)
  • If the judge grants the plaintiffs’ requested injunction against Alec Peters, it could violate the first amendment!  (Hey, I’m just reporting the news, folks.)
  • This time, the plaintiffs used a proper redaction technique.  Whew!

And yes, I’m also going to include some blogs about OTHER Star Trek fan films really soon…I promise!

 

A Tale of Two(?) Fan Films – Analyzing the MOTIONS FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT in the AXANAR LAWSUIT! (Part 1)

Axaanr splash image2It was the best of crimes; it was the worst of crimes…or was it even a crime at all?  (Actually, this is a civil trial, not criminal…but I needed a word that rhymes with “times.”)

Looking at the two motions for summary judgment filed late Wednesday night by the two parties in the AXANAR copyright infringement lawsuit, one might wonder if he or she had just read a tale of two completely different fan films.  The defense, unsurprisingly, had that “What…little old us?” look as they discussed a mostly original piece of creative fiction that used just the smallest sliver of Star Trek–and only the “minimum” that was necessary to tell its story that was actually a “critical commentary and analysis” of “the present-day military industrial complex.”

Meanwhile, the plaintiffs painted a picture of a nefarious fan who maliciously tried to line his own pockets with ill-gotten gains taken from the good and just studios who have made Star Trek lo these 50 years.  His fan film contains nothing original and was simply a “…copy from the plots, themes, settings, mood, dialogue, characters, and pace of the Star Trek works.”  The very existence of Axanar in any way will “…cause irreparable harm to the market for the Star Trek Copyrighted Works…” and must be ended immediately “in the public interest.”

They can’t both be right, can they?

Continue reading “A Tale of Two(?) Fan Films – Analyzing the MOTIONS FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT in the AXANAR LAWSUIT! (Part 1)”

Both parties file MOTIONS FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT in the AXANAR LAWSUIT!

Axaanr splash imageYep, we can now safely assume that the two sides in the AXANAR copyright infringement lawsuit have NOT reached a settlement yet.

It came quite literally down to the wire!  I checked with the court at 11:30 pm Pacific Time and neither side had filed any motion yet.  I was wondering if they’d somehow managed to settle the case after all.  But when I returned shortly after midnight, I found multiple filings from both the plaintiffs and the defense.

There’s a LOT to read through and analyze, but for right now, I just want to get the two main filings up for you all to look through.  Please note, before anyone starts doing victory laps or predicting this or that outcome, remember that each side gets to respond to the opposition’s motion and then each side gets to then respond to that response.  And finally, the two legal teams present oral arguments before Judge Klausner before he finally rules shortly thereafter.  It is FAR from over, folks!

Okay, here’s what was filed last night:

DEFENSE Motion for Summary Judgment

PLAINTIFFS Motion for Partial Summary Judgment

Each of these filings goes on for 20 pages, and they both reference other documents (including my own “History of Star Trek Fan Films”).  However, there is a downloading/viewing charge for accessing each document (up to $3 per document), and I want to see if I can perhaps get the supporting evidence documents directly from the defense team (for free) before I spend all my Google Ad revenue for the year just getting PDFs for all of you (and me, of course).

And finally, yes, I intend to provide an analysis of both of these motions–their strengths, weaknesses, and any surprises I found (and there’s quite a few).  But I’m traveling next week, so I don’t know if I’ll have enough down time to write up something thorough enough until after I get back.  We’ll just have to see, but thanks for your patience and understanding.

CONFIRMED! AXANAR defense team will file a MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGEMENT later today!

axanar-logo-3Well, it looks like there isn’t a settlement yet in the AXANAR copyright infringement lawsuit.  And how do I know this?  Because I now have confirmation that the defense will be filing a motion for summary judgment with Judge Klausner of the Ninth Circuit Federal Court later on today.  (I don’t yet know if the plaintiffs are planning to do likewise, but if a settlement hasn’t been reached, then it’s a pretty sure bet.)

And how did I get confirmation that the defense will be filing their motion later today?  Because yesterday evening I was asked to sign this declaration:

Continue reading “CONFIRMED! AXANAR defense team will file a MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGEMENT later today!”

TOMORROW we’ll know if the AXANAR lawsuit has settled or not…

Tomorrow (November 16) is the deadline to file motions for summary judgement in the AXANAR copyright infringement lawsuit.  And while the two sides are supposedly still in talks to settle (they reportedly had a conference call meeting yesterday), we’ll know tomorrow whether or not a settlement is imminent.

How?  Well, by the end of the day tomorrow–if they aren’t really close to a settlement or there already–we will most likely see two major filings from the legal teams: each a motion for summary judgment.  And what the heck is that, you ask…?

Continue reading “TOMORROW we’ll know if the AXANAR lawsuit has settled or not…”

BREAKING (NO) NEWS!!! NO SETTLEMENT (yet) in AXANAR LAWSUIT!

axaanr-splash-image4Okay, I just couldn’t wait anymore!  I had to know…was  a settlement reached in the Axanar copyright infringement lawsuit????

If you read my previous blog on the subject, you know that the two sides–CBS/Paramount and Alec Peters/Axanar Productions–were ordered by judge R. Gary Klausner to sit down for one last-ditch attempt to work out a settlement before going to trial.  Magistrate Judge Charles Eick was assigned to facilitate the discussions.  There is a court-mandated gag order on all discussions of the content of the settlement talks, and so all we got from Alec Peters on Monday evening was this:

We did not reach a settlement, but we are close. We will know by week’s end, as the attorneys have a call with Judge Eick Friday.

Everyone needs to manage their expectations. A settlement means neither side gets exactly what they want.

That sounded promising–or so I thought.  But as Friday (today) wore on and Alec wasn’t answering my texts of “So…any news yet?” I was getting antsier and antsier.  Their Monday meeting had lasted past 9:00p.m., so I tried to be patient and not bother Alec over and over again.  I failed.

But my persistence paid off…kinda.  I finally received the following comment approved from Alec for posting to FAN FILM FACTOR: Continue reading “BREAKING (NO) NEWS!!! NO SETTLEMENT (yet) in AXANAR LAWSUIT!”

Will the AXANAR LAWSUIT settle???

axaanr-splash-image4Just imagine: going to FAN FILM FACTOR and not seeing the words “AXANAR LAWSUIT’ at the top of the home page…

It could happen!  Yesterday, the two sides had a court-mandated meeting to discuss ways to settle the case before going to trial.  Most lawsuits settle before ever reaching trial (like 90-95%, I’m told) because it’s usually not worth the cost and the risk of losing to ether side.

Also, full trials take up a LOT of time in court.  So far, the Axanar case has required only a few hours of a judge’s actual time on the bench (plus some extra time in chambers reviewing filings).  But an actual trial can take days or even weeks to finish, plus the costs of sitting and potentially sequestering a jury.  So it’s often in the best interests of the legal system, as well, for cases to settle rather than coming to trial.

And so Judge R. Gary Klausner (the main judge in the Axanar case) ordered both sides to try–really try–to come to an agreement…a compromise where both sides give a little and get a little.  Magistrate Judge Charles Eick, who had just made two major rulings in the discovery phase, was told to facilitate the settlement talks on Monday.

Continue reading “Will the AXANAR LAWSUIT settle???”

BREAKING NEWS – Judge rules on plaintiff’s EX PARTE application in AXANAR LAWSUIT

axanar-logo-3So my best one-sentence summary of Magistrate Judge Charles Eick’s ex parte order in the Axanar lawsuit would be: “Move along folks; nothing to see here.”  In other words, nothing really surprising happened (at least if you read my previous blog).

In short, the plaintiffs asked for three main things and got two and a half of them…maybe two and a quarter.  But the thing is, they got what the defense was already offering.  You order a drink, the waiter brings it.  Done.  So it was kind of anticlimactic.

Here’s the three things the plaintiffs wanted: Continue reading “BREAKING NEWS – Judge rules on plaintiff’s EX PARTE application in AXANAR LAWSUIT”

ALEC PETERS’ attorney fires back hard at CBS/PARAMOUNT legal team in AXANAR LAWSUIT!

Axaanr splash image2Remember back in the first half of this year when the initial documents were being filed in the Axanar lawsuit?  Remember how each time one side or the other would submit their latest filing, it would suddenly look like it was “game, set, and match?”  And then the other side would respond, and it would seem like a knockout blow for that side.  And on and on.

Well, history seems to be repeating itself…

Continue reading “ALEC PETERS’ attorney fires back hard at CBS/PARAMOUNT legal team in AXANAR LAWSUIT!”

CBS/PARAMOUNT legal team blasts ALEC PETERS with full phasers in AXANAR LAWSUIT!

Axaanr splash imageMan, just when you thought we’d go at least a few days without a long AXANAR post!  But hell hath no fury like a pair of studios compelled by a judge to produce a ton of discovery documentation and new witnesses to depose.

So what the heck just happened?  Well, long story short, yesterday the plaintiffs attorneys in the case filed a 122-page ex parte (emergency) application for a judge’s order of relief while still in the discovery phase of the case.  Time was running out (discovery ends on Wednesday!) and the plaintiffs couldn’t wait to jointly approach the judge for a fast resolution.  And what are they trying to resolve?

Well, now it’s time for short story long.  Strap in, folks–’cause a LOT has happened in the last seven days!

Continue reading “CBS/PARAMOUNT legal team blasts ALEC PETERS with full phasers in AXANAR LAWSUIT!”