If you've been tuned at all to developments in the science fiction or intellectual property fields, you know that Paramount Pictures and CBS have been pursuing copyright infringement litigation against the producers of a Star Trek fan-fiction movie called Axanar. The fan/producers published the 20-minute teaser Prelude to Axanar on YouTube in August 2014 (which as of today has been viewed more then 2.3 million times), and raised over a million dollars through Kickstarter to fund a full-length film. This level of investment, and the project's Hollywood-quality production values, set this film apart from the more common fan fiction that studios usually tolerate.
The lawsuit has already generated a wealth of interesting developments, including a fascinating debate over whether the Klingon language can be copyrighted, and conflicting statements to the public by the studios' lawyers and by director J.J. Abrams about whether or not the studios will drop the lawsuit.
Most recently and with much less fanfare, CBS and Paramount have now rolled out a new set of official guidelines for fan-made Star Trek films. Neither the associated press release nor the guidelines themselves mention Axanar directly, but it's hard to believe that the timing of these guidelines wasn't inspired by the unprecedented attention to the issue generated by that case.
The text of the guidlelines are reproduced in full below. A few interesting details to note:
All in all, it's a smart move for the studios to issue guidelines, given how popular fan fiction is in general, and in particular with the Star Trek franchise. The timing makes sense, not only because of the Axanar lawsuit but also because CBS is about to launch a new anthology-type Star Trek television series that explores the sorts of "untold stories" that fan films exist to tell. The debate will continue over whether these standards in particular are ones that fans can live with and that courts will enforce. Only time will tell on those questions.
Here are the guidelines in full:
CBS and Paramount Pictures are big believers in reasonable fan fiction and fan creativity, and, in particular, want amateur fan filmmakers to showcase their passion for Star Trek. Therefore, CBS and Paramount Pictures will not object to, or take legal action against, Star Trek fan productions that are non-professional and amateur and meet the following guidelines.
Guidelines for Avoiding Objections:
CBS and Paramount Pictures reserve the right to revise, revoke and/or withdraw these guidelines at any time in their own discretion. These guidelines are not a license and do not constitute approval or authorization of any fan productions or a waiver of any rights that CBS or Paramount Pictures may have with respect to fan fiction created outside of these guidelines.
