March 15, 2016

Crowdfunded Star Trek film infringes copyrights on Klingon language, Vulcan ears and Federation uniforms

by Gareth Mankoo

Trekkies would have a lot to say about this piece of news. Paramount and CBS filed a lawsuit over Axanar, a fan-funded Star Trek film, and now we’re seeing some rather amusing milestones in the case. The original idea was to create a fan-funded Star Trek movie set in the year 2245. This was well before Capt. Kirk took the reins. It said that a number of copyrights were bring infringed and when the defendants questioned the complainants for lack of elaboration, they simply obliged. A scene from Prelude to Axanar shows the ears of the Vulcans and their eyebrows shaped characteristically. That could be infringement. Then there’s the gold uniform worn by the Federation officers that seem to be replicated. Also, the Klingon language seems to be the area of contention.


The idea of a film that was eagerly awaited and made possible by the fans of the franchisee facing this legal war is quite a letdown. Time alone will tell what happens next.

[ Via : Hollywoodreporter ]