CBS Sends “Breach of Notice” to Star Trek Fan Film Axanar
CBS sent a breach of notice to Star Trek fan film Axanar claiming the film referenced itself as a “an independent Star Trek film” and alleged a Patreon campaign for Ares Studios, the sound stage where Axanar films, violated a previous settlement agreement.
The Axanar fan film was the center of a thirteen-month legal fight that ended back in January 2017. As part of the settlement, CBS allowed the film to continue production albeit with a number of conditions. Star Trek would also issue guidelines for fan films and fan creations that involve Star Trek moving forward.
On Facebook, Axanar confirmed they had been sent a letter from CBS attorneys that accused them of labeling the film an “independent Star Trek film.” However, they note the “eliminated the reference” after receiving the letter.
“On Oct. 1st, Axanar Productions received a “Notice of Breach” letter from CBS’ attorneys. It noted that we had improperly referred to Axanar as an “independent Star Trek film” in a recent press release about our Oct. filming schedule.
That press release appeared to have been run in local Atlanta newspaper 11 Alive that reported the film would be going into production beginning on October 4th. They also described the film as an “independent Star Trek film.”
Axanar agreed to the accusation and noted they eliminated the reference moving forward.
“We agreed, and immediately eliminated that reference.”
Their statement also indicated that CBS took issue with Axanar’s Patreon for Ares Studios indicating it violated their 2017 agreement. They claim this accusation is “without merit” because it is a separate entity from Axanar and acts as a sound stage for a number of productions.
CBS also claimed that the Patreon campaign for Ares Studios violated the separation agreement. Since Ares Studios is a separate legal entity from Axanar productions, and serves as a sound stage for both fan film productions and student film makers, CBS’ assertion is without merit.
They concluded by noting they will “work within the spirit of the settlement agreement but will also protect our legal rights.”
The letter from CBS’ lawyers does not appear to have deterred shooting as they recently posted a behind the scenes video showing the first day of shooting on Axanar.
https://youtu.be/NKRmBDYzwsU
A separate report from Axamonitor details CBS is claiming the fan film and its producer Alec Peters violated their 2017 settlement. The report alleged CBS was also taking issue with Axanar’s finances specifically that they were earning money publicly for the film through YouTube superchats.
They also note the letter from CBS’ lawyers demanded Peters and Axanar provide full details for the money that has been raised for the fan film since 2017.
What do you think of the battle between CBS/Paramount and Axanar? Will another court battle erupt between the two?
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