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Re: NEWS: Paramount is Shutting Down Trek Websites!!!
pirateq@ix.netcom.com (Quark's Latinum Lady) writes:
>Katie with an E <KatiE@justalittledog.com> wrote:
>>I just went over and read the letter. Did you all catch the part about
>>artistic representations of Trek being banned?
>>The way that was worded, we can interpret it to to mean that if you draw a
>>stick figure and call it Data, you're in trouble.
>>The clamp is coming. Some might say it's here.
>Yes, I did see that. Some poor Kindergarteners doodling Picard are beginning their lives
>of crime! Oh, how sad!
Although only a couple of messages are quoted above, the following
is my response to all the people bemoaning the actions of the evil
ones at Paramount, including the fellow whose web page says he's been
"censured" by Paramount (I suspect he means censored).
Ever hear of a company called Disney? If your daycare centre has a
mural featuring their characters and they hear about it, you will be
hearing from their lawyers very quickly.
You can bitch about Paramount, or you can learn the context in which
this is happening. Acquaint yourself with the concepts of intellectual
property, trademarks, copyrights, etc. Learn how Disney deals with
similar situations. I've heard that Lucasfilm has also been keeping
fan activities under close scrutiny since the first Star Wars movie.
Paramount has actually shown some restraint.
It's like this: Star Trek is NOT your property. I don't care how
much you have done to keep the show alive, by collecting action
figures or novels or videos or computer games; whether you've
created web sites or fanzines or posted works of great insight
and wisdom on r.a.s.*; whether you bought the show in syndication
for a TV station, if you happen to work for one. None of that makes
Star Trek your property. Being part of the Holy and Noble Collective
of Star Trek Fandom gives you no legal claim to Star Trek.
All of us feel that Trek is in some way ours. But it has always
been a commercial enterprise. Gene Roddenberry himself created
the first organization designed to cash in on Trek fandom, Lincoln
Enterprises.
If you don't want Paramount hassling you, create something of your
own.
Steve Roby
--
sjroby@netcom.com http://www.well.com/www/sjroby
"Standing here like a loaded gun waiting to go off
I've got nothing to do but shoot my mouth off"
-- Black Flag describes the Usenet experience
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