After Star Trek fan film Axanar raised $1,212,905 between Kickstarter and Indiegogo , CBS Studios and Paramount Pictures launched a copyright infringement lawsuit against the production . Though Paramount has previously been accepting of fan films, the recent complaint objects to Axanar ’s “unauthorized exploitation of Star Trek , one of the most successful entertainment franchises of all time.”
Justin Lin, director of the upcoming Star Trek Beyond , reacted to the ongoing lawsuit on Twitter:
This is getting ridiculous! I support the fans. Trek belongs to all of us.https://t.co/mYMqIDXqHu
— Justin Lin (@trailingjohnson) March 14, 2016
Lin is reacting in part to an amendment to the original complaint highlighting alleged infringements ranging from the cowl neck cut of the Starfleet Command uniforms to the theft of a “science fiction action adventure” “mood and theme.”
Axanar producer Alec Peters told 1701 News the project attracted the suit “because of our quality.”
“There’s a reason why Prelude to Axanar and Axanar look like professional movies, because we have professionals working on them,” he said.
While the scale of production may have prompted action from the Star Trek rightsholders, fans worry that the lawsuit’s expansive list of infringements will have a chilling effect on future fan films. It seems that Justin Lin agrees with them.
