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Re: URGENT!! The Wrath of Viacom!


In article <01bbeba2$effec0a0$3daf79a8@xfiles.mindspring.com>, 
xfiles@mindspring.com says...
>
>Friends:
>
>As you may, or may not know, Tony Gelskey has recently received another
>letter. Smaller AOL/Compuserve pages have begun to be shut-down as well.
>
>Bascially, Viacom has decided that all Star Trek pictures, sound bytes,
>clips, everything, is in violation, and cannot be placed on fan pages.
>
>Basically, they continue to judge the internet just like television or
>magazines and other media, when in fact, an entire new set of rules must 
be
>made for the Internet.
>
>Up until now we have been free to share our opinions on Star Trek. Just
>this year with the rumors circulating about ST:FC, Viacom tried to shut
>down pages with so-called 'synopses' and such. STFCWEB.COM was never shut
>down. As to this day, STFCWEB.COM continues to deny that any such 
materials
>are 'proported to be from the movie STFC..'
>
>I find it terribly alarming that they are taking this action. Pictures and
>sounds etc. should be allowed to be posted on the Internet. Heck, basic
>pages such as TrekWeb.COM that deal with ALL Trek including discussion and
>mainly an Archive of Trek-related photos, sounds etc. may be shut down
>(NEVER!).
>
>I am as of this moment calling everyone to action. We need to fight this.
>Not only will we continue to help other movements (such as the ban of
>ST:Continuum on MSN), but we must begin out own. I think we should also
>boycott MSN completely.
>
>I am open to suggestions! Do you agree with me? 
>
>We need to find ourselves a lawyer, and take it up ourselves. This is
>urgent! This is not just some anger over proported 'synopses' or anything
>else, but over ALL Star Trek (except discussion alone, which Viacom acts 
as
>if they GIVE US THE RIGHT, when in fact we are entitled by the Consitution
>of the U.S. to discuss what we like) online except for their 'official'
>sites. 
>
>PLEASE, MAIL ME IMMEDIATELY! WE MUST FIGHT!!
>
>-Steve Krutzler, STFCWEB, TrekWeb (which I hope to have updated soon, and
>on a new server! I apologize for lack of updates. My review guy has not
>responded for weeks, and I may be in the hunt for a new one.)
>

Steve, you say you need to find yourself a lawyer, and I agree.  Get 
yourself a good copyright and trademark lawyer, have him explain the facts 
of life to you, and *listen* to him.  Ask him (or her - sorry, Carol) what 
constitutes fair use, and stick within those guidelines.  Otherwise, you're 
going to spin your wheels, waste your money, and make a fool of yourself to 
no purpose, since the Supreme Court has already ruled that copyright laws 
*do* apply to the Internet.

You seem to feel that because the Internet is a new technology, it should 
have different rules.  History says otherwise.  Within this century, we've 
seen the creation of an entirely new technology, different from anything 
that existed previously - the movies.  And yet the copyright laws were 
found to apply to it - you couldn't just go out and make a movie of a 
copyrighted novel without compensating the novelist.  Hence the megabucks 
pouring into John Grisham's coffers.

And to everyone else who's upset by the website crackdown - my suggestion 
is that you attempt - nicely! - to convince Paramount and Viacom that the 
fan-based websites are actually good for them, creating interest in their 
product, and that they should perhaps wink at a touch of trademark 
infringement, as long as you restrict yourself to fair usage and little 
more.  (I think it was the posting of First Contact scripts that really got 
them hostile.)  But don't just stamp around and holler, and tell them that 
what they're doing is illegal.  It isn't, they know it isn't, the Supreme 
Court knows it isn't.

Joyce
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