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Re: URGENT!! The Wrath of Viacom!
"Steve Krutzler" <xfiles@mindspring.com> writes:
>Regarding 'stealing', I see what you're saying, but it's more like public
>domain. Are we not allowed to show ST pics/original works/artistic
>renditions to our friends? Why not to thousands across the Internet for
>free? As far as 'bootleg scripts' go, I have never seen a shred of evidence
>saying that such scripts you refer to are authentic. I could have written
>it myself, who knows. Besides, if it's NOT PROPORTED to be from the next
>movie or episode, then there's no problem.
Simply put, you are wrong.
Paramount/Viacom has trademarked all Star Trek characters and various names
connected with the show (including terms like "Klingon", "Cardassian",
etc.). If you write a story using those characters or terms as an integral
part of the story, you are making unauthorized use of their trademark. It
doesn't matter that you're not profiting by it - you are potentially damaging
their trademarks by portraying them in a fashion they haven't approved of.
Further, you are depriving Paramount of revenue, because you have failed to
license their trademarks.
A "bootleg script" is either real, in which case it's a copyright violation,
or its faked, in which case it's legally a creative work (and it therefore
violates their trademark).
A classic example of this is the K/S fandom and the various K/S works that
are out there. That's the most visible example of fandom work which damages
the Star Trek trademarks by portraying them in a way not intended or desired
by Paramount. Were I Paramount, I'd do everything I can to get rid of it.
If you want to do Spock artwork in your home, that's fine. If you want to
show it to a couple of your friends, that's fine. But you people have to
get it through your thick skulls that for profit or for not, a web page is
*a published work*. If you want to publish material, you have to have
the legal right to do so. And you don't have the legal right to copy stills,
capture video images, duplicate published text, or publish works based on
trademarks without the copyright or trademark holder's permission. That's
just common sense.
Jim
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Jim Griffith /--OO--\ | Two great powers are on our side: the power of
griffith@netcom.com | Love and the power of Arithmetic. These two are
BEWARE BATS WITHOUT NOSES! | stronger than anything else in the world.
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