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Star Wars Prequels Media Movies

Lucasfilm Sanctions Star Wars Fan Films 77

Posted by CmdrTaco from the well-sorta-anyway dept.
BigBragger sent us a story that talks about a deal between Lucas and Atom Films to allow Star Wars parodies to be distributed legally. It's a mixed bag: Lucasfilm gets a piece of the pie, and gets to choose what goes online at the site. But it does create an official place to get those vid clips like Troops which are just awesome but somewhat underground. I guess as long as they don't go after other parodies I'm cool with it, but there's something that I can't describe about this leaving a funny taste in my mouth. It's probably just paranoia.
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Lucasfilm Sanctions Star Wars Fan Films More

Lucasfilm Sanctions Star Wars Fan Films

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  • I have read the article, and I saw nothing of a contest. Lucasfilms "judges" will determine what is put up, but usually a contest rewards the person who entered the contest, not the judges. The only thing I see Lucasfilms doing here is providing soundclips, which while nice, could easily be extracted from the movies with a little work. The way I read the article it did have a bit of a "you can do this because we are letting you" tone to it, but that's probably just as much from atomfilms because they obviously want people to submit parodies only to them.

  • Take a look at the case of "Amish Paradise". Al thought he had permission (his label lied to him and said they had asked), and was very sorry about it, but he still couldn't be sued over it.

    Technically his label did ask, but the answer was "no". And from what I saw despite the fact that Weird Al publicly appologized to Coolio, Coolio still made a big stink about it mostly directed at Al himself. Some people just don't know how to accept an appology. IMHO Coolio is a dick for saying no anyway. Nirvana considered "Smells like Nirvana" to be the sign that they had finally made it big.
  • But he doesn't HAVE To. Al is a nice guy, and always asks, but if he wants to he could parody anything without permission.

    Take a look at the case of "Amish Paradise". Al thought he had permission (his label lied to him and said they had asked), and was very sorry about it, but he still couldn't be sued over it.
  • Well, the writeup of this story insinuates that this deal makes the distribution of parody legal, which leads us to believe that it was illegal beforehand. So whats the deal?
  • I'm betting it's more of an issue of being allowed
    to use copyrighted and trademarked things. Such
    as Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa Solo, The Death
    Star, and such.

    Parodies such as spaceballs, which change all of
    the names just enough (dark helmet), still are
    and always will (should?) be un-regulated.
    j
  • Total Movie issue one has the Troops movie on DVD. Better quality than you'll find almost anywhere on the net. The magazine sucks, but the dvd it comes with kicks ass. 7.95 at your local retailer.
  • Wierd Al is a really bad example. He gets permission [weirdal.com] from all of his "targets".

    And yes, I am a little bit embarrassed that I know this.

  • I have and never will make a Star Wars parody but if I did this is the last site I would put it up on. Basically you are submitting to Lucas's demands on something he has no right to. If he did there could be no Weird Al, Saturday Night, MAD Magazine, or scores of parody producing forums. So go make a Star Wars parody and put it up somewhere else!

  • huh? (Score:1)

    by orn ( 34773 )
    Isn't the right to free speech part of the constitution for those of us in America? Doesn't it also say something about fair use of copyrighted material for _parady_? There shouldn't be any negotiation here.

    :|
  • Fan Films that are not parodies however are in violation of IP law.
    How do you define a parody though? Some things are blatantly obvious parodies. Troops is obviously a parody. Yet, it's serious (instead of slapstick). Can anyone give a good example of what would be a violation of IP law that isn't a parody?
  • So, this song isn't breaking the Cmdr Taco or "This Land Is Your Land" parodies because of Fair Use, right?
  • That's what I get for skipping law school in favor of watching "The People vs. Larry Flynt."
  • Then maybe our site is of interrest to you guys as well (okay, I admit it, shameless plug):

    http://www.swma.net [swma.net]

    Everything you might want to see ;)

  • I thought that he didn't ask permission. This was from a long time ago, however, when Michael Jackson got mad at him and sued. My memory of the situation may be wrong.

    One thing I was definitely wrong about was the freedom issue. I admit, I skimmed the article and took CmdrTaco's comments to heart that Lucasfilm was going to control the "legal" parodies. Upon reading the article, I now realize I was wrong.

    Taco: read the articles carefully before adding commentary! Otherwise you mislead us and turn /. into an off-topic flame war, instead of a discussion about the article.

    Dave
  • ...is there because a corporation, even a quasi-good one like LucasFilm/Arts/whatever, is controlling the distribution of original content. There are a lot of parallels that could be drawn from this situation, and most of them aren't great.
  • Paranoia means that you believe people are out to get you. When you know they are, it is called realism. The funny taste in your mouth is a side effect of both states.
  • What ever happened to our right (in America) to create satire and farce. (Did I spell all that correctly?)
  • Uh, Weird Al gets authorization for all of his parodies. See Here [weirdal.com], it's about halfway down the page.

    We're bought and sold for corporate gold
  • That is honestly SO cool. I love it! :-D

    Must take AGES to do though...

    -----
    "People who bite the hand that feeds them usually lick the boot that kicks them"
  • I might add (I haven't seen anyone else point this out yet) that they will be providing bandwidth. I've downloaded troops a couple times, and its a real pain in the butt to look through all the old links that no longer mirror only to find one that downloads at modem speeds.

    This is great, they are providing a service for the parodies they like. We certainly shouldn't expect them to provide a service for the ones they don't like.

  • Let me get this straight. They are restricting the allowed use of parodies being distributed on the net? Sorry, but i dont plan to pay M$ for my copy of Microshaft Winblows 98 from parroty software. It's like buying membership to a club that makes fun of lawyers all day. (although THAT would be a club worth buying into)
  • therefore, Microsoft decides what will get released, when, and where.

  • listen chumps.

    nothing is going to change. if you had the moxy to go out and make another "troops" then you could very easily post it on your very own website and if it turns out that people like it, it'll be bigger than anything on lucas' "official" website. the only difference these days is that star wars parodies will be easier to find and lucas will be making a little bank (he's trying to make up for everything he lost in the jar jar merchandising flop).

    so do everybody a favor and shut up. george lucas making money isn't going to crush the open source movement.

    love,
    grizzo
    www.grizzo.com [grizzo.com]
  • Lucasfilm gets a piece of the action, the parodoists gets recognition (come don't tell me these guys don't want that!).

    For those who always think that big corporations have an agenda to be "helpful", those parodists (sp?) who don't want to take part can always do their own parody w/o Lucasfilm "rubberstamp". Which is not illegal of course.
  • while it would be fair use if they used Budweiser trademarks or some derivation thereof

    There is no "fair use" for trademarks. Fair use is copyright.

  • Sure, Lucasfilm can do something cool. So can Microsoft. It doesn't make them less evil, it's just a temptation that gives them a certain appeal.

    John

  • It of course was not illegal before. Of course the would like to give the impression that this is "the one true way" But of course we don't care. Nothing really to see here just business as usual. Move along please.
  • Do you know of anywhere where I can order Hardware Wars? I've heard some cool things about it (especially the special edition with mock "digitally enhanced" footage that is atari-esque at best =P )

    Know of anywhere online that it is showing?

    Thanks...

    E.
  • Dunno if this is redundant, but try here:

    http://www.mwp.com/pages/filmshardware.html
  • ... a deal between Lucas and Atom Films to allow Star Wars parodies to be distributed legally.
    That's a bit of a disingenuous way of putting it. It's never been illegal of distribute a parody, unless you use actual material from the film (and quotes don't count).

    This deal allows parody makers to use original (Lucasfilm owned) sounds, and it provides a method for the film makers to get a cut of the advertising and sponsorship revenue from the site. That sounds all good to me. Hopefully they'll assist the film makers to make high resolution versions available.

  • "Lucasfilm judges will determine which shorts are placed online."

    Now that is such a good idea. where can I go to sign up for official corporate approval? I feel so lost and alone.

  • I don't think Saturday Night Live, among other comedy shows don't get a license to paradoy.
  • Pretty soon we'll need a license to comment.
  • I just hope he doesn't become kindof like Disney

    If you remember his first film THX1138 (I think it was his first) it was a bigbrother 1984 type of film. I guess he would could alwas paly it back to remind him.

  • Dear God! You people are paranoid little buggers! Have you even been to the site?
    They're just giving you a place to stick your movie for free. You get recognition, they get ad $. Lucasfilm just gets a little chunk of the ad money in return for giving Atomfilms the official SW logo.
  • the famous Elian "True" parody, or whatever it was, couldn't get the same permission from the AP...
  • For all the handwringing you get from Hollywood over liberal guilt and bandwagoning for the democrats, you sure do have a bunch of greedy bastards running the place, and Lucas is tops on the list.
  • I am not a lawyer, and this is only for the United States, but copyright law explicitly permits parodies. Fan Films that are not parodies however are in violation of IP law.
  • Maybe slightly OT, but I seem to recall that generally, Wierd Al gets an okay from the artists he parodies. From what I understand, all but one of the artists (Coolio) he's done song parodies of have agreed beforehand.

    Now, legally, he I don't believe he has to get permission, but it is probably a nice thing to do. Same thing with the spoofs like Troops, which is both a Star Wars and a Cops parody. Legally, they don't have to get permission, but it is usually a wise choice to let them know you're doing it, and that it is legal under Fair Use rules.

    BTW, Fair Use also governs quoting copyrighted material in a limited form or format. For instance, Fair Use could let me quote the chorus to a song I didn't own the rights to, but not necessarily the whole song. Same with code, although not proprietary code, etc. (Mind you, just because it's published does not mean it's open for Fair Use. Check with someone who is much better on Fair Use and Freedom of Speech.)

    Kierthos
  • The moderators need to get a grip. This and the parent at least deserve a +1 interesting, and possibly even a +2 funny for the song. Come on, how many damn times have we seen taco say exactly that in almost exactly those words? Or is taco moderating at the moment?


    Slow moving marsupials and the women that love them
  • LucasFilm has no right to interfere with a porn flick of a farmer and a princess having sex in a galaxy far far away, even if they're brothers (Is star wars rated higher because of that kiss scene BTW?). But if you call them "Luke" and "Leia", then they might get pissed.

    Perhaps the farmboy could be called "Lucky" and the princess "Laid"?

    Sorry for the sick image, I was just trying to get my point across.

    Its only a sick image if you also get a Wookie(tm) and a jar of "Jabba the Hutt(tm) Fried Chicken Grease" involved.
  • ... the farce be with you.
  • The use of subject material from the films in reviews and parodies is sanctioned under fair use (not sure what effect the DMCA has on this). However it definatly places certain limits on how much material can be used.

    Perhaps by signing a deal with AtomFilms/Lucas, you gain permission to use a much heftier chunck of IP and perhaps actual footage from the movies. In exchange, Lucas gets permission to can your parody if it sucks =) This would be the only advantage I could see to the arrangment with Atomfilms unless Lucas is going to use this as an excuse to sue anyone that creates a parody that does not distribute it via his chosen chanel.

    I wonder what would happen to Spaceballs?

    Ok, so now I can parody Starwars, now if only I could watch it on DVD!

  • I guess as long as they don't go after other parodies I'm cool with it, but there's something that I can't describe about this leaving a funny taste in my mouth. It's probably just paranoia.

    It's a licensing deal essentially. Lucas films gives the site/films rights to spoof their property in exchange for a percentage, and more importantly to them probably, some control over the product.
    I'm not going to jump to the conclusion that this is all bad, it sounds pretty good actually, but some spoofs might be asked to tone down or be rejected outright. Still, they can continue underground I suppose.

    So long as Lucas himself doesn't "direct" any of the goings on here, it looks good...

  • Hardware Wars is a Star Wars parody, and it's been available on video and shown occasionally in theaters for over twenty years. They even had a "Hardware Wars: Special Edition" a few years ago. Funny stuff.
  • They never asked for permission. That was a parody of the Budweiser ads using a copyrighted AP photograph. So, while it would be fair use if they used Budweiser trademarks or some derivation thereof, it remains to be proven in court whether it is fair use of the AP photograph.

    Since I don't believe there was an actual court case, the makers of the parody were never found guilty of copyright infringement. All they did was cave in to a cease & desist from a heavy-handed corporate lawyer, so the truth of the matter was never proven.

  • OK, it looks like you actually read the article!
    only reason LucasFilm is buddying up with them, is because it pops a little cash into their pocket. They're profiting from works they didn't create.
    Umm, I believe that's AtomFilms' whole business model, and it doesn't bother any of the indie filmmakers submitting stuff to them. It isn't wrong for LucasFilms' to accept a tiny profit for putting the "OFFICIAL" rubberstamp on it.
    If a submission is rejected OR accepted, put it up elsewhere! Don't give LucasFilm money they don't deserve! I'm willing to bet the creators of the parodies and/or documentaries won't see a dime of that ad revenue. Sure, their work is online, but you don't need AtomFilms/LucasFilm for that.
    It's also in business plan that submitters get a cut of the revenues, also. Nobody is working for free here, that's the concept. So, if you want to repost an accepted submission, you're fucking the creator more than you're fucking Lucas. As for those not accepted, you're right, there's no reason why they shouldn't post their parodies elsewhere, and hopefully try to make money off of them. Thats the 'Merkin Way©.
  • READ-THE-FUCKING-ARTICLE. They (LucasFilms) are not hunting down or trying to restrict in any way unauthorized Star Wars parodies on the web, and this is not implied in any word of the article. They (LucasFilms) are sponsoring and judging a Star Wars parody contest on AtomFilms, and are generously providing original sound effect files from the films. They are also getting a piece of ad revenue from traffic generated by this contest. Your rights under the law to spoof, satire, and parody to your hearts content are still protected. This is still Amerikkka the Free.

    We now return you to your scheduled paranoid ranting.

  • READ-THE-FUCKING-ARTICLE. They (LucasFilms) are not hunting down or trying to restrict in any way unauthorized Star Wars parodies on the web, and this is not implied in any word of the article. They (LucasFilms) are sponsoring and judging a Star Wars parody contest on AtomFilms, and are generously providing original sound effect files from the films. They are also getting a piece of ad revenue from traffic generated by this contest. Your rights under the law to spoof, satire, and parody to your hearts content are still protected. This is still Amerikkka the Free.

    We now return you to your scheduled paranoid ranting.

  • The Facists Strike Back! (Score:2)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Welcome to the future, or rather, the future many warned was coming but is in fact, here today. In this future, the reality in which we live today, you can be arrested and thrown in jail for writing code that allows you to view movies you lawfully purchase on your computer. Land of the free?
    Now, apparently, you can't poke fun of a rich guy or the creations that made him rich, without helping to further enrich him. So what's next? Will MAD magazine have to pay the makers of every movie they parody? Will I have to fork over a chunk of change to George Bush every time I say "Read my lips" in a facsimilie of his voice?
    This is insane and George Lucas should be ashamed of himself. How utterly pathetic that someone who has so much, feels inclined to take even more. Yes, behold a mighty democrat, someone who certainly appears to be a "liberal" being nothing more than a two bit facist. It's obvious now why the last Star Wars movie sucked so badly. The maker no longer has a soul and thus, his creation lacks one now as well.
    More hipocricy, more greed, and these are the people who back political figures. Who really wonders at all why things have gotten to be what they are in this country? Pathetic. We have a representative government alright, it represents perfectly what we Americans, as a people have become. Rich, fat, bloated hipocrites, who will do whatever it takes to safe guard "mine" no matter who we step on, rob from, extort, kill, or destroy in the process.
    "Through many lives I've searched in vain, for the builder of this house of pain.
    Now builder you are plain to see and from this house at last I'm free.
    I burst the rafter roof and walls, and dwell in the peace beyond them all."
    Peace and freedom to those who see beyond the delusion of "self". For those who serve this cruelest of masters, your desires will never be realized and your appetite will never be satisfied. You will look and not find, and listen, but not hear, and your death will be a bitter one full of regret. Silly, foolish men.
  • Has anybody heard anything new about that Australian prequel?

    -
  • Never mind, answered my own question:

    They finished the bloody thing and you can download it. [theforce.net]

    It's 26 minutes, Quicktime only. (dammit)

    -
  • You can use copyrighted materials all you want provided it is in critique or parody. They both come under fair use. This is just George Lucas going on a power trip. What else is new? Didn't he do this a few years ago with fanfic sites? Maybe he should stop to think that fanfic and parody are what keep starwars interesting and alive after all of these years. That crap he pushed out as "episode one" certainly isn't doing anything.
  • Can somebody explain to me why LucasFilms has any right to say somebody cannot parody them? I was sort of under the impression that works of parody were protected, and couldn't be stopped just because the original author didn't like it.

    Or have we just given up and bent over to take it up the ass from LucasFilms because they can pay lawyers more in a day than most people make in their lifetimes?
  • TSR tried something similar way back in the day. They essentially said that anything created for use with their D&D game, whether it was a world, a city, a character, a weapon description, or a module, was their property. Their "compromise" with their fans was to provide a web site for fans to post content on; they declared that any content posted anywhere else was a violation of their copyright.

    This site is not being represented as the only sanctioned place for fan films to be placed, but I betcha money that's how it will end up. Let LucasFilm get financially involved, let the site make a few bucks, and then start looking for the cease and desist orders. LucasFilms will say "Hey, be cool, we've got a site for you to put your stuff on!" And Troops-alikes will be no more...
  • ... regardless of what we have come to accept as true, parodies are NOT universally protected under copyright law, especially when it is financially expedient to bow down to a copyright holder just because their law firm is bigger than your own and they threaten you.

    What a shame.
  • ...but there's something that I can't describe about this leaving a funny taste in my mouth. It's probably just paranoia.

    It's not paranoia, it's a legitimate concern. Parodies are considered fair use of copyrighted material. You don't need permission to do one. Distribution of these short films is already legal. Lucas doesn't need to sanction it. It needs to be emphasized that while it's nice to have Lucas's blessing, it is most definitely not required.

  • By agreeing to their terms (for good or bad) you get access to extra shots and images that you may not have had access to if you weren't a "partner"

    I'm not saying that this is a good/bad thing, just something. The question I have is do you have to sign away the copyright to the parody to get access to the extra footage?

    --
    From: Aaron "PooF" Matthews

  • Unfortunately, Fair Use [negativland.com] is a defense, which typically requires going to court. There is a precedent set in Campbell vs. Acuff-Rose (aka the 2 Live Crew "Pretty Woman" case,) where parody was accepted as Fair Use by the Supreme Court.

    We're bought and sold for corporate gold
  • IIRC Lucasfilm is NOT the MPAA.
  • LucasFilms cannot restrict parody, that fair use right has been upheld by the supreme court.

    This is just plain not correct.

    Fair use is copyright law. You can use copyrighted material in a parody all you want. However, trademarks are still protected. Sometimes they can be used in parodies, sometimes not. If you're diluting the trademark, you can't. If you don't meet the "contradictory message" standard, you can't.

  • It's probably just paranoia.

    It probably is.

    While parody is properly exempt from the usual copyright restrictions, trademark isn't.

    There's a pretty good explanation of it here [fr.com]. Googling for "trademark parody" will get a lot more.

  • You must have seen that Java applet and Java script that runs an ASCII version of the whole Star Wars films.

    Episode IV can be found here [asciimation.co.nz]
    The Death of Jar Jar can be found here [asciimation.co.nz] (Very popular I imagine)

    It would be great for Lucas to endore it, if only for it to gain a wider audience. It really is a work of art in itself.

    I know its not strictly a parody, more someones warped sense of humour, but it made me laugh.

  • Nowhere in the article does it say anything about parodies being shut down by Lucasfilm. That's just something that CmdrTaco assumed. If you don't use copyrighted material from the original movies they have no say. What this deal does is give the film makers the right to use (selected) Lucasfilm owned sounds.

    Also note that the article doesn't say anything about taking royalties from the film makers, it only mentions advertising and sponsorship revenue.

  • You can use copyrighted materials all you want provided it is in critique or parody.

    Great. I'll copy Stephen King's latest book word for word, add one sentence of commentary at the end (thus using the material for "critique") and publish it.

    You can use copyrighted materials to some extent for critique or parody, more than you can for other purposes, as fair use. But that does not mean you can do whatever the hell you want in the name of critique or parody.

  • I don't think they claimed that. They just agreed to participate in this site, which sounds good to me.

    Of course there is something Lando-ish about this .. were the parodists just invited in for dinner with the Dark Lord himself?

  • Here is a web site with info about parody and copyright law

    Ok.. I just checked the acutal law and there is nothing in it mentioning pariodies, but there have been several Suprime Court cases. Go to http://www.publaw.com/parody.html [publaw.com] for a good discussion on the topic of parodies. Also check out Copyright Law of the United States of America [loc.gov]

    -After you read, then post

  • I wonder when Jar Jar is going to get arrested on Troopers?
  • Personnaly I like the idea. Instead of trying to fight parodies they are saying they can take a joke and are supportting artists that parody them. It's better than them trying to shut down parody sites to "protect" the Star Wars name.

  • And? (Score:3)

    by Accipiter ( 8228 ) on Tuesday November 07, 2000 @12:48PM (#641484)
    HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - Lucasfilm has inked an exclusive deal with Netcaster AtomFilms.com, which will give "Star Wars" geeks an official Internet home for their unofficial spoofs and documentaries.

    And if LucasFilm doesn't like the UNOFFICIAL homes, they can go to hell. Parody is specifically outlined in Fair Use.

    http://www-tech.mit.edu/V114/N 12/ briefs1.12w.html [mit.edu]

    So all you Star Wars fans out there who have a great idea for a parody, put it out there. To hell with LucasFilm and their lawyers. George Lucas isn't motivated by anything but money. Take an excerpt from the article:

    The two companies will bow the Star Wars Fan Film Network at the end of the month on AtomFilms' site, which will not only showcase the projects from unknowns but split any royalty payments based on the advertising and sponsorship revenues generated from the selected films.

    The only reason LucasFilm is buddying up with them, is because it pops a little cash into their pocket. They're profiting from works they didn't create.

    AtomFilms is accepting submissions, and a team of Lucasfilm judges will determine which shorts are placed online.

    If a submission is rejected OR accepted, put it up elsewhere! Don't give LucasFilm money they don't deserve! I'm willing to bet the creators of the parodies and/or documentaries won't see a dime of that ad revenue. Sure, their work is online, but you don't need AtomFilms/LucasFilm for that.

    -- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?

  • There seems to be some confusion (Score:3)

    by Lish ( 95509 ) on Tuesday November 07, 2000 @01:09PM (#641485)
    Yes, non-sanctioned parodies are still legal. What's happening here is that Atom Films makes some revenues from films on their site (banner ads, etc), and Lucasfilm wants a cut of that. Since they'd be getting revenue partly from the Star Wars name. It's mutually beneficial to both of them; Lucasfilm gets $$, AtomFilms gets to use the Star Wars name. So, if you want to create a parody and put it up on your own site, or some other site, that's fine. Go ahead. But if you want to put it on AtomFilms, Lucasfilm gets their share of the $$, and some control over what gets to use the official "seal of approval".

  • Wanna see TROOPS? (Score:3)

    by CritterNYC ( 190163 ) on Tuesday November 07, 2000 @12:41PM (#641486) Homepage
    Check it out online at TheForce.net here [theforce.net]. Basically, it is a parody of stormtroopers on the job, done in the style of COPS (the TV show).

    Some day I hope to have a .plan.

  • Re:umm... (Score:3)

    by Chris Mattern ( 191822 ) on Tuesday November 07, 2000 @01:16PM (#641487)
    > Of course there is something Lando-ish about
    > this .. were the parodists just invited in for
    > dinner with the Dark Lord himself?

    I can just hear Lucas in a few months:

    "I am altering the bargain. Pray I do not alter
    it further..."

    Chris Mattern

  • Havn't they always allowed free fan work? (Score:3)

    by azephrahel ( 193559 ) on Tuesday November 07, 2000 @01:01PM (#641488)
    I was under the impression that Lucas had always allowed people to make and distribute fan artwork, games, models video clips etc as long as they didn't charge for them? There was never a question of legality with troops, as far as I konw. Lucas just happend to love that one clip (hell who didn't??) so he contacted them to thank them. It would be frightening to think this may have set his precedent for "allowed" parodies. I just hope he doesn't become kindof like Disney, who constantly goes after parodies that should be legaly protected under fair use.

  • It's not just a coincidence that... (Score:4)

    by dfay ( 75405 ) on Tuesday November 07, 2000 @01:14PM (#641489)
    ...it leaves a funny taste in your mouth. Lucasfilm would like everyone (including our government) to believe that we need their permission to use the words "Star" and "Wars" in the same sentence. In reality, parody is a protected form of speech, which people can engage in without the permission of those being parodied. Just ask Weird Al Yankovik. After that, you can ask him how many times he's had to legally defend himself from jealous or offended pop stars and their rabid attorneys, and how many times he has kept his right to parody.

    If Lucasfilm controls what parodies are allowed, do you think that anything beyond delicately poking fun would be permitted? What if you have another "Star Wars meets South Park" type of idea and you want to distribute it. Do you think Lucasfilm will give their blessing, no matter how funny it is?

    It's time for Hollywood and Lucasfilm in particular to be reminded that we live in a country in which personal freedom is more important that a corporation's ability to make money. Actually, it's about time for a lot of people to be reminded of that.

    Dave

    If you build a man a fire he's warm for a day,
    If you set a man on fire he's warm for a lifetime.
    -- Unknown
  • The way I read it, this will be the "official" SW parody site. LucasFilms cannot restrict parody, that fair use right has been upheld by the supreme court. What they can do is work with parodyists whom they like in order to make the "official" website.

    LucasFilms gets some advertising money from the deal, so does Atom Films. The parodyists get exposure. No unauthorized or unapproved parodies will be restricted, they just won't be hosted on the "official" site. They are actually throwing their support behind the people who make good parodies. That sounds great to me.

  • ATTN: Paranoid /. First Amendment Freaks (Score:5)

    by Shiva Lingham ( 252101 ) on Tuesday November 07, 2000 @01:07PM (#641491)
    READ-THE-FUCKING-ARTICLE. They (LucasFilms) are not hunting down or trying to restrict in any way unauthorized Star Wars parodies on the web, and this is not implied in any word of the article. They (LucasFilms) are sponsoring and judging a Star Wars parody contest on AtomFilms, and are generously providing original sound effect files from the films. They are also getting a piece of ad revenue from traffic generated by this contest. Your rights under the law to spoof, satire, and parody to your hearts content are still protected. This is still Amerikkka the Free.

    We now return you to your scheduled paranoid ranting.

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