How Long Should You Make Your Star Trek Fan Film?

Aside from all rules CBS and Paramount have laid out right here, this one has to be the strictest of them all -- and if you are a trekkie, take note: there are limits when it comes to honoring your fanaticism by boldly going where no one has gone before, but "Star Trek" is indeed an owned franchise. And CBS and Paramount have spoken.

So What Is the Length Limit for Your Star Trek Fan Film, You Ask?

Let's first get the shock out of your system in that there is a rule stipulated by the owners of the trademark/patent/copyright, what have you, and that you must follow this rule to avoid any cease-and-desist letter or legal trouble with the giants of the United Federation of Planets (and all the permutations of the Enterprise).

It shouldn't be too bad given the situation, as a mere nugget of cosmic philosophy of a vulcan can only be explained in a mere second or two (those crazy eye-browed elves are quite the simple bunch, aren't they?), but here's the rule CBS and Paramount laid out for the masses:

"The fan production must be less than 15 minutes for a single self-contained story, or no more than 2 segments, episodes or parts, not to exceed 30 minutes total, with no additional seasons, episodes, parts, sequels or remakes."

In other words.... You can create those little short fan films. That's it. No series. No episodes. Just standalone stories. And you should be safe from danger in the Neutral Zone.

Like It? Good. Don't Like It? Arm Your Phasers for Stun.

That's the thing about franchises and brands, though -- not everyone's going to agree with it. But, seriously, you'll take what you can get! After all, a little something's better than everything you want and some serious legal photon torpedoes up into your mailbox. I'd prefer to choose the former over the latter. It's only logical.

(Surprisingly, this well-known fan film completely breaks CBS/Paramount's new legal rule on fan films. But we won't say anything!)

Your 9 Legal Rules on Developing Your Own Star Trek Fan Film (and the Videos to Prove It)

Copyrights, trademarks, patents -- they're tricky stuff in this legal field, especially when it involves entertainment. Why? Because those brands we love so much are so often imitated out of devotion and obsession, but the fact remains: the original owners of the brand must protect their own interests and lay down some rules, the same as Star Wars constantly does on a regular basis --

We're Talking About Fan Films, of Course -- We See Them All Over the Internet, Actually

Check them out on YouTube for yourself. Fan films. Sometimes called "fan fictions" or "shippers" commonly associated with romance. We see it with Harry Potter, another well known brand, we definitely see it with Star Wars (you'll find quite a few fan films on YouTube lovingly dedicated to the brand and franchise of Star Wars), and noooooooow....

We see it with Star Trek, for obvious reasons. The most recent films have made a killing in the media for a lot of reasons (Leonard Nimoy, George Takei, etc. etc.), and there's a loving fan base behind the brand (arguably larger than even Star Wars), so we're willing to bet there's a lot of you out there wondering just what it takes to get any fan film of yours to pass successfully past the Romulan gaze of the owners of the brand.

The Truth Is There Are Guidelines, But Not Many Know About Them

This will be your informational guide as to what you need to do about making your own Star Trek fan film without getting into any legal trouble, because remember: you're dealing with a brand you don't own. You have to be at least legally respectful of the brand, the franchise, the history behind it.

Star Trek is rich with that history of developing a brand that's actually been around, I believe, longer than even Star Wars. Longer than many brands, actually. So take some notes. These are the guidelines personally published by CPS and Paramount themselves, the holders of the brand of Star Trek:

• Video Length -- Yes, the length of your fan film matters. Find out right here just how long (or short) it has to be.
• Using the Words "Star Trek" -- This might surprise you from a certain point of view.
• Unique Content -- This one's important, for any fan film out there, and here's why.
• Use of Actual Accessories/Merchandise -- This isn't as clear cut as you think. Check this article out to learn more.
• "Real" Fan Productions -- What exactly does that mean? Click here to find out.
• Make Your Fan Film "Non-Commercial" -- Let's be clear that it's not as black and white as you think, as in you can't ever sell your fan film for personal gain sort of thing, and here's why.
• Make It "Family-Friendly" -- Sure, Captain Kirk had his way with many an alien woman, but not with these fan films, according to CBS and Paramount.
• Disclaimer -- Yes, you'll need a specific "disclaimer" on your Star Trek fan film. Want to know what that disclaimer should be?
• Reserving Rights -- This might freak you out....

A lot of Hoops to Boldly Go Where No Filmmaker Has Gone Before, We Know

But it's the law, so says the holders of the brand. This is very much the same for all other brands out there along the realm of fan films or fan creations, as it were. So, again, do your research, keep this article on file for review.

Because you never can tell if there's a Klingon lurking in the shadows the moment you break copyright, trademark or patent law!

Shark Bait - Episode 806

Shark Tank Season 8's, Episode 6 featured Lulu Bang, Potato Parcel, Sunscreenr, UnPack and Grace & Lace.  The episode aired on Friday, October 28, 2016.

LULU BANG

Additionally, they have a pending trademark application:   US 86/858,572 for JOYCE'S SOULFUL CUISINE LULU BANG.   

The sharks decided not to invest in their company despite sales in Walmart and ShopRite.  However, they did encourage them to continue building their brand.  

As one of their first steps, Joyce and her sister may want to consider filing another application for just the name LULU BANG instead of the full name Joyce's Soulful Cuisine Lulu Bang.

POTATO PARCEL

Potato Parcel may be fun to receive in the mail.  However, it's unclear what could  prevent another competitor or anyone with a potato from copying them.  

There aren't any patent or federal trademark applications filed.  

Despite clearly indicated in a hand-write potato to Mr. Wonderful that there is nothing proprietary about their business, Kevin O'Leary invested simply to ride out the fad that could result from the airing of Potato Parcel on Shark Tank.

SUNSCREENR

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that there's patent protection behind this little device.  Unfortunately, there's no patent publication to examine the extent of patent coverage. 

In addition, the company behind the Sunscreener, Voxeleight, LLC, has trademark applications pending, including: 

1 87012403 SUNSCREENR TSDR LIVE

2 87010051 SUNSCREENR TSDR LIVE

Ultimately, Kevin joined forces with SUNCREENR for his price in equity.  The business owner sited the exposure that a shark had to add value to his product.

UnPack

Aaron Liskov and Andrew Zahornacky pitch UnPack to the sharks.  UnPack is a service that delivers a suitcase full of clothes to your travel destination.  When your stay is over, you leave the suitcase for UnPack pickup.

How do you protect a service like this through intellectual property?  

Patent protection will be difficult to obtain for the business method.  

There's no formula to protect with a trade secret and not much more than a website to copyright.  

The best bet is to build a brand...which starts with a great name and eventually leads to a registered trademark application.  UnFortunately for UnPack, a trademark registration for their name has not been filed.

The sharks chose not to invest in UnPack.  Rather than specifically asking whether their was any intellectual property, the sharks noted that their business was not thought through.  Intellectual property protection is often a way to demonstrate that you have thought through how you can protect your business from others.

Grace and Lace

Melissa and Rick Hinnant brought Grace and Lace knee-high boot socks to Shark Tank in Season 5.  Barbara invested in 10% of the company for $175,000.  In five days after appearing on Shark Tank, the couple had one-million in sales and the year following had $6.5 million in sales.

They've built a great brand and have the following trademark applications and registrations in the United States:

1 87011946 G&L TSDR LIVE

2 86151192 4592133 GRACE CAMO & LACE TSDR LIVE

3 85812464 4395308 GRACE AND LACE TSDR LIVE

4 79187951 GRACE LOVES LACE THE UNIQUE BRIDE TSDR LIVE