Sci-Fi is admitting to silencing the Continuation Fans ??

Scooter2000 · April 24th, 2003, 02:49 PM

Dear Battlestar Galactica BBoard Members,

Thank you for your feedback on our new, moderated BBoard system. We're continuing to work out the kinks based on your comments, and we appreciate your suggestions as to how we can improve.

To answer your most frequent question: We chose the Battlestar Galactica BBoard on which to test the new system because it's one of our busiest boards and because it's received the most complaints from you, the fans, about inappropriate content.

In addition to our moderating the board, we ask that you please keep the discussion on topic. This board was created to discuss both the classic series and SCI FI's new miniseries, which is a re-imagining of the original. The debate about a re-imagining vs. a continuation has run its course, and new articles on the subject won't be posted.

Battlestar Galactica is currently filming in Vancouver, B.C., and is scheduled to air in December 2003. We welcome discussion about it.

Thank You,

SCIFI.COM Staff

Note:

The debate about a re-imagining vs. a continuation has run its course, and new articles on the subject won't be posted.

So in other words we can still talk about the original series but we no longer can voice our desires for a continuation?

It looks like Ron has found away to talk Sci-Fi into taking away our freedom of speech.

LordStarFyre · April 24th, 2003, 03:06 PM

Write this prediction down, the next big move we'll see will be a two pronged one.

First, SciFi/Universal has now "plowed the field" so to speak, and will use this opportunity to seize www.battlestargalactica.com, and probably www.battlestarpegasus.com. I give it a month, at the outside. The Mooreites will cheer the move, and be given full voice toward that end, anyone disagreeing, will be Moderated out. Watch the postings, you'll have every poster from the Milty Board crowing like Parrots on Crack about how much better battlestargalactica.com is now that Moore is prominently featured there, instead of that 70's crap.

Second, there will be an announcement within the next one to two months about the "Official Battlestar Galactica Fan Club" honoring the Moore thing. Milty, or someone picked by Milty, will be given the honor of heading it up. If the take-over of battlestargalactica.com isn't complete by then, or the page isn't finished, then the Fan Club will be based on Milty's board.

God, I hope I'm wrong, but so far, I haven't been regarding anything that's happened since Moore took over.

Micheleh · April 24th, 2003, 03:09 PM

"First, SciFi/Universal has now "plowed the field" so to speak, and will use this opportunity to seize www.battlestargalactica.com, and probably www.battlestarpegasus.com."

Um... do you know who owns those sites? I mean *owns*, not runs. Not a chance. Plus, Michael Faries runs both.

"Second, there will be an announcement within the next one to two months about the "Official Battlestar Galactica Fan Club" honoring the Moore thing."

Over Shawn O'Donnell and Chris Feehan's dead bodies. Sure, they may start a Galactica 2003 Fan Club, but who cares?

LordStarFyre · April 24th, 2003, 03:11 PM

...are still in play.

If we fight back, we have a chance, but if we keep donning our own gags and shackles, we might as well get used to the taste of defeat.

Scooter2000 · April 24th, 2003, 03:13 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Micheleh
"First, SciFi/Universal has now "plowed the field" so to speak, and will use this opportunity to seize www.battlestargalactica.com, and probably www.battlestarpegasus.com."

Um... do you know who owns those sites? I mean *owns*, not runs. Not a chance. Plus, Michael Faries runs both.

"Second, there will be an announcement within the next one to two months about the "Official Battlestar Galactica Fan Club" honoring the Moore thing."

Over Shawn O'Donnell and Chris Feehan's dead bodies.

To my Knowledge Richard owns bsg.com and Michael owns bsp.com.

Micheleh · April 24th, 2003, 03:17 PM

True. So help us out instead of donning the sackcloth and ashes and pointing fingers at ther rest of us. Why not?

LordStarFyre · April 24th, 2003, 03:19 PM

...But Universal owns the Trademark.

It would be a fairly simple proceedure for Universal to seize control. they haven't prior to this because of fear of the backlash.

Now, what backlash? Seriously Micheleh, what backlash? From here?

As for the Fan Club, Universal Publicity, and SciFi channel Publicity Depts determine who get's the "Official Fan Club" status, and it's apparent, they don't consider the TOS, or US representitive of Galactica any longer. We are excess baggage, which is being systematicly disposed of.

Nothing against Shawn and Chris, they have done EXCELLENT work, but when Universal names Milty, or whomever the new head of the Fan Club, Shawn and Chris will be lucky if all they get is a phone call informing them about the change, and not a cease and desist order telling them to remove all copywrited and trademarked material from their site, including that copy of the Script, which, BTW, is curious that Universal allowed it to remain up there. Why is that? Maybe for the same reasons companies keep a log of employee internet traffic. It's good fodder if you want to fire someone, and you don't have a great reason, all you need to do is access those internet records and say "Ah Ha, on such and such date, you surfed into (blank) site on Company time"...

Micheleh, this is what I've been trying to say all along....

peter noble · April 24th, 2003, 03:21 PM

That they've taken this solution to the problem of us comes as no surprise frankly.

I guess for a bunch of fans whose opinions no longer count, we must have been making a big impression.

Regards,

Peter

P.S. Who Watches The Watchmen?

Micheleh · April 24th, 2003, 03:29 PM

"..But Universal owns the Trademark.

It would be a fairly simple proceedure for Universal to seize control. they haven't prior to this because of fear of the backlash."

They worked that out years ago.

"As for the Fan Club, Universal Publicity, and SciFi channel Publicity Depts determine who get's the "Official Fan Club" status, and it's apparent, they don't consider the TOS, or US representitive of Galactica any longer.
We are excess baggage, which is being systematicly disposed of."

This won't matter to us. So they get an offical fan club with a couple hundred tops for their mini that won't get the numbers to get syndication. I don't think it's worth panicking about yet. Monitoring, but not panicking,a nd we wll jsut keep up our efforts as usual.

I understan your concern about BG material suddenly becoming forbidden, but it's not that simple.

Copyrights are like a Hydra- a monster of many heads. Any usage that differentiates from another is a seperate entity and has seperate rights and negotiations. This speculation of 'cease and desist' being possible hinges on the assumption that Universal owns *all* rights to all aspects of the Battlestar Galactica property to dispose of as they will. I think this is far from the case, and that they have only negotiated for a limited set of usage rights- a fact which supports my theory that glaring omissions were made in the story not so much as a product of RDM's spite as his not being allowed full access to the property.

I think Glen Larson still reatins quite a few rights. I jsut don't think Sci Fi or universal has acted with the kind of force they would have if they owned the entire propety.

JSC1 · April 24th, 2003, 03:30 PM

As if I wasn't angry enough over Ron Moore today. It seems like all hope we try for gets taken away by every dirty trick in the book.

Ron and Universal wants this re-imagining even if the rest of us don't. And they'll stop at nothing to get it. Even dispose of us.

LordStarFyre · April 24th, 2003, 03:34 PM

Really Micheleh?

That's how you feel? Fine!

Micheleh · April 24th, 2003, 03:38 PM

Well, be honest... how much good does coming in and saying "You lot are lazy and aren't trying, and when everything falls apart, you'll only have yourselves to blame, etc etc...." Really?

LordStarFyre · April 24th, 2003, 03:40 PM

The freerepublic.com vs LA Times/Washington Post case cleared up the water on that. Fair Use, does not apply when whole elements are being used. such as photographs, which belong to the Trademark/Copyright Holder.

Again, you're going to have a tough road of it to try and prove that the use of the Galactica on CF is for Educational Purposes.

Ask the Pre-School in Santa Clarita, CA that got sued by Disney for having a Painting of the Disney Characters on their wall (The Pre-School Lost, BTW). They tried that Educational angle too.

Micheleh · April 24th, 2003, 03:48 PM

If it were that easy, it would have been done long ago.

peter noble · April 24th, 2003, 03:50 PM

They can try to take everything away, in doing so they'd get so much bad publicty! Oh boy let them try.

They could win a case to remove every image from this site, but this site would still exist, it could be still called Colonial Fleets, and we'd still be here fighting the good fight!

Never give up. Never Surrender! I want MY Battlestar Galactica!

Peter

LordStarFyre · April 24th, 2003, 04:04 PM

...What I'm saying it that it doesn't matter if Universal made them or not.

The Battlestar itself is a Trademarked property. If you painted it with finger paints, scanned it, and posted it here, Universal Legal COULD call it copyright infringment, and ask that it be removed. It is a violation of Trademark. Now they'd have a hard time saying the domain "Colonial Fleets" is in violation, because clearly, they don't have a trademark on either of those terms. However, the Images used ARE in violation, and could be yanked.

Disney does it EVERY DAy, and so does Universal. Up til now, it hasn't been in their best interest to do so, but now, what reason do they have to continue restraining?

SFC bboard has effectively been silenced as far as we're concerned? And too many others seem to be the first to say "Well, let's fight, but let's do it nicely".

Seriously Lonewolf, this has Nothing to do with Sack Cloth and Ashes, I'm trying to make a serious point here.

Micheleh · April 24th, 2003, 04:08 PM

I think at this point the DMCA is still unratified- is that true? That makes this kind of prosecution very difficult, as well.

I think you're making very valid points. It would help if the actual ownership of rights weren't so ambiguous as in the case of Galactica.

Scooter2000 · April 24th, 2003, 04:11 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by LordStarFyre
[B
And too many others seem to be the first to say "Well, let's fight, but let's do it nicely".

Seriously Lonewolf, this has Nothing to do with Sack Cloth and Ashes, I'm trying to make a serious point here. [/B]

Agreed we are fighting a combined force of dirty fighters and fighting nicely will get us no where.

It's time to fight fire with fire.

Micheleh · April 24th, 2003, 04:17 PM

What do you reccommend as our course of action, then? Specifically.

Scooter2000 · April 24th, 2003, 04:28 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Micheleh
What do you reccommend as our course of action, then? Specifically.

First thing is first. We must cool our heads.

We will better fight fire with fire when we are calm and collective.

Second any an every tactical planns will either be discussed at Basestar and/or PM.

We are not leaving any paper trails.

Micheleh · April 24th, 2003, 04:49 PM

Right, or in the Council of 12, when the vote is done. Good plan.

LordStarFyre · April 24th, 2003, 05:25 PM

Well, this (CF) is a Pro-Continuation/Pro-TOS Bboard, right?

Well, if it the answer to that is Yes, then it would seem the Pro-Moore types that were getting their giblets in a bunch over not being "loved and coddled" should get the same treatment that is given over on the pro-Moore bboard.

Also, I'm sorry, I know this isn't the most politically correct stance, but it's time folks start deciding whose side they are on, and stay there. Loyalty is a valuable commodity, and it's hard to assertain Loyalty when someone has their butt firmly separated by the fence rail. either climb over and join this side, or climb on over and hang with the opposition, don't try to have it both ways.

I know that's kind of hard line, but when we have discussions going on, I'd rather like to think that those involved are Allies.

Other courses of action include the X2 deal, and assigning people to get the word out.

Another thing, WE NEED A SECURE FORUM. One that isn't Public viewable, for discussing tactics, strategies, and such, that IS ONLY THERE FOR THOSE WHO ARE loyal to this cause. It needs to be a part of CF where we can let our hair down, so to speak, without every word we say either be accessable by Milty and Co, or Reported to Milty and co....

Lastly, and this one is going to be the hardest, but we need to be able to count on CF to back us. That means if a situation arrises like the one that resulted in the closure of the bboard, how about filling us in as to the whose, wheres whats and whys of the situation. Who was complaining, where was the root of their complaint, what were they complaining about, and why is the complaint serious or not.

kingfish · April 24th, 2003, 05:30 PM

I guess they don't believe in freedom of speech.

Micheleh · April 24th, 2003, 05:35 PM

LSF- cna I copy your last post to share with the other mods? I really do want to address these things.

LordStarFyre · April 24th, 2003, 05:36 PM

"LSF you are not helping the cause one bit when you attack others here. You are doing Bonnie Hammer's work."

<----throwing up my hands

LordStarFyre · April 24th, 2003, 05:40 PM

You can copy it to them. They won't like it, but feel free...

Micheleh · April 24th, 2003, 05:41 PM

Won't that make it hard to type?

C'mon folks, focus on the topic, not each other. Unless he's getting a paycheck, LSF is doing his own thing.

LordStarFyre · April 24th, 2003, 05:51 PM

I posted that quote here because it's illustrative of the last part of the previous post. That Quote came from a Mod, who posted it, in a closed thread, then reclosed the Thread.

If he wants me to leave, Let him ask me, Publicly, and I will, I won't even give him any argument. Then he can delete my account from here, with no hard feelings.

Micheleh · April 24th, 2003, 05:59 PM

No, I was defending your right to speak your mind. We need to quit jumping on each other quite so fast about differences of view- gods know I'm no saint either (quit laughing!)... but we all need to try. It's not worth starting a war over a single exchange.

We all need to cut each other a little slack right now. Hey, Scooter and I made up, anything is possible!

LordStarFyre · April 24th, 2003, 06:07 PM

I'm just saying that if that's truly the way that Admin/Mod feels, let him ask me to leave. I'm giving him that opportunity, if he's wanting it, but hasn't done it for whatever reason, here I am.

I'm here to fight for Galactica, not to coddle the feelings of those who want to destroy it. Sometimes fights get ugly, that's just the way of things.