It’s Official
From Fleet Admiral Sal Lizard:
Dave,
STARFLEET, the International Star Trek Fan Association, Inc. is a corporation with a name and reputation to protect. The leadership of STARFLEET has not only the right but the responsibility to protect the assets of STARFLEET, including its name and logo. You and others post on your website unfounded, unverified and malicious information about STARFLEET, its leadership and its members. We are an organization that depends on membership for our existance and your publishing defamatory statements on your website hurts our organization’s efforts to recruit and maintain membership levels. From all appearences, your website, which is open to the general public, only exists to rumormonger and denigrate STARFLEET and its leadership. Therefore, I am writing to demand that you stop publishing false and defamatory statements about STARFLEET, its leaders and its members.
Furthermore, the name STARFLEET and its logo are assets of STARFLEET, and Starfleet has a valid and enforceable trademark on both. You are using both on your website without permission from STARFLEET, and you are using both in a financial enterprise by, among other things, selling t-shirts that contain STARFLEET’s name and logo. Therefore, I am also writing to formally advise you that you do not have permission from STARFLEET to use its name or logo in any form or content or in any location, website, print or publication, and to demand that you immediately remove the name STARFLEET and its logo from your website and all other publications, products or other areas and cease the use of STARFLEET’s name and logo in any format or forum in the future.
Nothing in this demand shall act as a waiver of the rights of STARFLEET to recover damages for harm caused by your unauthorized use of STARFLEET’s name and logo, or the defamation already published by you.
I have copied this email to the Officers and Directors of the corporation so that all are fully informed.
Sal Lizard,
President and Chairman
STARFLEET, the International Star Trek Fan Association, Inc.
(1 votes, average: 4 out of 5)
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July 7th, 2008 at 3:01 pm
Once again, this administration sets a new low for fandom. This is what… 7 in a row now?
What a truly sad day for STARFLEET.
July 7th, 2008 at 6:45 pm
Is Sal channeling Dan McGinnis?
July 7th, 2008 at 10:07 pm
I stood up to Dan McGinnis in ’95 and received a medal for it. However I have grown older and less patient with such childish, immature behavior from our elected leadership. I say lets end this administration, starting with Mr. Lizard…TIME FOR A RECALL VOTE BY THE STARFLEET MEMBERSHIP. And while we are at it, let’s get rid of some of the ‘puppets’ on the EC too.
FCPT Unicorn
R4
unicorn1701@att.net
July 7th, 2008 at 11:14 pm
A recall vote of the entire EC is in order. STARFLEET will fail as long as Sal tries to silence those who do not agree with him.
Commodore S Bowers
R7
July 7th, 2008 at 11:31 pm
Call the vote! Put up or SHUT UP!
July 8th, 2008 at 12:09 am
OK… I’ll call the vote.
Now… choose your side Cranston… time for you to heed your own words and put up or SHUT UP!
July 8th, 2008 at 12:14 am
Nice talk…..we’ll see if anything happens.
July 8th, 2008 at 12:48 am
Last time I looked, STARFLEET, Star Trek, etc. were copyrighted materials belonging to Viacom. Our organization has permission to use them, within certain limits of course.
Our founding fathers knew that disagreement with and critique of authority was an important right and responsibility. Voicing an opinion or stating an objection to activities of those in charge are rights we all have. To take away those rights flies in the face of all that is American.
Vote them out or throw them out. The organization is NOT THEIRS, it’s OURS, the members, and if they cannot defend it against all threats, foreign or domestic, they are not worthy of our obedience or respect.
I took an oath when I became a Disaster Service Worker in the City of Alameda, administered by one of our Fire Department Captains, in which I promised to uphold, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. I take that oath very seriously. It is the same oath given to Civil Servants (fire, police, gov’t agencies, etc), the armed services, and to naturalized citizens. I’m sure it is similar to the one the President takes when inaugurated. Doesn’t STRAFLEET have the same concept??
I’ll return the balance of my time to the distinguished member…
July 8th, 2008 at 1:24 am
Sal never cease to amaze me… This is the same man that stated his acting career is in jeopardy due to this site… Damn, I swear, His acting career will be revived in December, I hear the Salvation Army is in need of a few bell ringing Santas… Hopefuly if they can keep him intoxicated long enough he won’t try to spew his nazi regime on the kiddies….
“Mommy, Santa says I get no toys cause I don’t agree with him… WAAAAA!!!!”
July 8th, 2008 at 4:24 am
Welcome to the party, Cranston! You wrote:
> Could it be that STARFLEET Reboot is not being negative and insulting,
> but are being rather positive about parts of the organization? Something
> to consider.
Well, they do take a different tack, I’ll grant you that. I had a small role in the STARFLEET Reboot thing when it started off as Emmett’s campaign for CS. It has evolved into much more, and Reboot has my full support.
That said, the alleged “cease and desist” email I got from Sal states I am violating trademark. So is Reboot. I am just saying, the rules should apply to all.
This is not about “negative and insulting” this is about the letter, even the spirit, of the email that was presented to me..
For that matter, to take the “trademark violation” angle further, so does Starfleet Marines International, so does Second Life Starfleet, so does Starfleet Command and several other small, faceless “fan organizations” out there.
For Sal to come after me and STARFLEET Fail is actually sort of flattering. I was considering taking down the site a few days ago. I was under the impression that the current regime ignores it, dismisses what I have to say as the blatherings of a crackpot.
I suppose that they really see me as a threat.
July 8th, 2008 at 4:55 am
# Cranston Says:
July 8th, 2008 at 12:14 am
Nice talk…..we’ll see if anything happens.
* * *
Obviously you do not know me… I am a man of action. Just ask around regarding my contributions to STARFLEET.
July 8th, 2008 at 5:00 am
considering a lot of the logos in question were either designed by myself or david pipgras under a perpetual useage-for-attribution agreement (which sal pretty much just threw away by declaring it ‘fleets property), i find this laughable.
but beyond that, to show fair use for parody purposes, you don’t have to alter much and then sal has no pot to piss in.
heck i could alter about 5 positions in the original art, release it onto the internet and call it good. in fact….that’s EXACTLY what i will be doing.
if this gets enforced, i will be emptying the roughly 1 gb worth of illustrator and photoshop files that pretain to SFI onto a site on the internet and will note these are MY creations and people are free to do with them as they fucking please.
i’m sure some leagal sabrerattling will follow, but ask me if i care. these items were given to SFI in good faith that they be used for the entirety of the membership, and not just those who see fit to squelch dissent.
July 8th, 2008 at 11:09 am
this brings back fond memories of the starfleet red alart campagin when viacom was on the rampage. if viacom couldnt get the sites down no one can
July 8th, 2008 at 1:50 pm
What an asshole! I’m glad I was in the 51% minority.
July 8th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
I was walking on the beach when I asked out loud “what is happening to STARFLEET?” An image of a man formed and stood before me and said, “Evil has taken over STARFLEET and I am here to safe it, again.”
“Who are you?” I asked.
“I am the image of the Alpha and Omega of STARFLEET. I am what you will come to know as the SAVIOUR of STARFLEET! I am the embodiment on the Lowe and the Gumby. I am here again to save STARFLEET.” He pointed to the footprints behind me and asked, “What do you see?”
I replied, “I see a set of footprints from where I just walked.”
“No,” the image bellowed, “just before the footprints, what do you see?”
I squinted my eyes and blocked the sun with my hand on my forehead and looked as far down the beach as I could. For the first time I noticed that along the way there were 2 sets on footprints for a while then just one set. I asked, “I do not understand, why are there 2 sets of footprints when I do not recall having company?”
The SAVIOR of STARFLEET laughed heartily and said, “Oh you fool, you do not even know how great I am to have saved STARFLEET in the past and that my footprints appear from my great activity.”
I asked while pointing to the single footprints, “But why then did you leave STARFLEET to fail when I walked alone?”
“You pitiful fool, I did not abandon you or STARFLEET, where you see only one set of footprints, that is where I carried STARFLEET.”
I knelt before the great SAVIOR of STARFLEET and beg forgiveness as until then I had not seen the greatness of the Gumby or the Lowe. He said, “I forgive you my child.”
I asked what I could to help fix what the SAVIOR of STARFLEET thinks are the problems facing STARFLEET, he replied, “Just read my website for there is nothing further I can do.”
July 8th, 2008 at 4:43 pm
A little dramatic, Rob, but it’s funny. Except for:
> “Just read my website for there is nothing further I can do.”
That is not anything either myself or Gumby has said or even alluded to. I do have ideas on how to fix things. I would be happy to share them at some point. Just not on demand.
If I am to be your savior, Grasshopper, I need time.
July 8th, 2008 at 8:28 pm
Hahahahahaha!
July 16th, 2008 at 7:34 pm
I see nothing to be concerned about.