Disney's attitude towards fan edits / restorations?

Author: point5
Date: 13-Sep-2014, 6:12 AM

Author: point5
Time: 13-Sep-2014 6:12 AM
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So now that Disney owns all of the former Lucas Films, can anyone tell me if Disney has made any clear statements about reaching a compromise between intellectual property and fan edits / restorations /artwork? I'm sure other people must be asking this question.

GL always had a general understanding of consent towards fan edits, but I wonder if Disney intends to extend this kind of "agreement" in the same way, or will they be more stringent? Are the new owners as flexible in their dealings with the creative pursuits of Star Wars fans?

Author: FunkyDays
Time: 13-Sep-2014 4:19 PM
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Difficult to say, but I have to assume they know about Harmy's DE due to the amount of press it has received. If he hasn't received a C&D yet, he probably won't, but again no one knows for sure.

“Yes, it speaks of the trinity; casting light at the sun with its wandering eye”

Author: TheBoost
Time: 13-Sep-2014 6:44 PM
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Silence is consent. Legally they just can't say they're ok with it, it even that they don't care.

Author: point5
Time: 13-Sep-2014 7:09 PM (Edited)
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Very true. In an ideal world the only people who should ever receive a C&D are those who try to sell and profit financially from fakes which they knowingly reproduce, advertize and sell as the real thing. I personally also draw the line at those unscrupulous parasites who download edits from forums, burn them to multiple disks and then try to sell them.

Well this is the way it should be in an ideal world. The problem is we don't live in an ideal world... we live in a world of corporations, bureaucrats and lawyers. What concerns me is we may not have GL acting as a "buffer" between corporate interests and fan interests as we once had, even if it had been only implied. Correct me if I am wrong, but it was kind of a "gentleman's agreement" between GL and Star Wars fans, to my understanding.

Author: WedgeCyan
Time: 13-Sep-2014 7:24 PM (Edited)
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Since Disney hasn't lost any money yet on people boycotting special edition releases, I don't think they mind so much. And seeing as it's becoming increasingly more likely that the OOT will be included on the next release, I don't think there'll be so much of a boycott in that situation.

Although, this doesn't take the prequels into account. Unless they pack the prequels in with the OT I doubt the PT will sell as well, so they might get upset at that point.

Dboman said:

I don't care about spelling! I just want to find a mirror!

Author: Erikstormtrooper
Time: 13-Sep-2014 7:25 PM
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I think the real test will come when people try to make fanedits of the new films.

You know of the rebellion against the Empire?

Author: moviefreakedmind
Time: 13-Sep-2014 8:05 PM
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For OOT reconstructions/upscales like Harmy or DarkJedi, it depends on what their plans are. If they are going to re-release the OOT then maybe they're waiting to see if that stops all these fan edits, and if their release isn't completely insulting like the GOUT, then it really should. If they have no plans to release the OOT then I think they would've shut it down by now. Given how little Lucas seemed to care about fan edits I think Disney will want to go about dealing with them as peacefully as possible, and releasing the OOT would get rid of the need for projects like the Despecialized Edition. As for things like Adywan, I don't think they care since most people who would watch those probably already love and have/would purchase the films anyway (I say "would" because they may be waiting for the OOT). I agree that they may not be so quiet about it when it comes to Ep. VII, but again, if they do a good job then there won't be a need for such big fan edits like there were for the prequels. As for prequel fan edits, I don't think they care at all since no one wants to buy the real movies anyway.

The Person in Question

Author: GlastoEls
Time: 15-Sep-2014 1:39 PM
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Surely sensible, rational individuals at Disney recognise that Harmy's projects exist for a reason...

Author: point5
Time: 15-Sep-2014 7:13 PM
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moviefreakedmind said:

For OOT reconstructions/upscales like Harmy or DarkJedi, it depends on what their plans are. If they are going to re-release the OOT then maybe they're waiting to see if that stops all these fan edits, and if their release isn't completely insulting like the GOUT, then it really should. If they have no plans to release the OOT then I think they would've shut it down by now. Given how little Lucas seemed to care about fan edits I think Disney will want to go about dealing with them as peacefully as possible, and releasing the OOT would get rid of the need for projects like the Despecialized Edition. As for things like Adywan, I don't think they care since most people who would watch those probably already love and have/would purchase the films anyway (I say "would" because they may be waiting for the OOT). I agree that they may not be so quiet about it when it comes to Ep. VII, but again, if they do a good job then there won't be a need for such big fan edits like there were for the prequels. As for prequel fan edits, I don't think they care at all since no one wants to buy the real movies anyway.

Having just watched some of the previews for the new "Aladdin in Space" series (which is what many SW fans are calling it), I must say I am very disappointed in the direction this has taken. I doubt whether too many hardcore Star Wars fans will be bothered with fan edits of Rebels in future. Hopefully nobody will try to restore it in another 20-30 years either, but let it die and erode away into nothingness as quickly as possible. I only hope Ep. VII is not similarly "Disney-ized" or my love affair with Star Wars will end at the time when Lucasfilm ceased production. I have great fears for the future of the Star Wars saga. Oh well, I guess us die hard fans will still have the books to satisfy our need for the "real" Star Wars.