Courts sometimes hear the most bizarre cases. Lawyers are
currently firing phasers across a California courtroom arguing in
legalese over whether Klingons are real, and whether they are
protected under copyright.
For those who don't know a Klingon from a Ferengi, they are
a fierce alien warrior species in the popular Star Trek
world created for a TV series and a string of blockbuster
movies.
It all began when a Star Trek fan made his own amateur
short movie called Axanar, including Klingons, and stuck
it on YouTube where it was viewed two million times.
It was just for fun, but Paramount Pictures and CBS Studio went
to war when the amateur filmmaker raised half a million dollars
through Crowdfunding to make a second, more lavish film. The
studios stepped in, arguing they have exclusive rights to Star
Trek and everything in it, and sued the amateur filmmaker for
breach of copyright.
