Dude sues CBS Over Star Trek: Discovery - Abdin v. CBS Broadcasting, Inc. et al

[James Smith]

Anas Abdin alleges he created a game in 2014 called Tardigrades and that Star Trek: Discovery uses his ideas.

This (archive) is the first blog post in which he discusses the issue, claiming that others have come to him pointing out the similarities.

Here are some examples of images he uses to defend his position:

Here's a podcast Nick did talking about it. A lot of the documents are on the RECAP archive here.

Notably one of the attorneys for Anas seems to be getting bitched at by the court constantly which isn't a good thing for your client.

 

[GreenJacket]

Star Trek: Discovery is trash and CBS has been pumping anti-white propaganda lately, so all I can say is 'good.'

 

[The Shadow]

I don't think this guy has much of a case, that's...some really fucking awful art. It's like LucasArts' The Dig via MS Paint.

 

[James Smith]

How good you think the art is has absolutely no bearing on whether or not he has a case. I'm with Nick, it sure seems like CBS stole a bunch of this guy's ideas.

The motion to dismiss should be getting decided on within the next couple of weeks.

 

[whatever I feel like]

As you can see this actor is clearly blonde, just like one of my characters!

 

[Diesel Boogaloo]

I don't know if they ripped him off or not, but I don't think the similarities are enough to consider ST: D (great initialism btw) infringing, even if they knew about Tardigrades.
The characters are a pretty generic troupe. Other motifs are pretty standard for sci-fi. Only the tardigrades are unique, and that's not enough. You can't just stop everyone writing about space tardigrades for decades just because you made a game.

On copyright laws and plots

I was pondering a lot on the issue with copyrights on plots. Is having an identical plot infringing someone else's copyrighted work? I am fully aware that the character names are copyrighted and c...

writing.stackexchange.com

 

[BlueSpark]

He's no Zap Dramatic or Ugo Jesse but the lad's showing promise

 

[quatchi55]

Never heard of the game

 

[Varg Did Nothing Wrong]

That game looks like something you'd pull out of the budget bin in 1994, not like a game from 2014.

 

[garakfan69]

I can't believe anyone would steal ideas that are this bad.

 

[дядя Боря]

disney sued to less, shit at least he is not claiming to invent a mouse.

The copyright laws need to change, because there is enough random searchable shit out there to pretty much place everything in public domain. Current IP laws, today, is weaponized mockery of justice that no longer protect small start-ups, but deep pocket firms to stifle innovation.

 

[BScCollateral]

I can't speak to the merits of the case, but just about everything out there gets hit with a plagiarism suit.

FTL travel with tardigrades does seem suspiciously specific, though. If it's a recognized trope, I've never heard of it.

 

[Safir]

I can't speak to the merits of the case, but just about everything out there gets hit with a plagiarism suit.

FTL travel with tardigrades does seem suspiciously specific, though. If it's a recognized trope, I've never heard of it.

Dunno about FTL travel, but they're famous in popular science media and amateur sci-fi writer communities for their ability to survive extreme conditions, including both the vacuum of space and the actual material temperatures circa absolute zero.

Cracked in 2010:

For some reason, the adorableness of a given creature goes down in direct proportion with its resistance to death. Fragility is a key element to cuteness, and that's why you're about to find the water bear a whole lot less wuvable: They are goddamned indestructible. Freeze 'em? Nope. They can survive at -273 degrees Celsius (only a few away from absolute zero). Well, nuking always ruins things, right? Pepperoni Hot Pockets and the Japanese might agree with you, but these critters can revert back to a sort of "freeze-dried" form at anytime-- making them impervious to radiation, and also liquid nitrogen, contact with mineral acids, organic solvents and probably emotional abuse. So, one logical solution is left to us: Blast the fuckers into space.

Hey! That actually works!
...After 10 days. That's how long water bears-- tiny little unarmored animals with skin, claws, eyes, muscles and all the factors we commonly associate with things that die in the abyss of the cosmos--can survive with absolutely no protection in the dead void of outer space.
Sure, they're harmless to humans. But they can travel through space naked, and there are millions of them, and they can be found virtually everywhere, probably even in your house. Right now.

 

[BScCollateral]

Dunno about FTL travel, but they're famous in popular science media and amateur sci-fi writer communities for their ability to survive extreme conditions, including both the vacuum of space and the actual material temperatures circa absolute zero.

Sure, I've heard of tardigrades. Interesting stuff.

But they're not known for FTL travel.

If two guys come up with a character who uses bird power to fly, I'd call that a coincidence. If two guys come up with a character who uses his puma powers to fly, I'm going to raise an eyebrow.

 

[Munchingonfish]

http://copyright.nova.edu/avatar-lawsuit/

He won't win.

 

[Absolutego]

That game looks like something you'd pull out of the budget bin in 1994, not like a game from 2014.

Welcome to the mid-2010's Indie Game scene. Lots of self-declared game devs shitting out cheap dreck that looked like ass thinking just anyone can be the next Notch.

 

[Tragi-Chan]

Tardigrades were a meme before either of these works came about, and the concept of FTL travel powered by weird creatures is nothing new (the Guild Navigators from Dune spring to mind). It’s an unfortunate coincidence.

 

[Zersetzung]

Discovery is a giant conspiracy to convince sjw-types to drop shrooms, and indie games are inextricable from that whole fucking psyop mess, so there's every reason to suspect this guy's case is just a part of that same ARG.

 

[Miller]

He could win if someone would leak the original scripts and bible of the show. Originally the tartigrade wasn't a savage creature, it was supposed to be an alien crewmember, an engineer. It's only after they fired the creator/showrunner and reset the production that the whole tardigrade/space mushroom stuff and the mirror universe stories were added into the show.