What does it cost to videotape events at a convention and then offer them online? For the officials of the German convention FedCon, it's $78,000.
FedCon officials reportedly made the demand last week of German Star Trek news site TrekNews.de and its editor-in-chief, Daniel Räbiger. It's claim, according to a post on the TrekNews Web site, is that Räbiger was allowed to film at the most recent FedCon last June in Bonn, Germany, but then violated the agreement by making the video available on the Internet.
The videos, which featured different interviews and such at FedCon with its guests, was downloaded some 2,000 times, FedCon's attorneys claimed, and now convention officials are seeking €58,000, or just under $78,000. That would mean that FedCon values each download at €29, or $39.
The original page Räbiger used to discuss the situation is in German, but various readers have provided insight to Airlock Alpha on what exactly is going on.
"FedCon claims these fans posted some videos of the convention on their Web site and weren't allowed to do so," said one German-speaking reader. "Strangely enough, these fans had [press credentials] and were definitely allowed to film and publish their stuff. But now FedCon doesn't sell enough convention DVDs, so they think they can make some extra money and take it from fans."
It is unclear what exactly the agreement is between FedCon and journalists as well as fan sites which record information. A request for a response has been made to FedCon officials in Germany by Airlock Alpha, which is pending return, as well as a request for comment from TrekNews.de's Räbiger. However, in the story, Räbiger does remind his readers that his site is not a business, but a site that is "by fans for fans."
FedCon was created by Dirk Bartholomae of Augsburg, Germany, according to Wikipedia. Under the corporate banner of FedCon GmbH, the organizer also runs Ring*Con, which focuses on the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy. Plans are underway to create additional FedCon and Ring*Con conventions in the United Kingdom, and an American version of FedCon is planned for the United States next June.
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About the Author:
Michael Hinman is the founder and site coordinator for Airlock Alpha and the entire BlipNetwork. He owns Quantum Global Media Inc., the parent corporation of the BlipNetwork. He's a print journalist by day, and lives in Tampa, Fla.
