Star Wars fans are calling for a boycott of Star Wars: Episode IX but not for the reasons that you might think (no, it's not because of the backlash against Star Wars: The Last Jedi).
According to a new report by Movie Web, Star Wars fans are going on a campaign to boycott Lucasfilm 's third and final sequel trilogy installment because of a copyright strike that Disney's publisher Warner/Chappel made on a fan-made Star Wars movie. Titled Vader Episode I: Shards of the Past, the movie which was created by Star Wars Theory was released on YouTube last December and has gained over 7 million views. The Darth fan film was allegedly approved by Lucasfilm, so it came as a surprise to many that Disney would raise a copyright strike.
Outraging the fanbase, hardcore Star Wars followers are now calling for others to boycott Star Wars: Episode IX till Disney and its publisher offer everyone an apology. While Lucasfilm does own the copyright to the Star Wars franchise and its various characters, word has it that Disney had actually been profiting off of the Darth Vader fan-film, earning up to $80,000 by monetizing the video themselves.
While we can't fully ascertain the truth behind the claim that Lucasfilm actually approved Star Wars Theory's fan-made Darth Vader movie, the team never claimed that their material was official, making it clear that the film was simply content they created out of fun. Fan fiction and fan content don't usually cause that much harm to a franchise, and besides, if Star Wars Theory wasn't really profiting off of the video, then why is Disney's publisher trying to go after them? What about all the other fans that create their own films and fictional artworks and stories based on the Star Wars franchise?
What's your stand on the matter? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section below.
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