Dismissal of “Tardigrades” Copyright Lawsuit Against CBS Will be Appealed

Commander Landry and Michael Burnham discuss the tardigrade in Star Trek: Discovery season one

A lawsuit against CBS alleging copyright infringement for Star Trek: Discovery may not be over.

Earlier this year, a lawsuit filed by game developer Anas Abdin alleged that CBS had copied key elements of his game “Tardigrades” in the plotline for season one of Star Trek: Discovery. Just last month, a judge in New York granted CBS’s motion to dismiss the suit, saying, “Star Trek: Discovery and Plaintiff’s Videogame are not substantially similar as a matter of law in concept, characters, settings and ‘overall feel.’  [...] The plots of both works are similar solely to the extent that the characters go on adventures in space, and some of the adventures involve alien tardigrades.”

But now, a piece on Bounding into Comics revealed that Abdin is appealing the decision, and YouTuber Gary Buechler, who goes by the handle Nerdrotic, has set up a GoFundMe campaign to help with the costs. Abdin confirmed on his blog on Friday that he has filed an appeal.

In the Twitter post announcing the fundraising effort, Buechler said, “Please help @AnasAbdin, an independent artist fighting to keep HIS creation. I have started a GoFundMe to help him with some of his legal fees for his appeal against CBS and Star Trek.”

The GoFundMe campaign has a goal of $20,000 and has so far raised over $16,000.