Depressing, maybe... But I, personally, feel it serves a precedent that fan projects are not intended to be cakewalks and take dedicated and regular(this is key) effort in order to produce anything respectable. That said, depending on a given projects scope, it can also face a reasonable risk of a C&D(cease and desist) order as well. It all comes down to three things, in order of importance: effort, tact and skill. All in all, it's not meant to be discouraging, but rather an encouragement to stay dedicated and coordinated.
Oh, since I don't feel like posting in two topics, welcome to the compendium!