Hurt Locker Producers Sue BitTorrent Users
Posted by Robin Paulson Categories: Action, Drama, Political, Thrillers, Distribution,
If you happened to download The Hurt Locker through BitTorrent, you may be receiving a lawsuit from the film’s producers in your mailbox soon.
In one of the largest lawsuits filed against individuals, Voltage Pictures is suing 5,000 internet users who downloaded the Oscar-winning film illegally. While Voltage currently only has the IP numbers of the targeted individuals, they’re working with ISPs to identify the pirates, who will be sent letters demanding that they pay $1,500 for being too cheap to catch the film on Netflix. If the $1,500 isn’t paid, Voltage plans to take the downloader to court at ten times the amount.
Voltage seems particularly keen on collecting their money, as the film has won numerous awards, yet only earned less than $17 million at the box office.
Read More 
| TG Daily via Perez Hilton
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Paris Hilton Escapes Pay-Out
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Comedy, Celeb News, Celebrity Controversy,
Paris Hilton was not at fault for her film-flopping, a court has ruled.
The socialite was sued by Worldwide Entertainment Group for allegedly breaching her contractual commitments for movie National Lampoon’s Pledge This!, but a Miami judge has ruled she did her best to promote it, stating the movie was “hardly destined for critical acclaim.”
District Judge Federico Moreno said:
“Any causal connection between Ms. Hilton’s alleged breaches and the financial ruin of the film are wholly speculative. The movie flopped because the film’s inexperienced producers hastily cobbled together a wholly inadequate marketing plan. They sent scattershot requests to their principal star in the hope she could find time to promote a sinking ship.”
While Paris won’t have to pay the $8.3 million damages the producers were asking for, she may have to return the $1 million fee she was given for the film. A receiver representing the producers has been given until August 26 to submit arguments as to why the blonde star should pay back the sum.
Michael Weinsten, Paris’ lawyer, said in a statement following the ruling: “We are grateful for the judge’s time and thoughtful consideration of the issues in this case.”
Watchmen Lawsuit Settled
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Mystery, Political, Science Fiction, Thrillers, Distribution, Upcoming Releases,
Watchmen fanboys - you can now take a collective sigh of relief. The fight between Mommy and Daddy is now over.
Although it looked as if March 6th would be scratched off the calendar, 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros. agreed to play nice and settled their differences. The last-minute negotiations kept the film in the theaters and the parties out of the courtroom.
For its part, Fox will get a upfront cash settlement to cover its original investment fees and its legal costs. (According to sources, that check amount is somewhere in the $5-$10 million range.) The studio will also will also get 5-8.5% gross participation in the first film and a percentage in any possible sequels. In turn, Warner will get to continue as planned with only their logo on the project.
Read More | Variety
Watchmen’s Fate Handled in Federal Court
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Mystery, Noir, Political, Thrillers, Distribution, Upcoming Releases,
UPDATE: Warner Bros. and FOX have settled the lawsuit.
Time hasn’t been kind to fans of Watchmen. Although we’ve already hit the New Year, the battle between Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox has just grown nastier. So what will this mean for the March 6 premiere?
Late last month, U.S. District Court Judge Gary Feess ruled that Fox did have rights to the graphic novel adaptation. Although the studio had the opportunity to launch the film back in the late ‘80s (and had spent over a $1 million developing the project), the movie never came to fruition. Producer Larry Gordon allegedly agreed to check back with Fox first on any future plans, but later took Watchmen over to Legendary Pictures and Warner. Fox filed then filed a lawsuit back in February claiming Gordon neglected to properly acquire their interest before making the move.
Click to continue reading Watchmen’s Fate Handled in Federal Court
Read More | Variety
Mel Gibson Ordered to Participate in Q&A
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Drama, Foreign Language, Religious, Celeb News, Celebrity Gossip,
In response to a lawsuit filed by writer Benedict Fitzgerald, a judge has ordered movie mogul Mel Gibson to answer specific questions about expenses for his hit saga The Passion of the Christ.
Fitzgerald claims Gibson underpaid him for his work. The claim is that writer payments were lowered for Gibson-related expenses, a contractual violation. The screenwriter’s lawyer says Gibson spent large sums for personal reasons while filming in Italy, including $78,000 on a chiropractor bill.
Gibson has been ordered to appear for a deposition by mid-January to answer questions regarding the film. So far, his lawyer is unavailable for comment.
Read More | MSNBC
The Case of Batman vs. Batman
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Sequels,
Oh, the comedians are going to have a field day with this. In a just-strange-enough-to-work, headline-grabbing lawsuit, Batman will face off against the minds behind The Dark Knight. But will the case ever see the inside of a courtroom?
Batman isn’t just a comic book character who first appeared on the scene in 1939 (then called the Bat-man), it’s also an oil-producing town in Turkey. Batman has been refining the fuel since 1955 and boasts Turkey’s oldest refinery. But now, the issue of name infringement has been raised.
Huseyin Kalkan, mayor of Batman, has legally filed suit against Christopher Nolan (who directed The Dark Knight) and Warner Bros. in hopes of gaining a cut of royalties from the film (sure, aren’t there enough to go around?).
Click to continue reading The Case of Batman vs. Batman
Read More | E! Online
Tommy Lee Jones Sues Paramount For $10 Million
Posted by Robin Paulson Categories: Paramount, Action, Adventure, Drama, Noir, Thrillers, Box Office, Celebrity Gossip, Celebrity Controversy, Corporate Shakeups, Rumors,
While Fox and Warner Bros. are dealing with their battles, Paramount now has to deal with one of their own, thanks to a $10 million dollar lawsuit compliments of Tommy Lee Jones.
The veteran actor is seeking payment that he claims is rightfully owed to him for the services he provided for the 2007 Coen Brothers’ hit, No Country For Old Men.
Although both Paramount and Jones declined to comment, the actor’s publicist simply pointed to the lawsuit, which notes a contract N.M. Classics (a subsidiary of Paramount’s) that promises Jones “significant box-office bonuses and ‘back-end’ compensation.”
Click to continue reading Tommy Lee Jones Sues Paramount For $10 Million
San Antonio Express-News
Court Date Set for Watchmen Lawsuit
Posted by Robin Paulson Categories: 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Mystery, Noir, Political, Thrillers, Corporate Shakeups, Distribution, Filmmaking, Upcoming Releases,
While most Watchmen fans only had the film’s release countdown to consider, a new development in the Watchmen copyright lawsuit has added a new date to watch out for: January 6.
U.S. District Court Judge Gary Allen Feess assigned the date for the case, which is set to decide whether or not Fox does hold the rights to the Watchmen movie. Between the January 6 court date and the film’s scheduled March 6 release, let’s hope that things go in the fans’ favor and they settle this between that time.
If the case goes according to Fox, fans of the highly-anticipated Zack Snyder film will never see that March 6 release happen, which could very well happen come January.
The dispute goes back to 1991, when Fox “quitclaimed” its right to Alan Moore‘s acclaimed graphic novel to Largo Entertainment, with an agreement that the production company was to release the movie under the big studio (if not, Largo Entertainment was to buy the rights through an agreed buyout formula from Fox).
Click to continue reading Court Date Set for Watchmen Lawsuit
The Hollywood Reporter
Paris Hilton Sued for Lack of Promotion
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Comedy, Celeb News, Celebrity Controversy,
Funny. I never thought the phrases “Paris Hilton” and “lack of publicity” could ever be used in the same sentence.
A lawsuit filed Tuesday in Miami’s District Court claims Paris Hilton failed to live up to her contractual obligations. The heiress, who received an acting and an executive producer credit for National Lampoon’s Pledge This!, reportedly dropped the ball when it came to the film’s marketing.
According to Worldwide Entertainment Group Inc., the company is owed $75,000 because Hilton did not provide “reasonable promotion and publicity” for the 2006 sorority movie.
Now, given that Paris Hilton’s most recent film (The Hottie & the Nottie) failed despite her talk show appearances - what kind of numbers were the Pledge This! producers expecting to get?
MSNBC
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