Tarantino, Gawker lawsuit complications continue

Intellectual property lawsuits don't always take a straight path to the courtroom, but can easily take many twists and turns along the way. In March, we discussed the lawsuit between director Quentin Tarantino and news website Gawker, which Tarantino sued for running a story that directed readers to a leaked copy of his script for "The Hateful Eight," which had been uploaded to a third-party website.  

In March, Gawker sought to have the case dismissed, claiming that reading a screenplay is not infringement, that the way it linked to the script was done in accordance with fair use policies and that Tarantino is actually more upset about the way the site has reported on him than he is about the actual leaked script incident.

Tarantino claimed that Gawker had crossed the line in its reporting by providing information about the leaked script, but Gawker thinks that they did nothing wrong, suggesting that Tarantino should be suing the website AnonFiles, which was responsible for hosting the actual leaked script. Tarantino argues that Gawker could have reported about the story of the leaked script without divulging its location, adding that those who viewed the script on AnonFiles had to download a copy of it because it was in PDF format.

Tarantino is seeking $1 million for contributory copyright infringement in the suit filed in January. However, if Gawker's post is found to have been in line with fair use policies, they just might win this case. The case is slated to go to trial in mid April. Businesses experiencing uncertainty about copyright law or the meaning of fair use should consult an Phoenix business attorney for clarification on what these laws mean and how they might affect their business. 

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