Screenwriter sues James Franco for alleged copyright infringement

Copyright infringement lawsuits are a frequent occurrence in the entertainment industry, as disputes concerning rights ownership for many types of works are widespread. Since movies are often adapted from other works, like novels, securing the proper rights and permissions to is an essential step to take before going into production. Failure to do so could result in an intellectual property lawsuit. 

Actor James Franco has recently been sued for copyright infringement regarding the movie rights to a semi-autobiographical novel about Charles Bukowski. British screenwriter Cyril Humphris is suing the actor for allegedly using part of the novel without previously securing the necessary rights. Humphris claims to exclusively own the motion picture rights to the book. According to the claim, Franco and Humphris had a prior agreement in 2009 that would allow Franco to create a movie based on book, CBS Los Angeles reported.

Although it is reported that Franco at one point had rights to create the movie, Humphris alleges that the agreement had already expired, and as a result filed a copyright lawsuit claiming that his intellectual property had been infringed upon. The movie is expected to come out later this year, but the lawsuit is looking to prevent it from being released. 

If Franco had received proper legal counsel over the matter prior to moving ahead with making this film, he may have been able to avoid being sued for copyright infringement. With the necessary rights in places, the actor may not have been accused of willful infringement. 

Intellectual property disputes can be complicated, especially when rights to certain works have gone through various ownership changes. Phoenix business attorneys know what businesses need to do to safeguard their intellectual property from costly lawsuits. 

Categorised in: Intellectual Property Law

This post was written by