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Top Gun: Maverick Sued For Copyright Infringement By Family Of Author, Whose Story Inspired Tom Cruise's 1986 Original

Top Gun: Maverick producer Paramount Pictures just flew into a legal danger zone. 

 

Paramount Pictures is being sued for copyright infringement over Top Gun: Maverick.


The family of the late Israeli writer Ehud Yonay is suing the studio as they claim it did not have the rights to Yonay's 1983 story 'Top Guns' which was the inspiration for the original 1986 film that starred Tom Cruise.


The lawsuit which was filed on Monday (June 6) at the Los Angeles federal court by Shosh and Yuval Yonay, the writer's widow and son alleges that Paramount failed to reacquire the rights to Yonay's article after it was terminated under the US Copyright Act.


They are seeking unspecified damages from the studio, including profits from Top Gun: Maverick.

The lawsuit claims that the Top Gun franchise wouldn't have existed without Yonay's "literary efforts and evocative prose and narrative".


According to the lawsuit, the Yonays informed Paramount that the rights to the article would be terminated two years later and added that the studio lost the copyright for the piece in January 2020.


Lawyer Marc Toberoff, who is representing the Yonays, told the BBC: "Much as Paramount wants to pretend otherwise, they made a sequel to Top Gun after they lost their copyright."


Paramount responded with the statement: "These claims are without merit, and we will defend ourselves vigorously."

Mitra Ahouraian, a Los Angeles-based entertainment attorney, told the outlet that Paramount's plans to produce Top Gun: Maverick in 2018 and release it in 2019 were delayed because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

"Timing is going to be very important in this case because the notice of termination was sent... to have an effective date of 2020," she explained.


She explained: "Timing is going to be very important in this case because the notice of termination was sent... to have an effective date of 2020."

Top Gun: Maverick sees Cruise reprising his role as US navy pilot Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell, back at the titular flying academy as an instructor in charge of training a new generation of aviators.

Since its global theatrical roll-out last month, Top Gun: Maverick has made more than US$550 million (S$755 mil). In the US, the movie collected US$134 million in its opening weekend, making it the highest-grossing debut in Cruise's 40-year career, and his first to surpass US$100 million on opening weekend. — BANG SHOWBIZ

Photo: UIP

 

 

 

Related topics

Hollywood Ehud Yonay Tom Cruise Shosh Yonay Yuval Yonay Marc Toberoff

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