Top Gun: Maverick returns to danger zone due to possible copyright infringement.
The recently released sequel to Top Gun may have become the highest-grossing Tom Cruise blockbuster in history, but it looks like Paramount isn’t celebrating it yet, as new demand takes the wind off its planes.
The new lawsuit comes from the property of Ehud Yonay, author of a 1983 magazine article entitled “Top Guns” that inspired the original 80’s classic.
The lawsuit, filed Monday in Los Angeles federal court by Yonay’s wife and son Shosh and Yuval, alleges that Paramount did not regain the rights to the Ehud magazine article after the rights were revoked. canceled under U.S. copyright law.
The family has requested that the distribution of Top Gun: Maverick be discontinued immediately and is seeking unspecified damages, which include the benefits of the hit movie.
According to the lawsuit, the generational franchise would not have existed had it not been for Yonay’s “literary efforts and evocative narrative and prose.” The lawsuit reveals the circumstances of the cancellation of Top Gun’s rights after the family notified Paramount in 2018 that the rights to Yonay’s article would be revoked two years later.
The study lost copyright in January 2020, and the lawsuit alleges that Top Gun: Maverick was completed in May 2021. They argue that Paramount should re-license the article in order to do so. any derivative.
However, it is not that simple.
“The article is not the script, and Paramount can argue that the article was basically an idea of the story and nothing else,” entertainment attorney Mark Litwak told IndieWire. “Ideas are not copyrighted. It’s not always clear when an idea is embellished enough, when it becomes more than an idea, it becomes a work of authorship. It’s not a clear line.”
“It can be hard to say that this new sequel has nothing to do with the original article,” he continued. “This can be a difficult sale.” Particularly difficult since Paramount originally licensed the article for the 1986 film.
Top Gun: Images of Maverick
The article itself was written in an earlier era on GoPro cameras, taking readers to the booths of the San Diego Navy Combat Weapons School (also known as Top Gun) using very detailed descriptions and a narrative approach that captured the excitement and rivalry of the school.
A Paramount representative said: “These statements have no merit, and we will defend ourselves vigorously.”
It remains to be seen whether or not the case will go to court; the case is likely to be resolved much sooner. But after making an unlicensed sequel to the original play, Paramount may want to shuffle its planes.
Read more about Top Gun: Maverick with our Top Gun: The End of Maverick narrator, a U.S. Navy fighter pilot who reacts to Top Gun and the 10 best air battles of all time.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic at IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.