The Miramax production company filed charges against Tarantino for copyright infringement and accused him of deliberate, premeditated, and short-term appropriation of money with its NFTs project.
Acclaimed film director Quentin Tarantino has gotten into some trouble after launching a collection of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) linked to his hit movie Pulp Fiction.
Tarantino announced his intentions to tokenize some raw scenes and unpublished material from his second feature film, which in 1994 brought him to fame in Hollywood after winning an Oscar for Best Screenplay. The NFT series, which would include handwritten scripts and exclusive Tarantino commentary, was reportedly scheduled to launch in December of this year.
Starring John Travolta and Uma Thurman, Pulp Fiction has become one of the most emblematic of cult cinema and got considered one of the most representative films of the director. Many fans worldwide got thrilled after the announcement of the launch of NFT; although not everyone seems excited about it.
Miramax Producer Sued Tarantino
The entertainment company Miramax has filed a lawsuit against the director, accusing him of copyright infringement. Miramax, which produced Pulp Fiction and many other Tarantino films, claims that it owns the rights to the classic edition of that film and maintains that there has been a breach of contract.
The lawsuit also highlights that the filmmaker has acted unethically by developing his NFT plans without notifying the company.
Miramax attorney Bart Williams noted in a letter filed Nov. 16 in the Central District of California, which got quoted by news outlets that
this group decided to willfully ignore the agreement signed by Quentin instead of following the legal and ethical approach of simply communicating with Miramax about their proposed ideas.
Director did not Stop His NFT Project
Miramax attorneys have sent the director and his team a cease and desist letter, seeking to block the sale. However, this does not seem to have stopped Tarantino from going ahead with his plans.
On the other hand, the lawyers that defend Tarantino claim that the filmmaker retained the right to launch his original script in the Miramax contract. The lawyers said the director is currently exercising his legal rights through the sale of NFT.
In response, the production company argued that the NFTs is a one-time sale and do not amount to publishing a script.
The attorneys noted that the auction interfered with some of the entertainment giant’s plans to enter the NFT space. According to the lawyers, Miramax has the necessary rights to develop, market, and sell NFTs related to its library of films.
However, now the matter seems to have prompted a heated discussion about copyright and NFT property. According to some experts, the lawsuit could challenge some principles of contract law. On the other hand, and according to the defenders of the ecosystem, this new discussion highlighted how vital is ownership for artists.
By: Jenson Nuñez
