“Top Gun” Lawyers Brought In – Serious Allegations Made
(UnitedVoice.com) – In 1983, California Magazine published author Ehud Yonay’s “Top Guns” short story. Paramount later obtained the copyright to the story and produced the smash hit “Top Gun,” starring Tom Cruise. The sequel to the original film was just released, but the family of the Israeli writer claims the studio no longer held the copyright.
On Monday, June 6, Yuval and Shosh Yonay, the writer’s son and widow, filed a lawsuit at the Los Angeles federal court. The suit alleges Paramount didn’t reacquire the story’s rights before it produced the sequel, “Top Gun: Maverick.” In 2018, the family claims they notified the studio it’d lose the original copyright in two years, in January 2020.
Breaking: Paramount Pictures hit with a blockbuster lawsuit claiming that it lacks rights to "Top Gun." The sequel is an infringement, claims plaintiffs, who say studio ignored a copyright termination notice from family of original author. https://t.co/coURMu2lWg
— Eriq Gardner (@eriqgardner) June 6, 2022
Two high-profile attorneys with a lot of experience are representing the family. Attorney Alex Kozinski is the former chief justice of the 9th Circuit of Appeals, and Marc Toberoff is an expert in copyright law. Speaking to the BBC, Toberoff accused Paramount of making the movie after they learned about their copyright termination. For its part, the studio claims the lawsuit is “without merit” and promised to fight it.
The “Top Gun” sequel has been wildly successful in theaters. It has made more than $500 million worldwide. The plaintiffs want a judge to issue an injunction and copyright infringement damages.
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