The one-time Miramax golden child Quentin Tarantino is being sued by Miramax over his plans for Pulp Fiction.
There was a time when Quentin Tarantino could do no wrong with Miramax. Headed up by the notorious Weinstein brothers, Miramax treated a long line of respected and talented filmmakers very shabbily through the years, but Tarantino was always an exception. He enjoyed final cut on his films for example, a rare privilege when working for the Weinsteins.
Miramax is of course, no longer run by the Weinstein brothers, with Harvey Weinstein, now a convicted rapist, serving time in prison and facing more damning charges.
Tarantino ended his partnership with the company following the Weinstein’s departure in 2005, after a bitter dispute with Disney (that had bought the company up). He continued to work with the Weinsteins until allegations surfaced regarding Harvey Weinstein, in 2017.
Reports have emerged today then that Miramax, under its more recent stewardship (Disney sold the company a decade ago), is suing Quentin Tarantino, the studio’s former golden child. All because of his plans to release and sell a series of Pulp Fiction non-fungible tokens (NFTs). The company is alleging that Tarantino does not own the rights to the film, including the never-before-seen sequences that he is planning to include on the tokens.
Miramax’s lawsuit claims that Tarantino has ignored cease-and-desist letters and continued with plans to sell Pulp Fiction NFTs, despite not owning the intellectual property. The company also states that it is planning to release its own NFTs. It means Tarantino’s intent to sell his own version of these could be an interesting case to observe, simply to see who has the rights in future cases to create and sell NFTs based on films: the creator or the studio?
As with most things, you would assume that the studio owns the rights to any and all intellectual property, but by ploughing ahead regardless, Tarantino must feel like he has a case here. We’ll keep you posted as we hear more.
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