As reported by Time[1], film studio Miramax has sued Quentin Tarantino for copyright infringement over the film “Pulp Fiction”.
Last year at NFT.NYC, Tarantino announced that he intended to auction off portions of his original “Pulp Fiction” screenplay, which contain “secrets” about the film and its creative process. This includes copies of manuscripts of seven script fragments with deleted scenes and musical commentary. It is doubtful that the original screenplay written by Tarantino before the contract with Miramax is an asset of this company, but the exact date of the auction is yet to be announced. Tarantino’s lawyer claims that selling NFTs falls into the clause of “publishing the screenplay” included in the 1993 contract. However, Miramax claims that selling is “a one-time transaction that does not constitute a publication”. The other party believes that the author has the right to sell NFTs of his screenplay written by hand.
Putting aside the intricacies of the dispute between the studio and the director, it is worth noting that one of the points of the lawsuit was that the film company itself intended to sell NFTs relating to the film. Perhaps this is just an assertion for the sake of litigation, but the very fact that the lawsuit was brought indicates that the studio wants to highlight its interest in the NFT market and that it is watching it closely. In the same article, Time quotes one IP lawyer as saying that the vast majority of NFT disputes are resolved outside the courtroom. This is because litigants are well aware that the fledgling market is highly volatile and any lawsuits could erode confidence in the bidder at auction or sale, nullifying potential profits from the transaction. As in other markets, the key issue is trust in the counterparty and the institution providing the tokens.
This whole dispute begs the question of the ultimate goal of both parties. Many people purchase NTFs believing that they will be worth more in the future. But is it really possible to make even more money on “Pulp Fiction”? Is Tarantino planning a continuation of his work? Or maybe the company wants to increase its presence in the virtual world?
[1] Andrew R. Chow, “The Quentin Tarantino-Miramax Dispute Isn’t the First Lawsuit Over NFTs—And it Won’t Be the Last”, November 17, 2021 4:14 PM EST, https://time.com/6120878/tarantino-nft-lawsuit/ accessed 26.01.2022.