Sony Pictures has won a lawsuit brought by writer Joe Quirk, who alleged that the studio had breached an implied contract by allegedly stealing his 1998 novel to create Premium Rush, which stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt and grossed $20 million domestically when it was released last August. On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Richard Seeborg granted Sony's summary judgment motion and offered a provocative opinion that likely will become well-chewed by copyright scholars and will come as a blow to many authors. What happens when a book author sells film rights to his work to one major studio and
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- 4/3/2013
- by Eriq Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Breach lawsuit a victory for authors of bad novels everywhere.
A breach of contract lawsuit against Sony Pictures over the film Premium Rush will not be dismissed, after a federal judge in California ruled in favor of author Joe Quirk, who claims to have written a novel upon which that film was based. That novel, entitled Ultimate Rush, was published in 1998 and optioned to film by Warner Brothers.
Last month we covered a lawsuit in which a screenwriter sued Sylvester Stallone’s production company for allegedly stealing from a script he had written in the course of producing The Expendables. The presiding judge tossed Webb’s case after Stallone’s lawyers argued that several drafts of The Expendables had been run through the mill before Webb’s script was completed.
There are similarities between the two cases. On a level of pure irony, both cases seem to exist in a...
A breach of contract lawsuit against Sony Pictures over the film Premium Rush will not be dismissed, after a federal judge in California ruled in favor of author Joe Quirk, who claims to have written a novel upon which that film was based. That novel, entitled Ultimate Rush, was published in 1998 and optioned to film by Warner Brothers.
Last month we covered a lawsuit in which a screenwriter sued Sylvester Stallone’s production company for allegedly stealing from a script he had written in the course of producing The Expendables. The presiding judge tossed Webb’s case after Stallone’s lawyers argued that several drafts of The Expendables had been run through the mill before Webb’s script was completed.
There are similarities between the two cases. On a level of pure irony, both cases seem to exist in a...
- 7/10/2012
- by Josh Converse
- Boomtron
A federal judge in California has refused to dismiss writer Joe Quirk's claim that Sony Pictures breached an implied contract by allegedly stealing his 1998 novel to create Premium Rush, planned for a Aug. 24 release date. The decision not only impacts Sony's movie about an adventurous bike messenger played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt but also Hollywood studios as they increasingly confront allegations of idea theft. Quirk is the author of the 1998 novel Ultimate Rush. As the book was being published, Quirk retained an agent who distributed prerelease copies and synopses around Hollywood for a possible movie deal. The
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- 7/6/2012
- by Eriq Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Joe Quirk wrote an offbeat suspense novel in 1998, The Ultimate Rush, about a rollerblading courier in the Bay Area who becomes entangled with the Chinese mafia. Warner Bros. optioned the story, and Quirk was signed to the prestigious CAA agency, but the push to a screen adaptation never came – at least until last summer. The author's former literary agent came across a New York City location shoot for a Joseph Gordon-Levitt and David Koepp vehicle, Premium Rush. Sony Pictures is distributing the movie for the Spider-Man writer. When Quirk caught wind of the news, he nabbed a copy of the script and is insisting that Sony stole his film – right down to the nearly identical title. He filed a lawsuit this month, but the practically unemployed...
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- 8/31/2011
- by Alison Nastasi
- Movies.com
Joe Quirk wrote an offbeat suspense novel in 1998, The Ultimate Rush, about a rollerblading courier in the Bay Area who becomes entangled with the Chinese mafia. Warner Bros. optioned the story, and Quirk was signed to the prestigious CAA agency, but the push to a screen adaptation never came – at least until last summer. The author's former literary agent came across a New York City location shoot for a Joseph Gordon-Levitt and David Koepp vehicle, Premium Rush. Sony Pictures is distributing the movie for the Spider-Man writer. When Quirk caught wind of the news, he nabbed a copy of the script and is insisting that Sony stole his film – right down to the nearly identical title. He filed a lawsuit this month, but the practically unemployed writer had to speak to 50 lawyers...
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- 8/31/2011
- by affiliates@fandango.com
- Fandango
Joe Quirk wrote an offbeat suspense novel in 1998, The Ultimate Rush, about a rollerblading courier in the Bay Area who becomes entangled with the Chinese mafia. Warner Bros. optioned the story, and Quirk was signed to the prestigious CAA agency, but the push to a screen adaptation never came – at least until last summer. The author's former literary agent came across a New York City location shoot for a Joseph Gordon-Levitt and David Koepp vehicle, Premium Rush. Sony Pictures is distributing the movie for the Spider-Man writer. When Quirk caught wind of the news, he nabbed a copy of the script and is insisting that Sony stole his film – right down to the nearly identical title. He filed a lawsuit this month, but the practically unemployed writer had to speak to 50 lawyers...
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- 8/31/2011
- by affiliates@fandango.com
- Fandango
Has it been a decade of films and freaks already? Well, it has! The 10th annual Coney Island Film Festival is set to run once again on Sept. 24-26 at the world famous Sideshows by the Seashore — the last operating circus-style sideshow/freak show in the U.S.A.
The festival starts with real bang this year with the Brooklyn premiere of Gary Beeber‘s latest documentary Dirty Martini and the New Burlesque, which chronicles the rise of the hot new burlesque trend in NYC and its most popular star, Dirty Martini. The film will also be preceded by two short films: The recently uncovered Museum of Wax by playwright Charles Ludlam and Jaye Cherian’s documentary Shape of the Shapeless.
This year the festival is also celebrating by hosting director Darren Aronofsky as their 2010 honoree. On Sept. 26, Aronofsky — who was born in South Brooklyn — will be present at a...
The festival starts with real bang this year with the Brooklyn premiere of Gary Beeber‘s latest documentary Dirty Martini and the New Burlesque, which chronicles the rise of the hot new burlesque trend in NYC and its most popular star, Dirty Martini. The film will also be preceded by two short films: The recently uncovered Museum of Wax by playwright Charles Ludlam and Jaye Cherian’s documentary Shape of the Shapeless.
This year the festival is also celebrating by hosting director Darren Aronofsky as their 2010 honoree. On Sept. 26, Aronofsky — who was born in South Brooklyn — will be present at a...
- 9/21/2010
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
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