In Brief:
- Miramax filed a lawsuit against Quentin Tarantino to stop him from selling “pulp fiction” NFTs.
- The lawsuit is on whether selling NFTs based on script excerpts is considered “publication” of the screenplay.
- Miramax claims breach of contract, copyrights, and trademarks.
On Tuesday, Miramax LLC filed a lawsuit against filmmaker Quentin Tarantino to stop him from selling non-fungible tokens (NFTs) tied to his hit 1994 film “Pulp Fiction.”
At a recent crypto-art convention in New York, Tarantino announced that the seven uncut scenes from his film “Pulp Fiction” will be released as NFTs. Tarantino said in a Nov. 2 announcement that “I’m excited to be presenting these exclusive scenes from ‘Pulp Fiction’ to fans.”
The idea is to sell NFTs based on extracts from Tarantino’s original handwritten script for the film, along with commentary. The NFT is marketed as “secret,” implying that only the owner will be able to see its contents.
However, the suit claims that Tarantino did not consult Miramax, which still owns the rights to the director’s 1994 film. Miramax’s lawyers have submitted a cease-and-desist letter in an attempt to halt the transaction, but Tarantino and his colleagues are pressing on.
Tarantino’s activities, according to Miramax, have hampered the studio’s plan to enter the market with “Pulp Fiction” NFTs.
Also, Miramax lawyer Bart Williams accused Tarantino’s team of a “deliberate, premeditated, short-term money grab” in a statement.
William further said, “this group chose to recklessly, greedily, and intentionally disregard the agreement that Quentin signed instead of following the clear legal and ethical approach of simply communicating with Miramax about his proposed ideas.”
Finally, he said by adding, “this one-off effort devalues the NFT rights to ‘Pulp Fiction,’ which Miramax intends to maximize through a strategic, comprehensive approach.”
The lawsuit appears to be over whether selling NFTs based on script excerpts is considered “publication” of the screenplay.
On this, Tarantino’s lawyer advised Miramax that Tarantino retained the right to publish his screenplay in the Miramax contract, which he is now exercising through the NFT sale, according to the lawsuit.
Because NFTs is a one-time sale and not analogous to the publication of a screenplay, Miramax claims ownership of the NFT rights currently. Miramax asked the court for damages and to block the director from violating its IP rights, among other things.
Claims of breach of contract, copyright infringement, trademark infringement, and unfair competition are included in the lawsuit.
