Saturday, January 31st, 2009 09:15 pm
But doesn't this kinda invalidate this ?

EDIT: Not if the "original" aspects of the movie were stolen. Still, I would think the ABC article might at least mention the original short story.

In related news: "Speed racer" is a riot of colour, and I mean "riot" in the "violent smashing things" sense. Ow.
Saturday, January 31st, 2009 12:27 pm (UTC)
There's a missing ) at the end of your first link.
Saturday, January 31st, 2009 10:16 pm (UTC)
Hmmph. I put it there, but lj didn't recognise it as part of the link. I've edited the html to hopefully work now, thanks.
Saturday, January 31st, 2009 12:40 pm (UTC)
And in any case, the short story appears to have, as is so often the case, very little to do with the actual movie. (Basic concept - man deaging, and the name of the character)
Saturday, January 31st, 2009 04:38 pm (UTC)
As we all know, Benjamin Button is actually based on Forrest Gump :-)
Saturday, January 31st, 2009 10:17 pm (UTC)
Good point. I'd still expect the article to mention it's existence though.
Saturday, January 31st, 2009 12:47 pm (UTC)
I haven't seen the film or read the book, but assuming the adaptation takes some liberties, it would be very easy for the film to resemble a previously-existing screenplay that's entirely unrelated. Whether or not the woman has a case is a different matter - somebody files a claim like this every time a movie in America is successful.
Saturday, January 31st, 2009 02:37 pm (UTC)
I'm wondering on the possibilities then of a suit from the point of the original author on the moron trying to claim moneys now that a movie has been successfully made.

Now that would be funny :)
Saturday, January 31st, 2009 03:12 pm (UTC)
Original short story 1921. So that's out of copyright in USA. Though whether it was in 94 I don't know.
Saturday, January 31st, 2009 03:43 pm (UTC)
yeah, but one frivolous law suit deserves another to show them how stupid they are.

And I beleive it's at most 50 years copyright, so it would have been out of copyright in '71. Unless there was a renewal.

If there wasn't, then the story is public domain, and regardless of similarities to a '94 story of a similar nature, they can claim (and have) that the inspiration is the '21 story that may have been the inspiration of the '94 story also.

Yay for copyrights...
Sunday, February 1st, 2009 01:07 am (UTC)
There's always enough copyright to include 1928 because that's when Mickey Mouse was created.

Currently the Sonny Bono act extended copyright another 20 years, to 70 years after authors death, or 120 years for corporate ownership. This currently makes anything from 1923 on copyright, so long as a legitimate copyright existed in 1998 when the act was created.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonny_Bono_Copyright_Term_Extension_Act
Saturday, January 31st, 2009 10:22 pm (UTC)
Copyright arguments aside, I'm pretty sure F. Scott Fitzgerald is dead :)
Saturday, January 31st, 2009 11:40 pm (UTC)
Yes, I'm sure you're aware of that whole brain thing that doesn't work too good when not feeling 100%. Supplement 'author' with 'author's estate', as even if he died the day after publishing it, he still has copyright rights.
Monday, February 2nd, 2009 07:07 am (UTC)
Yeah, I get you, I was just being annoying :)
Saturday, January 31st, 2009 10:19 pm (UTC)
That's a very good point. Still, I think the original short story's existence is worth at least mentioning, if only to say those aspects of the story aren't what in dispute.
Saturday, January 31st, 2009 01:56 pm (UTC)
Speed Racer was purrrdy.

Speed and Trixie are also eye candy.
Saturday, January 31st, 2009 02:38 pm (UTC)
yes, but not for those suffering headaches or that are likely to get them from lots of brightness
Saturday, January 31st, 2009 10:20 pm (UTC)
If I hadn't have had had a headache I'm sure I would agree :)
Sunday, February 1st, 2009 01:23 am (UTC)
Agreed (though the headache-prone do have my sympathies). I personally found that the shaped bokeh in many scenes to be particularly fascinating.
Sunday, February 1st, 2009 06:15 am (UTC)
"An Italian office worker has claimed megalomania and believes somebody actually read a story she wrote in 1994"


I've just come up with the best way to make a living: write crap short stories on absolutely every topic I can think of, mail them off to hollywood, and then demand royalties for every movie made henceforth.
Monday, February 2nd, 2009 07:11 am (UTC)
PURE GENIUS :)
Saturday, January 31st, 2009 12:27 pm (UTC)
There's a missing ) at the end of your first link.
Saturday, January 31st, 2009 10:16 pm (UTC)
Hmmph. I put it there, but lj didn't recognise it as part of the link. I've edited the html to hopefully work now, thanks.
Saturday, January 31st, 2009 12:40 pm (UTC)
And in any case, the short story appears to have, as is so often the case, very little to do with the actual movie. (Basic concept - man deaging, and the name of the character)
Saturday, January 31st, 2009 04:38 pm (UTC)
As we all know, Benjamin Button is actually based on Forrest Gump :-)
Saturday, January 31st, 2009 10:17 pm (UTC)
Good point. I'd still expect the article to mention it's existence though.
Saturday, January 31st, 2009 12:47 pm (UTC)
I haven't seen the film or read the book, but assuming the adaptation takes some liberties, it would be very easy for the film to resemble a previously-existing screenplay that's entirely unrelated. Whether or not the woman has a case is a different matter - somebody files a claim like this every time a movie in America is successful.
Saturday, January 31st, 2009 02:37 pm (UTC)
I'm wondering on the possibilities then of a suit from the point of the original author on the moron trying to claim moneys now that a movie has been successfully made.

Now that would be funny :)
Saturday, January 31st, 2009 03:12 pm (UTC)
Original short story 1921. So that's out of copyright in USA. Though whether it was in 94 I don't know.
Saturday, January 31st, 2009 03:43 pm (UTC)
yeah, but one frivolous law suit deserves another to show them how stupid they are.

And I beleive it's at most 50 years copyright, so it would have been out of copyright in '71. Unless there was a renewal.

If there wasn't, then the story is public domain, and regardless of similarities to a '94 story of a similar nature, they can claim (and have) that the inspiration is the '21 story that may have been the inspiration of the '94 story also.

Yay for copyrights...
Sunday, February 1st, 2009 01:07 am (UTC)
There's always enough copyright to include 1928 because that's when Mickey Mouse was created.

Currently the Sonny Bono act extended copyright another 20 years, to 70 years after authors death, or 120 years for corporate ownership. This currently makes anything from 1923 on copyright, so long as a legitimate copyright existed in 1998 when the act was created.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonny_Bono_Copyright_Term_Extension_Act
Saturday, January 31st, 2009 10:22 pm (UTC)
Copyright arguments aside, I'm pretty sure F. Scott Fitzgerald is dead :)
Saturday, January 31st, 2009 11:40 pm (UTC)
Yes, I'm sure you're aware of that whole brain thing that doesn't work too good when not feeling 100%. Supplement 'author' with 'author's estate', as even if he died the day after publishing it, he still has copyright rights.
Monday, February 2nd, 2009 07:07 am (UTC)
Yeah, I get you, I was just being annoying :)
Saturday, January 31st, 2009 10:19 pm (UTC)
That's a very good point. Still, I think the original short story's existence is worth at least mentioning, if only to say those aspects of the story aren't what in dispute.
Saturday, January 31st, 2009 01:56 pm (UTC)
Speed Racer was purrrdy.

Speed and Trixie are also eye candy.
Saturday, January 31st, 2009 02:38 pm (UTC)
yes, but not for those suffering headaches or that are likely to get them from lots of brightness
Saturday, January 31st, 2009 10:20 pm (UTC)
If I hadn't have had had a headache I'm sure I would agree :)
Sunday, February 1st, 2009 01:23 am (UTC)
Agreed (though the headache-prone do have my sympathies). I personally found that the shaped bokeh in many scenes to be particularly fascinating.
Sunday, February 1st, 2009 06:15 am (UTC)
"An Italian office worker has claimed megalomania and believes somebody actually read a story she wrote in 1994"


I've just come up with the best way to make a living: write crap short stories on absolutely every topic I can think of, mail them off to hollywood, and then demand royalties for every movie made henceforth.
Monday, February 2nd, 2009 07:11 am (UTC)
PURE GENIUS :)