Film & TV
Paramount Sued Over ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Copyright Infringement
Paramount Pictures jetted off with a successful opening weekend for Top Gun: Maverick.
Tom Cruise returned for the Top Gun sequel after 30 years to reprise his character Lt. Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell and with the first 10 days since the release stacking over $500 million globally, it’s safe to say Paramount has released this years biggest box office thus far.
In 1983, a writer called Ehud Yonay published an article about fighter pilots in the Navy, and by 1986, Paramount had sealed a deal for the copyright of the story and released the first instalment of Top Gun. The exclusive ownership was for 35 years, and in January 2020, Yonay‘s son and widow allegedly sent Paramount a termination notice of the film studio’s rights.
In family lawsuit against Paramount, they claim that the second film wasn’t finalised until May 2021, and they say that it still includes elements of Ehud‘s story. An injunction to prevent Paramount from continuing to infringe on their rights has been filed which also demands damages are to be paid.
