Let's Talk About Inta-leck-chuwal Property!

AndyHilmer · January 17, 2019, 3:37am

Interesting list of anticipated movies for 2019, including Brightburn. This is not how copyright works:

Remember when that baby fell to earth from a dying planet — let’s call it “Krypton,” because why not? — and was found by a kindly couple in the heartland? Then it turned out he was an alien who had incredible strength, heat vision and could fly, which he employed in the name of truth, justice and the American Way™? James Gunn, the man responsible for Guardians of the Galaxy, asks a simple question: What if, instead, the kid grew up to be a sociopath? And decided that his extraordinary powers didn’t necessarily needed to be used for good? Why someone has not redone the Superman origin story as a horror flick until now is a mystery — except for, y’know, a few pesky copyright issues. But thankfully Gunn (in producer mode), his screenwriting brothers Brian and Mark, and director David Yarovesky seem to have found a way around that obstacle. DF

gadgetgirl · January 17, 2019, 3:48am

Isn’t that basically Bizarro?

More seriously, I know A. Conan Doyle’ descendants tried to argue that since some of the later Sherlock Holmes stories were still copyright-protected, it meant all of the stories were. Superman’s origin story has been retold recently. So yeah, there might be a copyright issue if the lawyers decide to work on it, which they would.

The question would be whether “but what if Superman broke bad” was considered transformative or parodic, or if it was just a ripoff.

Nonentity · January 17, 2019, 3:49am

Or, to some extent, Hancock…

super%20jerk%20shots

AndyHilmer · January 17, 2019, 4:02am

In the funny papers, everything’s been done.

Wisconsin_Platt · January 17, 2019, 4:08am

This guy walks into a bar on the top of a very tall building. He sits down, orders a huge beer, chugs it, walks over to the window, and jumps out. Five minutes later, the guy walks into the bar again, orders another huge beer, chugs it, walks over to the window, and jumps out again. Five minutes later, he re-appears and repeats the whole thing. About half an hour later, another guy at the bar stops the first guy and says, “hey, how the hell are you doing that?!” The first guy responds, “oh, it’s really simple physics. When you chug the beer, it makes you all warm inside and since warm air rises, if you just hold your breath you become lighter than air and float down to the sidewalk.” “WOW!” exclaims the second man, “I gotta try that!” So he orders a huge beer, chugs it, goes over to the window, jumps out, and splats on the sidewalk below. The bartender looks over to the first man and says, “Superman, you’re an asshole when you’re drunk.”

AndyHilmer · January 17, 2019, 4:31am

Doyle’s family/literary trust (or whatever) did indeed try to argue that, but they lost, I think summarily?.. when someone managed to tease them into court. Because it turned out that their whole case was based on no one being willing to test it. I’ll try to remember the details tomorrow.

jerwin · January 17, 2019, 5:34am

That verbiage is from this:

carry on.

AndyHilmer · January 17, 2019, 5:37am

Oh. Right. Thank you. Forgot to go back for the URL.