Spike Lee Wins €32 M Judgment vs French Media Giant TF1; Hidden Risks of Financing Auteur Filmmakers
On June 21 of this year, a French court awarded Spike Lee and associated plaintiffs a judgment against French media giant TF1 in the amount of €32 million which, at current conversion rates, is approximately US $43 million. The Court ruled that TF1 had wrongfully rejected delivery of Lee’s film Miracle At St. Anna (hereafter, […]
Ladd v Warner Bros. – Straight-Lining The Package
Straight-lining is the practice of allocating a license for a package of films equally across all films in the package. It may be fair and proper in some instances, or unfair and abusive in others. Producer Alan Ladd, Jr. is responsible (with others, of course) for such popular and even iconic motion pictures as Blade […]
Weinstein Co. vs Smokewood – Beware What You Argue, It May Come Back to Haunt You
The film Push was the big prizewinner at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. The Weinstein Company (TWC), after aggressive pursuit, thought they had a deal to distribute it. But when, instead, the film was sold to another film company, TWC brought a number of lawsuits, including one against the film’s financier (Weinstein Co. v. Smokewood […]