Copyrights are a complicated business.
The unmitigated box office success of Top Gun: Maverick is one of the best stories of the year. The movie has crossed $300 million domestically and has driven people back to the theaters. Insiders are talking about whether or not it could even receive Oscar nominations.
But behind closed doors, a legal case is mounting. One that is actually very interesting. You see, the first Top Gun was based on a 1983 magazine article by the late Ehud Yonay. The rights were secured to make the movie. But after a 30-plus-year hiatus between the first movie and its sequel, Yonay’s heirs filed for termination rights. This happened just before Maverick‘s production. So Yonay’s heirs claim Top Gun: Maverick was made without securing the rights to the story that inspired it.
Did you follow all that? It’s a little complicated, and lawyers are trying to sort out exactly what it means right now.
Author: Jason Hellerman
This article comes from No Film School and can be read on the original site.
