Shaun Gray, cousin of Top Gun: Maverick screenwriter Eric Warren Singer, has issued proceedings against Paramount Pictures Corporation (“Paramount”) for alleged copyright infringement. Gray claims to have written ‘key scenes’ for the 2022 film, having been approached by members of the production team to work on the long-awaited sequel – but allegedly received no credit for his work nor his fair share of the film’s profits.
In his filing with a New York federal court, Gray is reportedly seeking, in the first instance, credit for his co-authorship of the screenplay, for his name to be included in future marketing and other works related to the film, and a share of profit from the film. If the Court does not grant that, Gray is pursuing a claim for copyright including an unspecified amount of damages.
Paramount offered a swift public response to Gray’s claim, describing it as “completely without merit’ and commenting that the company is “confident that a court will reject this claim”. Gray’s argument centres on the fact that, as he claims, he was never in the employ of Paramount and therefore retained copyright in the scenes he allegedly penned. It remains to be seen whether Gray will be successful in his claim.
This story showcases the importance of clearly establishing with whom copyright in a given work shall vest in a business relationship, as any uncertainty can give rise to disputes such as this one.
If you have any questions on the above, please do not hesitate to contact the team at McDaniels Law on 0191 281 4000 or legal@mcdanielslaw.com.
