Universal Pictures & E.L. James Sue Porn Company For Copyright Infringement
Universal City Studios and Fifty Shades Ltd., which own the rights to the best-selling erotic novel “Fifty Shades of Grey” by E.L. James, are suing a pornography company for copyright infringement.
Smash Pictures produced the x-rated film titled “This Isn't Fifty Shades of Grey XXX: This is a Parody,” as a spoof of the novel. However, it is not a parody, but rather an adaptation, because the film uses text and dialog that is lifted word-for-word from the book, Tech Dirt reports.
The company also sells the Fifty Shades of Pleasure Play Kit that comes with the DVD in a box set.
Universal and Fifty Shades claim in their lawsuit that the movie is too true to the book to be called a parody.
"By lifting exact dialog, characters, events, story and style from the Fifty Shades trilogy, Smash Pictures ensured that the first XXX adaptation was, in fact, as close as possible to the original works," the suit reads.
"Beginning with the first XXX Adaptation's opening scene and continuing throughout the next 2½ hours of the film, Smash Pictures copies without reservation from the unique expressive elements of the Fifty Shades trilogy, progressing through the events of 'Fifty Shades of Grey' and into the second book, 'Fifty Shades Darker.' The first XXX adaptation is not a parody, and it does not comment on, criticize or ridicule the originals. It is a rip-off, plain and simple."
According to Celebrity Gossip, Universal City Studios and Fifty Shades Ltd. are suing for “all profits from the products along with monetary damages and an injunction against further sales.”
Smash Pictures executives told L.A. Weekly the aim of their film is to put “the kinky fantasies that you only imagined into vivid color.” They added that they expected it to be their biggest film to date.
The company also plans to release parodies of the other books in the “Fifty Shades of Grey" trilogy, “Fifty Shades Darker” and “Fifty Shades Freed.”
“This Isn't Fifty Shades Darker II” is scheduled to be released on Jan. 10, 2013.
Many sources have questioned how valid the suit is, as “Fifty Shades of Grey” was itself adapted from the popular “Twilight” trilogy, and it was first written as a fan fiction, using characters and depictions from the already published series.
According to Tech Dirt, the book has been compared to “Twilight” with a plagiarism checker and was found to be 89 percent similar to the book from which it originated.
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