Unshelved by Bill Barnes and Gene Ambaum
comic strip overdue media

Monday, May 25, 2015

Hmmm, I'd planned to go to this

Sherlock Holmes and the case of the contested copyright: Arthur Conan Doyle's estate launches legal battle over Hollywood film depicting detective during his retirement
Heirs to the literary rights of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle are suing Hollywood producers over a soon-to-be released blockbuster movie which follows Sherlock Holmes during his retirement.

The author's estate, which has been involved in several high-profile legal battles, has hit the director, distributor and studio behind the upcoming Mr. Holmes with a copyright complaint, claiming the plot infringes on the fictional stories written by Conan Doyle.

The estate now wants an array of damages from those behind the film, including Miramax studio, film distributor Roadside Attractions, and director Bill Condon, who previously directed Chicago and Dreamgirls.

The Conan Doyle estate even wants the movie - which stars Sir Ian McKellen as the fictional detective - to be stopped in its tracks. The film is due to be released in the UK and the U.S in July.

The lawsuit also accuses writer Mitch Cullin and Penguin Random House, which published the book on which the film is based, of infringing on copyright.

They say the book, A Slight Trick of the Mind, has striking similarities to one of Conan Doyle's final Sherlock tales.
Although much of Conan Doyle's work is now in public domain, the the final ten works are not, and it is upon these that the heirs claim much of the book and film infringe upon. I suspect there will be a settlement, but it may delay or even prevent the movie from coming out.

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