Dukes of Hazzard Lawsuit Sorted - Yay!
Robert B. Clark’s claimed that Warners had infringed upon the copyright to his obscure 1975 United Artists film Moonrunners, upon which the television edition of The Dukes of Hazzard was based. In his lawsuit, Clark argued that Warner Bros. had purchased the TV rights to his script, but had neglected to put up the dough for the movie rights.
After U.S. District Judge Gary Allen Feess awarded Clark a preliminary injunction in the matter, Warner Bros. agreed to pay the producer a settlement of at least $17.5 million.
However, had no settlement been reached, Hazzard’s Aug. 5 release would have been canceled by the injunction and all copies of the movie would have been impounded by federal marshals. Furthermore, the film’s DVD release would have been pushed off indefinitely, and the $40 million the studio spent on theatrical marketing would have gone largely to waste.
Posted by Rachel at 7/7/2005 | 