Quote:
Originally Posted by Sil_liS
But after his initial agreement with Paramount he co-wrote the screenplay and another book. Did he need Paramount's permission to write The Sicilian?
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I don't know, and don't care. Since there was no dispute over it, it's not relevant.
Puzo and Coppola co-wrote the screenplays, thus they hold the copyrights to the screenplays, unless part of the deal they signed includes a transfer of those copyrights to Paramount. They were not employees or independent contractors, they were not script doctors, and they were not writing secondary texts such as PR copy for the films.
The only thing that matters is the contracts Puzo signed with Paramount, and whether it includes the rights as they describe it. It's up to a court to figure that bit out.
This is not about author's rights; the author is dead. This is not about the injustices of copyright; the Puzo estate is not contesting royalties. This is not about upholding any legacies; the Puzo estate's recent books are apparently substandard in quality. It's not about copyright length; once copyright is terminated, no one -- including the estate -- has control, as it will be in public domain.
It's just a contract dispute.