Daily Journal: Paramount Accuses ‘Top Gun’ Plaintiffs of Trying to Monopolize Historical Facts
November 30, 2022
Paramount Pictures argued in a brief that neither the original “Top Gun” movie, nor the sequel, “Top Gun: Maverick,” are by-products of a 1983 article written by Ehud Yoney that inspired the movies. “[F]actual information may not … form the basis for a copyright claim,” Paramount’s counsel Molly M. Lens wrote. Shosh Yonay and Yuval Yonay, the widow and son of the author, filed a lawsuit against Paramount claiming that “Top Gun: Maverick” infringed on the copyright of the article and that the production company never renewed its rights to the article. “By claiming that ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ infringes [Ehud] Yonay’s nonfiction article, the [plaintiff] Yonays impermissible seek to give themselves a monopoly over historical facts that are free to call creators,” the brief read. Paramount is represented by Lens, Daniel M. Petrocelli, and Kendall Turner of O’Melveny & Myers LLP.
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