On Tuesday, January 19, 2016, a California federal judge was asked to dismiss a lawsuit against Twentieth Century Fox Film Company for stealing the idea of its tremendously popular “Empire” show from a real person. The suit was filed by a man named Ron Newt, who describes himself as a former gangster and pimp, and claims that Fox’s show infringes on his memoir, documentary, and screenplay, all of which detail his life in the music industry. The suit seeks $10 million in damages for copyright …
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Copyright Lawsuit Hits Top-Rated TV Show “Empire”
Ron Newt, author of “Bigger than Big,” filed suit in April against 20th Century Fox for breach of implied contract and copyright infringement. The poorly drafted summons and complaint was not taken seriously by Fox until it was recently amended by Newt’s new legal team. The amended complaint is now alleging $10 million in damages and has been edited sufficiently, to warrant a response from 20th Century Fox.
By way of background, Newt authored “Bigger than Big”, a book, screenplay and DVD documentary …
Continue ReadingRise and Fall of an Empire (Distribution, Inc.)
In the pilot episode of Fox’s smash-hit series Empire, Cookie Lyon, explaining why, after her release from jail, she’s returning to her husband Lucious Lyon’s fictional record label, Empire Entertainment, says simply: “I’m here to get what’s mine.” This is, of course, in reference to the formerly-jailed matriarch having taken the rap for Lucious to the tune of 17 years behind bars for drug-running while he built his music “empire.” Coincidentally, it also may sum up the thinking over the last couple of months …
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