Sydney tribute film faces legal action from owner of Paris Je T’aime
Tropfest founder John Polson and collaborator Gary Hamilton have been accused of copyright infringement in their project to create a film about Sydney through a series of vignettes.
Emmanuel Benbihy, the creator of the similarly structured Paris Je T’aime, has been to court in France, claiming copyright and trademark infringement over Sydney Unplugged. He has won an order of seizure which orders the release of documents relating to the project.
Polson and Hamilton, who is MD of Sydney-based production company Arclight Films, were this week believed to be in Cannes attempting to sell rights to the film.
In 2006 Benbihy produced Paris Je T’aime, his first in a series of feature films based on vignettes compiled by different directors and set in a particular city. It was followed by New York, I Love You.
Australia’s copyright infringement should appeal in the push into the Chinese market 🙂
Can that be copyrighted?
I didn’t think you could copyright an idea. he’d just have to make sure it avoids some of the formulaic aspects of the franchise, I would have thought.
The line between homage and plagiarism remains one of perception.
I’m off to copyright Oranges as a prelude to death.
Then copyright: a fucking big shark; a man in military uniform; a film that features real people instead of actors (I’ll rename it cockumentary); sexual encounters between bored housewives and cabana boys.
Then I’ll look up copyright in the dictionary.