 | Massive "Thor" and "The Avengers" Spoilers!
Nov 26th, 2009 | | "Amityville Horror" is Getting Remade Again
Nov 26th, 2009 | | Warner Bros' Plan for the "Superman" Franchise
Nov 26th, 2009 | | Girl Lied About Getting Bitten During "New Moon"
Nov 26th, 2009 | | Jason Reitman Says His First Kiss Was in "Kindergarten Cop"
Nov 26th, 2009 | | Ryan Reynolds Talks "Deadpool" Spin-Off
Nov 26th, 2009 | | Ray Park's Terrible "King of Fighters" Promo Trailer
Nov 26th, 2009 | | First Photos from "The Losers" and "Jonah Hex"
Nov 26th, 2009 | | Original Faceman to Cameo in "The A-Team" Movie
Nov 26th, 2009 | | Brand New "Daybreakers" Trailer
Nov 26th, 2009 | | New "Wolfman" and "Book of Eli" Posters
Nov 26th, 2009 | | Extended Trailer for Jean-Claude Van Damme's "Eagle Path" Thriller
Nov 26th, 2009 | | Ben Kingsley to Build the Taj Mahal in "Taj"
Nov 26th, 2009 | | Jessica Alba to Star in "The Insiders" Comic Book Movie
Nov 26th, 2009 | | Stephen King is Writing a Sequel to "The Shining"
Nov 25th, 2009 | | Photo: How Freddy Krueger Will Look in "Nightmare on Elm Street" Remake
Nov 25th, 2009 | | No More Shrek Movies After "Shrek Forever After"
Nov 25th, 2009 | | Review: Ninja Assassin
Nov 25th, 2009 | | James Cameron Created a New Language for "Avatar"
Nov 25th, 2009 | | First "The Lovely Bones" Reviews are In
Nov 25th, 2009 | | Happy Gilmore Swing is Now Illegal in Canada
Nov 25th, 2009 | | Michael Cera's Funny "Youth in Revolt" Trailer
Nov 25th, 2009 | | Review: The Road
Nov 25th, 2009 | | First Look: Adrien Brody is a Tattooed, Crazy Drug Dealer in "High School"
Nov 25th, 2009 | | Wes Craven to Direct "Scream 4"
Nov 25th, 2009 | | Peter Jackson Says "The Hobbit" Script is Finished
Nov 25th, 2009 | | Director Says "Zombieland" Sequel Will be in 3D
Nov 25th, 2009 | | James McAvoy's "The Last Station" Trailer
Nov 25th, 2009 | | Review: Old Dogs
Nov 25th, 2009 | | Pervert Bites Teenage Girl on Neck During "New Moon" Showing
Nov 24th, 2009 | | The Asylum Releases Trailer for Their "Avatar" Rip-Off
Nov 24th, 2009 | | Empire Unveils Its "Iron Man 2" Magazine Cover
Nov 24th, 2009 | | Tobey Maguire on "Spider-Man 4" Villains
Nov 24th, 2009 |
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Universal Sues Lionsgate's "Witless Protection"Posted: April 24th, 2008 by WorstPreviews.com Staff
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Universal has filed a lawsuit against Lionsgate, claiming that the character, FBI agent Alonzo Mosely in "Witless Protection," is the same character that appeared in their 1988 hit "Midnight Run," starring Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin.
Both movies feature similar stories of a witness set to testify in criminal court against the mob. And in both movies, this witness winds up on the run, pursued by a short-tempered, humorless FBI agent name Alonzo Mosely.
What's interesting, is that the Mosely character is played by Yaphet Kotto in "Witless Protection" and "Midnight Run."
The complaint filed by Universal includes a harsh review of "Witless Protection" and claims that Lionsgate was previously warned with a cease-and-desist letter, regarding this particular matter. Now, the studio is seeking to impound and dispose of all copies of the film and it wants all the profits associated with it.
Character theft is a copyright violation, but several films have successfully gotten away with it, by claiming that they are not copying the character, but simply parodying. Let's see if Lionsgate goes down the same route.
On a side note: "Witless Protection," which stars Larry the Cable Guy, earned an embarrassing $4 million in worldwide ticket sales. I'm not sure how much Universal can get from a film that did that poorly.
Click here to read our "Witless Protection" review.
Read the official complaint
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
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