Film Lawsuits

Thinking of shooting your film without a script clearance report and errors & omissions insurance? You may be inviting a film lawsuit.

Thinking of shooting your film without a script clearance report and errors & omissions insurance? You may be inviting a film lawsuit. These articles describe film lawsuits involving intellectual property, copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity, defamation, rights and permissions, etc. Note that some of these earlier cases have since been resolved or updated. All links open in a new window or tab.

No sponsorship or endorsement with regard to sites linked to is intended or implied. IndieClear did not perform script clearance for any of these projects and was not a party to any film lawsuit.

2024 FILM LAWSUITS

- - - - A Criminal Case Behind Him, Alec Baldwin Must Navigate ‘Rust’ Lawsuits

2023 FILM LAWSUITS

2022 FILM LAWSUITS

2021 FILM LAWSUITS

2020 FILM LAWSUITS

2019 FILM LAWSUITS

2018 FILM LAWSUITS

2017 FILM LAWSUITS

Warner Bros. Settles $900M Lawsuit Over ‘The Conjuring

2016 FILM LAWSUITS

Appeals Court Upholds Warner Bros.’ Legal Victory Over ‘Gone With the Wind’ Merchandise
We Shall Overcome copyright may be overcome one day. (music clearance)
Disney, Marvel, Lucasfilm sue company offering costumed characters. (copyrighted characters)
Princess Cruises faces lawsuit over Barry Manilow concert broadcasts. (music clearance)
Judge rejects film producer’s bid to have Buck Rogers character declared in public domain . (public domain)
Dancing Baby appeals court decision stands minus the fair use algorithms. (music clearance)
Lionsgate falls flat in Dirty Dancing ad spoof lawsuit. (Dirty Dancing)
Paramount claims crowdfunded Star Trek film infringes copyright to Klingon language. (copyright)
Will 50 Cent get in trouble with the U.S. Secret Service for using fake cash? (prop currency)
Former N.W.A. manager seeks to save Straight Outta Compton lawsuit. (Straight Outta Compton)
Who Owns Tattoos? (image rights)
Warner Music pays $14 million to end Happy Birthday copyright lawsuit. (music clearance)
Fox keeps Empire series title after beating hip-hop record label in court. (title clearance)
Videogame maker sued for copyright infringement over LeBron James’ tattoos. (NBA 2K)
Viacom sues Krusty Krab Restaurant for violating SpongeBob rights. (Spongebob Squarepants)
Rand Paul receives legal threat over music in ad slamming Marco Rubio. (music clearance)
Darlene Love sues Google for using her singing voice in smartphone ad. (music clearance)
Mike Huckabee tries Religious Assembly defense in Eye of the Tiger copyright suit. (music clearance)
Picture this: Monkey see, monkey can’t sue. (image rights)

2015 FILM LAWSUITS

Quentin Tarantino Sued Over ‘Django Unchained’ Alleged Copyright Infringement
Star Trek crowdfunded film’s producers sued by CBS, Paramount. (Axanar)
The Weeknd hit with copyright lawsuit over The Hills. (music clearance)
Netflix sued for streaming Bicycle Thieves without copyright. (Bicycle Thieves)
John Carpenter sues Luc Besson for plagiarism, actually wins. (Lockout; Escape From New York)
Mr. Holmes copyright lawsuit settled. (Mr. Holmes)
Paramount almost beats Wolf Of Wall Street defamation lawsuit. (Wolf Of Wall Street)
Drake wins libel lawsuit against concert film distributors. (Drake’s Homecoming: The Lost Footage)
All the Happy Birthday song copyright claims are invalid, federal judge rules. (Happy Birthday)
Aretha Franklin files lawsuit to stop Amazing Grace film festival screening. (Amazing Grace)
Film producer wants Buck Rogers character declared in public domain. (Armageddon 2419 A.D.)
Filmmakers fighting Happy Birthday copyright find their smoking gun. (music clearance)
TV biopic of surfing family threatened in life rights lawsuit . (life rights)
Arthur Conan Doyle Estate Sues Bill Condon & Distributors. (Mr. Holmes)
Zorro trademark declared invalid in Europe. (title trademark)
Lionsgate sues over Dirty Dancing ad spoof. (Dirty Dancing)
Pain & Gain movie-makers, star Mark Wahlberg face Miami lawsuit. (Pain & Gain)
Musicians Union slaps studios with lawsuit over reuse of film tunes. (music clearance)
Rockstar Games files lawsuit against the BBC for Grand Theft Auto film. (Game Changer)
Anne Hathaway lizard film under Godzilla attack in new lawsuit. (Colossal)
Disney loses second attempt to beat Frozen lawsuit. (The Snowman)
Star Wars lawsuits: who has Lucasfilm sued and why? (Star Wars)
Family loses lawsuit over photos taken in their home without consent. (privacy rights)
Bruce Lee estate sues to block Ip Man 3 producers from recreating the Dragon. (image rights)
Judge rules Three’s Company parody play to be fair use. (parody)
Robin Williams restricted exploitation of his image for 25 years after death. (privacy rights)
Fox sues to keep Empire as title of hit series. (title rights)
CBS sued over Hawaii Five-O theme by composer’s family. (music rights)
Oscars: A guide to Best Picture intellectual property litigation. (intellectual property)
Lawsuit looming over Power Rangers short film. (a Film by joseph Kahn)
Disney sued by music festival Tomorrowland over movie Tomorrowland. (title rights)

2014 FILM LAWSUITS

Sony faces K-Pop lawsuit over unlicensed song in The Interview. (The Interview)
The legal battle behind Bond’s Blofeld. (character rights)
Dramatists use Shakespeare in effort to protect Three’s Company parody. (parody)
Grand Theft Auto maker fires back at Lindsay Lohan’s publicity lawsuit. (publicity rights)
ABC sued for airing man’s death on NY Med. (privacy rights)
American Hustle sparks $1 million libel lawsuit by former New Yorker writer. (libel, slander, defamation, false light)
Is banned art-film Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story the weirdest music movie ever made? (music rights)
YouTube star Michelle Phan sued over copyright breach. (music rights)
Sony’s Adam Sandler Candy Land film threatened in lawsuit. (character rights)
Fox’s Glee in peril in UK after trademark ruling. (trademark)

2013 FILM LAWSUITS

Fox & James Cameron Slapped With $50M ‘Avatar’ Copyright Suit By Album Cover Artist
Christian Bale film Out of the Furnace sued by Native American tribe. (Out of the Furnace)
Disney files trademark lawsuit over Frozen Land film. (title rights)
The Photographer litigation against SyFy/NBC. (Heroes of Cosplay)
Harvey Weinstein and the battling “Butler”s. (The Butler)
Sony Pictures wins lawsuit over Faulkner quote. (Midnight In Paris)
Movies That Shared a Title Without Anyone Suing About It. (title report)
The Duffy buck stops here, Bank of Canada decides. (currency depiction)
Nobody’s Dead Anymore: Marketing Deceased Celebrities. (celebrity image licensing)
How Star Wars nerds sold Lucasfilm to Disney. (copyright)
Warner Bros. wins lawsuit over fictional technology. (Dark Knight Rises)
Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Public Domain. (public domain)
Jersey Boys producers free to use copyrighted Ed Sullivan Show clip. (clip licensing)
Suit says Sherlock belongs to the ages. (public domain)
Porn Lawsuit: Filmmakers claim erotic novel is public domain. (50 Shades Of Grey)
Ex-Model, 79, sues over appearance in Mad Men title sequence. (image licensing)
Book editor vs. Doyle estate: Is Sherlock Holmes still in copyright? (public domain)
Warner Bros. wins lawsuit against maker of Batmobile. (copyrighted character)

2012 FILM LAWSUITS

Anheuser-Busch Seeks to Remove Trademark from “Flight”
Hollywood’s fight over trademarks. (trademark)
Legal trouble over Ray Romano’s character name on Parenthood. (character names)
Sony sued over William Faulkner quote. (Midnight In Paris)
Actress in anti-Islamic film files lawsuit against filmmaker and YouTube. (Innocence of Muslims)
Syfy sued over skull design in Dream Machines. (Dream Machines)
Marvel sued by luggage company over The Avengers box set packaging. (The Avengers)
Lawsuit against Bravo’s Million Dollar Decorators. (Million Dollar Decorators)
Jimi Hendrix biopic won’t have guitarist’s music in it. (music rights)
Bogart ‘Casablanca’ photo on Facebook prompts lawsuit against Burberry. (image licensing)
Hells Angels sue MTV for using membership insignia. (Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory)
Woman in Belvedere ‘rape’ ad sues vodka company. (image licensing)
Louis Vuitton lawsuit over Hangover II handbag. (Hangover II)
JWoww’s landlord sues over use of home in Jersey Shore. (Jersey Shore)
Game ordered to pay $5 million to North Carolina police. (Stop Snitchin,Stop Lyin)
Lawsuit dismissed over virtual furniture on HGTV’s Selling New York. (Selling New York)

2011 FILM LAWSUITS

Warner Bros. settles Baby It’s You lawsuit. (Baby It’s You)
Iraq War vet must pay $187,000 in failed lawsuit against Hurt Locker. (The Hurt Locker)
How fact-checking hurt documentary maker fighting defamation lawsuit. (The Price Of Sugar)
Bob Marley’s family sues half-brother over using singer’s name and likeness. (trademark)
Man sues Russell Crowe film over use of his image. (The Next Three Days)
Nun sues Disney for stealing Sister Act. (Sister Act)
Kidnapper moves to block release of Heineken abduction film. (The Heineken Kidnapping)
MTV star sues HBO over Johnny Bananas in Entourage. (Entourage)
Famed Nigerian author wins legal battle against 50 Cent. (Things Fall Apart)
Lionsgate sued over music used in LeBron James documentary. (More Than A Game)
Elvis Presley estate sues to recover ringtone revenue. (music clearance)
Green Day defeats legal claim over concert video backdrop. (artwork clearance)
Lucas loses Star Wars copyright case at Supreme Court. (Star Wars)
Church of God sues Sony Pictures and Comcast for copyright infringement. (Salvation Boulevard)
Drew Peterson threatens lawsuit to stop Lifetime TV movie. (life rights)
Artist at center of Oscar-nominated documentary loses copyright case. (Exit From The Gift Shop)
On Tyson’s face, It’s art. On film, a legal issue. (The Hangover Part II)
Hold the phone: that fake number works. (onscreen phone numbers)
Marilyn Monroe deal flirts with $50M figure. (image rights)

2010 FILM LAWSUITS

What’s in a name? (publicity rights)
The Social Network mystery: Where are the lawsuits? (The Social Network)
Labels try to catch porn industry with pants down. (music rights)
Businesswoman bombarded with calls, texts after mobile number shown on EastEnders. (EastEnders)
Rights deal killed Danny DeVito’s Crazy Eddie movie. (life rights)
Branding deals come early in filmmaking process. (product placement)
The secret legal battle behind The Runaways. (The Runaways)
Former model sues Couples Retreat for using sexy photo. (Couples Retreat)
When can you sue a filmmaker for defamation? (The Hurt Locker)
The Case of Sherlock Holmes and the Lost Public Domain. (public domain)
Fair Use and films. (RIP:A Remix Manifesto, Copyright Criminals)
Nintendo shuts down Zelda fan-made film. (The Hero Of Time)
Eddie Vedder in jam over song lyrics. (Into The Wild)

2009 FILM LAWSUITS

Jim Brown’s Madden Lawsuit Sacked. (image rights)
Biopics bring peril, pitfalls. (life rights)
Judge tosses Pooh copyright claims against Disney. (Winnie the Pooh)
Palestinian ‘terrorist in Bruno’ plans to sue over film. (Bruno)
Dole Food accuses Bananas! filmmaker of slander, libel. (Bananas!)
Rights to Lennon film is Ono’s. (copyright)
DVDs’ Fugitive Music. (music clearance)
Warner Bros. bullying Bollywood. (Action Replay, Benjamin Button)
Sacha Baron Cohen wins da Ali G defamation case. (Ali G)
Protecting Brando’s legacy. (trademarked name)
Watchmen chock full ‘o more litigation. (Watchmen)
The Fine Art of Copyright. (image rights)
Owner of `Wish Upon a Star’ song loses Fox lawsuit. (Family Guy)
German filmmakers await court decision. (The Baader Meinhof Complex)

2008 FILM LAWSUITS

How copyright restrictions suppress indie film art. (Sita Sings The Blues)
Warner Bros. Wins Marshall Suit. (We Are Marshall, Ashes To Glory)
Jim Brown sues EA, Sony over Madden. (image rights)
Mediaset sues YouTube, Google. (illegal distribution)
Yoko Ono loses bid to bar film use of Imagine. (Expelled)
Scandalous origins of Martin Scorcese’s After Hours. (After Hours)
Lucas sues over stormtrooper outfits. (Star Wars)
Steve McQueen kin fight unwanted image use. (image rights)
Cartoonist to sue over Islam film. (Fitna)
Oakley sues over Fantastic Four sunglasses promotion. (Fantastic Four)
Lennon documentary blocked by Ono. (Three Days In The Life)
Bollywood’s copycat film industry. (Hitch, Mickey Blue Eyes)
Spurlock hit with Supersize lawsuit. (Supersize Me)
Drug agents sue NBC Universal over American Gangster. (American Gangster)
Col. Sanders hating horror. (Kentucky Fried Horror Show)

2007 FILM LAWSUITS

Warhammer 40,000 fan film unreleasable. (Damnatus)
Tarzan’s yell must be written in music for trademark registration. (Tarzan)
Law decides who owns dead star’s image. (image rights)
Sex writer sues porn actress over name. (Violet Blue)
Borat dinner party lawsuit. (Borat)
Family Guy Wishes Upon a Lawsuit. (Family Guy, Pinocchio)
Court sides with Disney in Pooh case. (Winnie the Pooh)
Teen sues over XXX-Video debut. (Body Magic)
Borat sued yet again. (Borat)
Jay-Z and Damon Dash slapped with lawsuit. (State Property)
Ghost Rider creator sues over copyright. (Ghost Rider)
Comedian Burnett sues Family Guy. (Family Guy)
Ninja kitten band win Coke battle. (7 Seconds Of Love)
Dylan threatens action over Sedgwick biopic. (Factory Girl)

2006 FILM LAWSUITS

Lawsuit against Michael Moore fails. (Fahrenheit 9/11)
Evel Knievel sues over video. (Touch The Sky music video)
Tom Brady blitzes Yahoo! (image rights)
Classic docs sent back to the vault. (image rights)
Philip Morris asks to cut cigarette use in movies. (product placement)
Frat boys are first Borat victims to sue. (Borat)
A mangled hand, a Heroes suit, and NBC. (Heroes)
Weezer: The Beer Lawsuit . (Miller Light ad, Weezer)
Fleming estate owns movie rights to children’s book. (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang)
Stallone settles Rocky films lawsuit. (Rocky)
YouTube Star Wars parodies can stay. (Star Wars)
Court rules against Sharapova in documentary suit. (Anna’s Army/Russian Women’s Tennis)
Paramount sues over hijacked WTC film. (World Trade Center)
Battling the copyright monster. (fair use)
Cartoonist watches million-dollar success of idea similar to her own. (Over The Hedge)
Armless soldier sues Moore for using his image in anti-war film. (Fahrenheit 9/11)
Intellectual Property run amok. (intellectual property)
Hells Angels sue Disney over film. (Wild Hogs)
The Promise director calls parody immoral. (A Murder Sparked By A Chinese Bun)
Spamalot producers sued by model. (Monty Python and the Holy Grail)

2005 FILM LAWSUITS

Ivy Supersonic gets naked in battle with Fox. (Ice Age)
Cash rescues Eyes On The Prize. (Eyes On The Prize)
Roberts film musicians win payout. (Mona Lisa Smile)
Pryor Bustin’ Loose with Lawsuit. (Uncle Tom’s Fairy Tales)
Warner Bros. settles Dukes Of Hazzard lawsuit. (Dukes Of Hazzard)
Can you say anything about the dead? (libel lawsuits)
Music muffled in Star Wars game. (Star Wars game)
A Super Size lawsuit. (Super Size Me)
Double trouble. (title reports)
Secret Garden. (The Garden documentary)
Bleary days for Eyes On The Prize. (Eyes On The Prize)
Spoof suicide bomber ad sparks global row. (Volkswagen Polo ad)

2004 FILM LAWSUITS

DiCaprio and Maguire sued over ‘blocked’ early film. (Don’s Plum)
Brando’s estate takes action to protect his image. (celebrity image licensing)
Sick kids vs. Disney in Peter Pan dustup. (Peter Pan)
Linklater ‘Dazed’ by lawsuit. (Dazed and Confused)
Defeat for teacher who sued over film profits. (Etre Et Avoir documentary)
Same title irks original makers of Crash. (Crash)
$2.4 million judgment against Timex overturned. (PaddleQuest)
JibJab is free for you and me. (This Land Is Your Land music copyright)
Director fights for Imelda movie. (Imelda documentary)
Family sue Disney over Lion song. (The Lion King)
The ultimate game of endorsement. (product placement)
Tobacco makers want cigarettes cut from films. (product placement)
Ramones documentary unreleasable. (End Of The Century documentary)
Madonna pays up to settle copyright claim. (Hollywood music video)
Eminem sues Apple, MTV over iTunes ad. (8 Mile music lawsuit)
Cat settles spat over Disney movie. (George Of The Jungle 2)
French author loses Nemo battle. (Finding Nemo)

2003 FILM LAWSUITS

‘Nude scene’ actress sues rapper. (Doggy Fizzle Televizzle)
Hercules and Xena ghostwriter composer awarded copyright. (Hercules; Xena)
Ex-boxer Wepner sues Stallone for cut of ‘Rocky’ profits. (Rocky)
Court orders new story and play credit for “Die Mommie Die!” (Die Mommie Die!)
Michael Moore sued over anti-gun movie. (Bowling For Columbine)
Judge refuses Caterpillar request on Disney DVD. (George Of The Jungle 2)
Disney accused of ‘evil bulldozer’ slur. (George Of The Jungle 2)
French film star teacher sues. (Etre Et Avoir documentary)
Whose life is it anyway? (Etre Et Avoir documentary)
Madonna sued for ‘Hollywood’ pose. (Hollywood music video)
Studio sued over superhero movie. (The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen)
Judge rules for Kelley, CBS. (Brotherhood of Poland, New Hampshire)
N.H. Filmmaker Sues CBS over New Show. (Brotherhood of Poland, New Hampshire)
Granny socks Eminem, Dre with sampling suit. (Getting Straight, Guilty Conscience song)
Little Havana cigar maker says P.Diddy exposed trade secret. (Bad Boys II)
Can Wham-O sue over ‘Dickie Roberts’? (Dickie Roberts)
IGT embroiled in ‘Munsters’ licensing suit. (The Munsters)
Mewes balks at biography film. (Rock Bottom)
Indian TV soap back on air. (Karishma: A Woman Of Substance)
Clucking Mad over ‘Chicken Run’. (Chicken Run)
Court rules against 20th Century Fox. (Campaigns In Europe)
Bruce Almighty viewers should stop calling God. (Bruce Almighty)
Mr. T sues Best Buy over ‘foolish’ ads. (Rocky III)
Is Bollywood unlawfully copying Hollywood? (Bollywood plagiarism)
Man claims ‘Idol’ was his idea, sues Fox. (American Idol)
Filmmaker may sue Evans, Carter to stay in the picture. (The Kid Stays In The Picture)
Paramount says J.Lo video lifts from “Flashdance”. (Flashdance)
White Stripes may face lawsuit for ‘Citizen Kane’-inspired song. (Citizen Kane)
Art for ad’s sake is a copyright fight. (The Way Things Are)
Rush of Pitches Raises Copyright Concerns.
Orson Welles’ daughter sues over ‘Citizen Kane’ rights. (Citizen Kane)
Studio copyright battles worthy of Hollywood script.

2002 FILM LAWSUITS

Over Nine Billion Dead Served threatened with lawsuit. (Over Nine Billion Dead Served)
Judge sides with No Limit Films in copyright suit. (I Got The Hook Up)
‘Blair Witch’ actors sue film’s distributor. (The Blair Witch Project)
Besson’s Big Blue finally opens in Italy. (The Big Blue)
Burning Man gets hot over steamy videos. (Burning Man festival)
Pilot sues over Bosnian escape movie.(Behind Enemy Lines)
Connie Francis vs. Universal Music Corp. (Postcards From America)
Where there’s life in Hollywood, there’s a biopic. And a lawsuit. (Biopic lawsuits)

2001 FILM LAWSUITS

Romania has no stake in Dracula. (Dracula)
Real-life Jack sues Will & Grace. (Will & Grace)

2000 FILM LAWSUITS

I Have a Copyright: The Problem With MLK’s Speech. (clip clearance)
Mitnick movie spurs suit. (Cybertraque)