Quentin Tarantino’s plans to produce NFTs based on Pulp Fiction have been dubbed a “deliberate, calculated, short-term money grab” by the film’s producing company.
Miramax has launched a lawsuit against director Quentin Tarantino, accusing him of copyright infringement for selling NFTs based on his smash 1994 film Pulp Fiction.
On Nov. 2, Tarantino announced he would be tokenizing seven uncut screenplay scenes for the critically-acclaimed film as nonfungible tokens in December 2021. The NFTs will be built on the Secret Network, a layer one blockchain.
Each of the tokens would feature “the uncut first handwritten scripts of “Pulp Fiction” and exclusive custom commentary from Tarantino, revealing secrets about the film and its creator.”
Miramax owns the rights to the director’s classic edition of Pulp Fiction. In the suit filed on 16 Nov in the Central District of California. it claimed that, “Tarantino kept his Pulp Fiction NFT plans secret,” and that the announcement has interfered with its own plans to mint Pulp Fiction NFTs.
“This one-off effort devalues the NFT rights to ‘Pulp Fiction,’ which Miramax intends to maximize through a strategic, comprehensive approach,” Miramax attorney Bart Williams wrote in a statement.
Williams also accused Tarantino’s team of a “deliberate, premeditated, short-term money grab.”
“This group chose to recklessly, greedily, and intentionally disregard the agreement that Quentin signed instead of following the clear legal and ethical approach of simply communicating with Miramax about his proposed ideas.”
The suit stated: “He made no efforts to contact Miramax prior to his coordinated press campaign, despite having what were likely extensive negotiations with third parties to develop and sell the NFTs.”
Tarantino’s lawyers believe that the Miramax contract gave him the right to publish his original script, which he is now exercising through the NFT sale.
NFTs, on the other hand, are a one-time sale, according to Miramax, and are not analogous to the publication of a screenplay. Claims of breach of contract, copyright infringement, trademark infringement, and unfair competition are included in the lawsuit. To stop the transaction, Miramax has sent Tarantino a cease and desist letter.
Pulp Fiction was produced by Miramax, which was co-founded by Harvey Weinstein and his brother Bob Weinstein, the disgraced film magnate. Harvey Weinstein was fired from the production firm in October 2017 after a litany of sexual misconduct allegations surfaced.
Several of Tarantino’s more commercially successful films, including Jackie Brown and Kill Bill: Volumes 1 and 2, were financed and co-produced by Miramax. Pulp Fiction was Miramax’s first big hit after Disney bought the company, generating over $213 million worldwide.
