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Harrison Barnes PLC filed a lawsuit in a U.S. District Court in Los Angeles on behalf of two screenwriters who spent substantial amounts of time, money, and effort creating, collecting, and distributing a screenplay which was copyrighted by the screenwriters through the Library of Congress and was also registered with the Writers Guild of America. Informant Media, Inc., through President/Executive Judy Cairo (known for her work as producer for Crazy Heart (2009), producer for Hysteria (2011), executive producer for Erased (2012) and producer for Stuck in Love (2012)) entered into a literary option purchase agreement with the screenwriters for the rights to their screenplay. Ultimately the option agreement was terminated pursuant to the agreement.
The screenwriters are informed and believed that Luis Mandoki (director and producer, known for directing When a Man Loves a Woman (1994), Message in a Bottle (1999), Angel Eyes (2001) and Innocent Voices (2004) was given access to their screenplay as part of his involvement with Informant Media, Inc. After reading the screenplay, Mandoki then developed a competing screenplay that was written on the same unique topic as their screenplay (the events that took place in Terezin concentration camp in World War II and the artistic revolution that took place there). The screenwriters are informed and believe that Mandoki and Cairo shopped around the “new†screenplay to various parties in the entertainment industry. Plaintiffs are also informed and believe that Athena Ashburn (who produced and starred in The Elevator (1996), garnered a “Best Supporting Actress” award at the New York Independent Film & Video Festival for her work in The Theory of the Leisure Class (2001) and co-produced Bobby (2006)) contributed to the screenwriters’ copyright being infringed on.
The lawsuit seeks damages of at least $1 million and an injunction preventing Informant Media, Inc., Cairo, Mandoki, and Ashburn from marketing any work or screenplay that is a derivative of the Plaintiffs’ copyrighted material, according to the complaint filed.
Harrison Barnes PLC attorneys have ample experience in entertainment law, as well as general litigation, employment law, release estate transactions and litigation, bankruptcy, divorce and family law and criminal law. Harrison Barnes PLC will continue to fiercely defend the rights of their clients, by filing lawsuits such as this matter for Copyright Infringement.
At Harrison Barnes PLC, the attorneys are proud of their work and of their contributions to their clients’ successes. A commitment to serving the client’s needs best while focusing on high quality of work has made this law firm among the preferred choice for litigation matters. “Facing a great opportunity or a major crisis, you need to trust the experience, creativity, and dedication we provide. We are proud to be lawyers,†Harrison Barnes.
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About Harrison Barnes PLC:
Harrison Barnes PLC is a Malibu-based law firm founded in 2004 by Andrew Harrison Barnes. It focuses on providing top quality representation to the Malibu community and has won millions of dollars for its clients over the last decade and has handled criminal matters across Southern California. You can get more details on Harrison Barnes PLC by calling 310.598.1719 or visiting https://www.harrisonbarnes.com.
