Judge Says Fox Owns Rights To "Watchmen"

According to The New York Times, U.S. District Court judge Gary Feess has issued a ruling that Fox has a copyright stake in the upcoming "Watchmen" movie.

The film was co-produced by Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures. Fox has been trying to prevent Warner Bros. from releasing the movie.

At an earlier hearing, the judge said he believed that issues in the case could be settled only at a trial, which was scheduled for late January. Last week, however, Judge Feess said he had reconsidered and concluded that Fox should prevail on crucial issues.

"Fox owns a copyright interest consisting of, at the very least, the right to distribute the 'Watchmen' motion picture," Judge Feess said in the ruling.

Fox picked up to the rights to the "Watchmen" graphic novel in the 1980s with Lawrence Gordon on board as producer, but the plan was eventually dropped. Gordon later pursued the project with Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures.

Judge Feess advised both Fox and Warner to look toward a settlement or an appeal. “The parties may wish to turn their efforts from preparing for trial to negotiating a resolution of this dispute or positioning the case for review,” he said.

Source: The New York Times


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