A judge decided that the movie Top Gun: Maverick didn’t illegally copy ideas from a magazine article called Top Guns, which was the inspiration behind the first Top Gun movie made in 1986. Paramount Pictures, the company behind the movies, had originally bought the rights to the article from the writer, Ehud Yonay, in 1983.
However, when they made the sequel in 2022, they didn’t get the rights again from Yonay’s family, who now owned them. Despite this, the movie was a big hit, making $1.5 billion.
Yonay’s family said the new movie used ideas from his article without permission. But the judge, Percy Anderson, said the parts of the movie they were talking about, like fighter pilots doing certain actions, are common scenes that aren’t protected by copyright laws.
Paramount was happy with this outcome. They said the lawsuit didn’t have a strong basis. On the other side, Yonay’s family’s lawyer, Marc Toberoff, disagreed and plans to challenge the decision. He mentioned that Paramount was quick to secure the rights to the article back in the 1980s because of its unique story. But now, they seem to dismiss the importance of copyright, according to Toberoff.
The judge pointed out that the article was factual, covering real events and people, so it doesn’t get the same copyright protection as fictional works. He also noted many differences between the sequel and the article, including the storyline and characters, saying they’re not very similar.
Additionally, the judge decided that Paramount didn’t need to credit Yonay in the sequel because the agreement for the first movie didn’t apply to the new one.
Experts had different views on the influence of Yonay’s article on the Top Gun movies. Henry Bean, a screenwriter, thought the movies owed a lot to the article. In contrast, Andrew Craig, a former Top Gun instructor, said the article just described real life at the Top Gun school, which means it’s factual rather than a creative story.
Judge Rejects ‘Top Gun’ Copyright Claim From Author’s Heirs https://t.co/3wnZ9TgR1w via @variety#TopGunMaverick #TopGun
— Movieland (@InMovieland) April 8, 2024
The judge found Craig’s input more relevant, dismissing Bean’s analysis as subjective. This decision means Top Gun: Maverick was judged not to have infringed on Yonay’s copyright, despite the family’s claims. Source
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