‘Top Gun’ author’s estate targets Paramount

The winners of a legal dogfight over “Top Gun: Maverick” will be decided by the finer details of US copyright law, finds Sarah Speight.

As “Top Gun: Maverick” skyrockets at the box office, with global sales exceeding $780 million at the time of writing, creator Paramount Pictures is facing a lawsuit taking aim at the film’s inspiration.

The family and heirs of writer Ehud Yonay, who authored an article on which the original 1986 “Top Gun” was based, are suing Paramount for copyright infringement.

Ehud Yonay’s lengthy story “Top Guns”, published in California magazine in May 1983, was based on the true stories of fighter pilots at a US military base called “Top Guns”.