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17 November 2017Copyright

Disney sued by screenwriters over ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ script

The Walt Disney Company has been sued for copyright infringement by two screenwriters who claimed the company used a script they submitted for the “Pirates of the Caribbean” films without permission.

The complaint was filed at the US District Court for the District of Colorado on Tuesday, November 14.

Lee Alfred and Ezequiel Martinez claimed they were living “every young screenwriter’s dream” by working with Disney on the screenplay for a separate project, “Red Hood”, in 1999.

From October 1999 to October 2000, both Alfred and Martinez worked with the defendant’s creative team on “Red Hood”, the complaint stated.

During this time, in August 2000, the trio alleged they then submitted a screenplay for the “Pirates of the Caribbean”, unrelated to “Red Hood”, through their producer.

The complaint stated that the plaintiffs met producers from Disney to discuss “Red Hood”, but during the meeting, they saw a copy of the work they had submitted for the “Pirates of the Caribbean”.

The writers noticed “their script and artwork on a coffee table” in an office, after asking whether they would be discussing the “Pirates of the Caribbean” project, “they were quickly ushered out of the office”.

“When they returned to the office, a short time later, all materials that had been on the coffee table had been moved and the meeting ended abruptly,” the complaint added.

The writers are seeking injunctive relief, damages, a jury trial and attorneys’ fees to compensate for the damages and harm caused.

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