FOX Tries To Clamp “The Watchmen”

When it comes to Hollywood and its production companies and studios, we’re oblivious to the politics and practices involved like Europeans are with non-topless laws on beaches in the United States. So, when we heard FOX was fighting over copyright infringement against Warner Bros. over the production of “Watchmen”, we scoffed.

At the heart of Fox’s suit, filed in February, is the contention that it never ceded rights to the property. And according to the federal Judge Gary Allen Feess, Fox retained distribution rights to the graphic novel penned by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons through a 1991 claim. Furthermore, Feess appears to agree that under a 1994 turnaround deal with producer Larry Gordon, Gordon acquired an option to acquire Fox’s remaining interest in “Watchmen,” which was never exercised, thereby leaving Fox with its rights under the 1994 agreement.

And then we panicked.

“We will be asking the court to enforce Fox’s copyright interests in ‘The Watchmen’ and enjoin the release of the Warner Bros. film and any related ‘Watchmen’ media that violate our copyright interests in that property.”

And then cursed…loudly.

Surprisingly, Fox said it would rather see the film killed instead of collecting a percentage of the box office.

Oddly, the movie is already set to release Spring of 2009 (March 6), so could they possibly pull it altogether and leave us caressing the trailer, the only footage released, on our laptop screens? FOX will try and pull it…but we’ll say NO! Trailer below if you missed it before. [Ed: This version loads a lot faster.]


Fox’s ‘Watchmen’ lawsuit heats up [Variety]
Image [WB]