What is the NFT lawsuit The Pulp Fiction?

Quentin Tarantino is a trusted source of controversy about his film’s content but has recently caused a stir for a different reason. He is currently engaged in a heated argument with Miramax over his plans to auction NFTs based on his 1994 classic. Pulp Fiction. Both sides have legalized and with auctions coming up, things can get messy very quickly.

So this is how it all goes down.

On November 2, 2021, Tarantino announced plans to sell seven uncut scenes from Pulp Fiction as a non-fungible token (NFT). These will include his own handwritten scripts and will include his own audio commentary. NFTs are controversial for a variety of reasons, so this alone is causing something of a ruckus.

A week later, Miramax walked in. Production Studio Pulp Fiction and declares that Tarantino does not own the rights to his script. They quickly launched legal action, with their complaint alleging that:

“Tarantino’s conduct has compelled Miramax to bring this action against a valued associate to enforce, maintain, and protect its contractual and intellectual property rights relating to one of its electronic assets. Miramax’s most valuable and iconic image.”

And that:

“If left unchecked, Tarantino’s conduct could mislead others that Miramax was involved in his business, and it could also mislead others into believing that they have the right to pursue transactions or similar services, while in fact, Miramax holds the necessary rights to develop, market and sell NFTs in connection with its deep movie library. ”

Tarantino’s lawyers hit back, releasing a statement saying they were confident that “Tarantino acted within the scope of his ‘Reservation’, specifically his right to ‘publish a script’ with a plan NFT plan”.

The first Pulp Fiction NFT auctions are scheduled to begin next week, and a few days ago Miramax attorney Bart H. Williams said sent a letter warning of dire financial consequences for Tarantino if he continues:

“Despite Mr. Tarantino’s limited rights to script publishing, they do not authorize the production of unique NFTs relating to Miramax’s intellectual property, and his opposing views are the subject of a lawsuit. pending lawsuit… Your press release calls Mr. Tarantino a ‘never-before-seen handwritten script that ‘cannot yet become iconic’; or ‘fan favorite’, so it’s clear that you and Mr. Tarantino are trying to capitalize on Miramax’s content, intellectual property, and trademarks. “

And:

“Assuming that you (like Mr Tarantino) plan to continue the auction, please note that you are doing this at your own risk, including the risk that you will later owe the proceeds of any purchase. sold to Miramax with potential damages. We hope that you also inform potential buyers of the risks of purchasing these unauthorized NFTs, including the possibility that the buyer may have to return the NFT to Miramax and forfeit the price they paid for the NFTs. The NFT and the purchaser may be further liable in the event that they subsequently sell the NFTs illegally (including the possibility of statutory damages). ”

Tarantino’s attorney Bryan Freedman briefly responded:

“Quentin Tarantino’s contract is very clear: he has the right to sell the NFT of his handwritten script to Pulp Fiction and attempts to prevent him from doing so will fail. “

The first court date is scheduled for February 24 with a significant hearing due later in the year. Over the next few days, the big question will be whether Tarantino will blink. After all, he didn’t need the money, the prospect of having to pay heavy damages to Miramax was a real risk and NFT buyers finding that their sale was unauthorized could give him a headache. that he had to step back.

But, given what we know of his personality, I doubt he will change course. In December, he dismissed Miramax’s actions as “bluff” and hinted that it was all because the studio’s reputation had been ruined by Harvey Weinstein’s rape allegations.

Either way, we’ll know for sure on January 17th when Pulp Fiction NFTs continue to be sold, with the next auction running until January 27. Stay tuned for the fireworks.