IN a Nov 2 press release, director Quentin Tarantino excitedly announced that he would be selling NFTs based on exclusive scenes from Pulp Fiction’s screenplay to fans.
But on Tuesday, Miramax filed a lawsuit on against Tarantino, accusing him of copyright infringement by selling the film’s NFTs.
Tarantino announced the sale at a recent crypto-art convention in New York.
The plan is to auction off NFT – non-fungible tokens – based on excerpts from Tarantino’s original handwritten script for the film, accompanied by commentary.
The NFT is pitched as “secret,” meaning that its contents will be viewable exclusively by the owner.
According to the suit by Miramax, Tarantino did not consult the company beforehand, as Miramax still owns the rights to the director’s 1994 classic film.
Miramax’s attorneys have sent a cease and desist letter seeking to block the sale, but that has not stopped Tarantino and his team.
The company further alleged that Tarantino’s actions have interfered with the studio’s own plans to enter the market for Pulp Fiction NFTs, according to a statement by Miramax attorney Bart Williams.
“This group chose to recklessly, greedily, and intentionally disregard the agreement that Quentin signed instead of following the clear legal and ethical approach of simply communicating with Miramax about his proposed ideas,” Williams said.
The suit appears to turn on the question of whether selling NFTs based on excerpts of a screenplay qualify as a “publication” of the screenplay.
The suit states claims of breach of contract, copyright infringement, trademark infringement and unfair competition.
Tarantino’s representative declined to comment.
