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Replies to post #104274 on Mike The Pike Productions Inc (fka MIKP)
07/05/23 9:49 AM
...According to the complaint, Blackstone exercised the option on Sept. 2, 2014, and, per the 2009 agreement, it had five years to start principal photography before the rights reverted to Martin.
The complaint alleges that Blackstone “hastily assembl[ed] a barebones cast and crew” a day before the 2019 deadline “to shoot a handful of scenes” for no other reason than to maintain the appearance that it was making the progress necessary to retain the rights. Martin says the “token” production was “insufficient,” comparing the move to a contractor hurriedly building a gazebo in lieu of the agreed-upon skyscraper when faced with a deadline.
Attorney Teresa Huggins, a partner at the L.A.-based law firm Baker Marquart who specializes in intellectual-property litigation and is not involved with the Martin case, says the allegation that this production was an artifice is what makes the lawsuit unusual.
“I think what’s interesting and unique about this case is [Martin is] claiming that Blackstone created this fake principal photography to maintain their rights,” she said. “A lot of it is going to depend on whether Martin can prove that the shoot was an artifice.”
The complaint also alleges that Blackstone has threatened to take legal action against Martin if he seeks to exploit the rights independently, on the basis that it owns the film rights to “The Skin Trade” in perpetuity.
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