Miramax sues Quentin Tarantino for planned Pulp Fiction NFTs

The studio also said in its lawsuit that consumers could be tricked into believing Miramax was associated with Mr. Tarantino’s sale of NFTs, which could interfere with the company’s own plans to sell NFTs from its library.

“Miramax will defend all of its rights in relation to its library, including rights relating to NFTs, and will not allow Quentin’s representatives to deceive others into believing they have the power to enter into similar infringing agreements. of the rights agreements they signed, “Bart H. Williams, an attorney representing Miramax in the lawsuit, said.

The company is seeking a jury trial and unspecified pecuniary damages.

“Pulp Fiction,” perhaps more than any other Tarantino film, has developed a cult following among fans, who have created memes, videos, and costumes based on scenes and characters. Directed and written by Mr. Tarantino, the film, which starred John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson and Uma Thurman, followed two hitmen, a boxer, a gangster and his wife as their lives intersected.

Mr. Tarantino won an Oscar for writing the film’s screenplay, and he received several other Oscar nominations, including for Best Picture, Best Director, and for playing by Mr. Travolta, Mr. Jackson, and Ms. Thurman. . The film grossed more than $ 213 million worldwide, according to the studio.

Mr. Tarantino’s foray into the rich and sometimes eccentric world of NFTs comes as a variety of celebrities and athletes embrace the tokens. The market for them has exploded this year, and owners of popular videos and memes have cashed in, selling their rights to digital art, ephemera and media.

In February, Nyan Cat, an animated flying cat with a Pop-Tart torso that leaves a rainbow trail, sold for around $ 580,000. In April, “Disaster Girl,” a meme of a photo of a child smiling at the camera as a house burns down in her neighborhood, sold at NFT auction for $ 500,000. And in May, the original 2007 video “Charlie Bit My Finger,” in which an infant bites his older brother’s finger, sold for $ 760,999 in NFT. The family who created it said they would remove the original from YouTube.