Who Owns Watchmen? Film Release in Jeopardy

If Fox wins, these posters could be instant collector items.

Variety reports that a Los Angeles judge is allowing Fox’s lawsuit against Warner Brothers over the rights to Watchmen to go forward. The outcome of the suit could potentially affect the release of the hugely anticipated film.

Long story short–Fox claimed distribution rights to a film of Watchmen in 1991. Producer Larry Gordon acquired the rights to Fox’s interest in the film in a 1994. When Gordon didn’t make the film, Fox claims those rights reverted to them. Warners thought it had acquired all the rights from Gordon.

According to Fox, they don’t want to settle for a percentage of the profits, which would seem to be the most sensible solution, considering the film is finished and ready to go to theaters; they want to block the release entirely. Variety quotes “a source close to the litigation” as saying:

“When you have copyright infringement, there are some damages you never recover.”

Umm, really? I don’t get that. What do they think blocking the film would do? Would they then sink millions of dollars of their own into making a new version? That doesn’t seem cost effective. If they did make a new one, what would happen if it wasn’t perfect, which is likely? Audiences would sit around grumbling, “Yeah, I’m not going to see it…I hear it sucks next to the Zack Snyder film.” Taking the profit percentage seems to be the only thing to do if Fox wins the lawsuit. I think the talk about blocking it is just posturing to scare Warners so they can get a bigger chunk of the money.