The Second Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled in favor of Friday the 13th writer Victor Miller in his lawsuit against the film’s director and producer, Sean Cunningham. Miller is seeking to terminate the copyright transfer of the original film’s screenplay, which Cunningham had claimed was written as a work made for hire, and not eligible for a termination notice. The Copyright Act of 1976 says that the original author of a work can petition to terminate a transfer of copyright 35 years after original publication, and Friday the 13th writer Victor Miller wants to do just that, so that he can own the property going forward. The timing of termination – in 2017 – was likely in part due to rumored movement on a sequel and in part because Miller only had a five-year window, from 2014 until 2019, to file.
JUST IN: “Friday the 13th” screenwriter wins copyright termination appeal against producer. Full story to come. Here’s background: https://t.co/ujT1NAqqGo pic.twitter.com/b7eQstMToX
