Quentin Tarantino sued by Miramax over Pulp Fiction NFTs

AFP via Getty Images
Josh Salisbury17 November 2021

Hollywood studio Miramax is suing director Quentin Tarantino over his plans to sell unique digital collectibles from his hit film, Pulp Fiction.

The suit comes after Tarantino announced plans to sell seven non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, based on the film, including scenes from an early script that were cut from the final version.

A website announcing the NFT sale states they will include a digital version of the movie’s iconic ‘Royal with Cheese’ scene and a recording of Tarantino revealing secrets of the project.

Miramax has now filed a suit in federal court in LA alleging the director essentially signed away all media rights when the film was being developed, reports NBC News.

The suit, which seeks unspecified damages, alleges that Tarantino also plans to sell NFTs of page scans and digital film props.

The NFTs will include version of the movie’s iconic ‘Royal with Cheese’ scene
Handout

It claims a lawyer responded to a cease-and-desist letter by saying Tarantino holds reserved rights to print publication of the script.

Miramax argued in the suit that print publication and NFTs are not the same.

"The proposed sale of a few original script pages or scenes as an NFT is a one-time transaction, which does not constitute publication, and in any event does not fall within the intended meaning of 'print publication' or 'screenplay publication,'" the suit states.

"The right to sell NFTs of such excerpts of any version of the screenplay to Pulp Fiction is owned and controlled by Miramax."

The entertainment company’s filing claims it holds the rights to develop and market its own NFTs relating to its “deep film library.”

The director is known for a string of films which have earned both critical success, including 2003’s Kill Bill: Volume 1, and 2009’s Inglourious Basterds.

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