What happens when you make a crappy movie and game based on someone else’s idea? You get sued. Well, at least that’s how we like to do it in America. According to Reuters, Ghost Rider creator Gary Friedrich is searching the seas for buried treasure. Does he deserve to get paid?
The creator of Ghost Rider has sued Marvel Enterprises, Sony Pictures Entertainment and several entities over what he claims is an unauthorized “joint venture and conspiracy to exploit, profit from and utilize” his copyrights to the comic book character.
Gary Friedrich and his company filed the 61-page complaint April 4 in federal court in Illinois claiming 21 violations based on the production and marketing of Sony’s recent “Ghost Rider,” starring Nicolas Cage and Eva Mendes. Friedrich claims the copyrights used in the film and in related products reverted from Marvel to him in 2001.
Friedrich alleges copyright infringement, and accuses Marvel of waste for failing “to properly utilize and capitalize” on the Ghost Rider character. Marvel’s attempts to do so, Friedrich claims, have only damaged the value of his work by failing to properly promote and protect the characters and by accepting inadequate royalties from co-defendants. Friedrich also claims that toymaker Hasbro and videogame firm Take-Two have improperly created merchandise based on the characters.
Hey Friedrich! I wanna know where da gold at!
