Hollywood is careful to protect itself from pirating and other illegal uses of its products. However, it may seem to some in New York and elsewhere that the industry does not play by the same rules. While movie studios may be quick to accuse someone of stealing copyrighted materials, apparently, they do not expect intellectual property litigation when they use allegedly stolen technology. One man is about to take on some Goliaths in the industry to protect his intellectual property.
Steve Perlman, founder of Rearden LLC, created software called MOVA that was a breakthrough in special effects because it creates realistic graphics from digitally captured facial expressions and morphs them into other forms. For example, actor Chris Pratt’s digital expressions became the crime-fighting racoon in “Guardians of the Galaxy.” However, Perlman says the software for the technology was stolen and sold to a Chinese company.
This may be confirmed from the results of an FBI investigation and the successful lawsuit Perlman waged against the company. However, apparently Disney, Paramount, Marvel Studios and Fox purchased the stolen technology. Apparently, the studios do not deny they used the MOVA technology, but they say that the resulting product is not owned by the technology, so it is not a matter of intellectual property theft. The film studios used the technology to create numerous blockbuster special-effects movies, such as “Avengers,” “Night at the Museum” and “Deadpool.”
Perlman has begun intellectual property litigation against the movie companies. Like him, those in New York who use their talents to create something unique do not have to sit by and allow others to profit from it. They may consult an attorney for information about their best options.
Source: cosmicbooknews.com/, “Disney, Marvel, Fox and Paramount Getting Sued Over Copyright Infringement: Including Avengers & Guardians of the Galaxy“, Matt Mcgloin, Oct. 24, 2017