Family of late author sues Top Gun: Maverick Studio over copyright issues; Details inside

Top Gun: Maverick continued from where its predecessor ended in 1986, and the movie has been performing exceedingly well at the box office while garnering massive praise from audiences all over the world. While fans now await updates on whether there will be Top Gun 3 in the upcoming years, the studio recently landed in trouble when the family of the late author Ehu Yonay accused Paramount Pictures of breach of the Copyright Act.

Top Gun makers sued over copyright by writer's family 

According to People, Shosh and Yuval Yonay, alleged heirs of the late author Ehu Yonay recently sued Paramount Pictures in a document filed in Los Angeles federal court for a "conscious failure to re-acquire the requisite film and ancillary rights to the Yonays' copyrighted Story prior to the completion and release of their derivative 2022 Sequel."

The family of the writer claimed that the studio violated the copyright by releasing the film, Top Gun: Maverick more than a year after the copyright to the story had "reverted to the Yonays under the Copyright Act" in January 2020. Adding to it, they also claimed how Paramount deliberately ignored this, thumbing its nose at the statute. 

The family is now seeking damages "including pre-judgment interest they sustained and will sustain, and any income, gains, profits, and advantages obtained by Paramount as a result of its wrongful acts alleged and maximum statutory damages recoverable."

In response to the same, paramount Pictures issued a statement dismissing the claims. It read, "These claims are without merit, and we will defend ourselves vigorously."

About Top Gun Maverick

Top Gun: Maverick was originally scheduled to release in July 2019 but got delayed. The Joseph Kosinski directorial follows Maverick, who's forced to teach a new generation of fighter pilots, which includes Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw, the son of his best friend and pilot Goose. It also featured notable cast members including actors namely Tom Cruise as Captain Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, Jennifer Connelly as Penelope "Penny" Benjamin, Jon Hamm as Vice Admiral Beau "Cyclone" Simpson, Glen Powell as Lt. Jake "Hangman" Seresin, Lewis Pullman as Lt. Robert "Bob" Floyd, among others. 

Image: Twitter/TopGunMovie