Earlier this month, director Quentin Tarantino announced that seven NFTs based on Pulp Fiction were set to be auctioned off – which would allow the buyer to access several scenes cut from the movie and exclusive access to extras including director commentary and art.
However, according to Collider, the film studio Miramax have sent a cease-and-desist letter to the filmmaker as they claim that Tarantino does not hold the rights to release the NFT line. Miramax’s lawsuit claims:
“Tarantino’s conduct has forced Miramax to bring this lawsuit against a valued collaborator in order to enforce, preserve, and protect its contractual and intellectual property rights relating to one of Miramax’s most iconic and valuable film properties,” it goes on to say. “Left unchecked, Tarantino’s conduct could mislead others into believing Miramax is involved in his venture. And it could also mislead others into believing they have the rights to pursue similar deals or offerings, when in fact Miramax holds the rights needed to develop, market, and sell NFTs relating to its deep film library.”
Bart Williams, who is representing Miramax in the lawsuit, has provided a statement that reads: “This group chose to recklessly, greedily, and intentionally disregard the agreement that Quentin signed instead of following the clear legal and ethical approach of simply communicating with Miramax about his proposed ideas. This one-off effort devalues the NFT rights to Pulp Fiction, which Miramax intends to maximize through a strategic, comprehensive approach.”
Tarantino’s lawyers have responded stating that the director has “Reserved Rights,” and the rights to publish his own screenplay. Tarantino and Miramax have collaborated together on several projects including Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, Jackie Brown, Kill Bill: Vol. 1 and Vol. 2.
