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Miramax Sues Quentin Tarantino Over ‘Pulp Fiction’ NFTs

BY Langston Thomas •

November 16, 2021

Exactly two weeks after Quentin Tarantino revealed plans to release a collection of Pulp Fiction NFTs, Miramax has taken legal action against him. In a lawsuit filed on Nov. 16, the film-studio giant accused Tarantino of copyright infringement by selling NFTs of the screenplay for the iconic film, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Tarantino, who has yet to comment on the lawsuit, has been gearing up to release seven never-before-seen, uncut scenes from Pulp Fiction as Secret NFTs on OpenSea. Although the NFTs were to be based on excerpts from Tarantino’s original handwritten Pulp Fiction script, Miramax — owners of the rights to the 1994 film — via attorney Bart Williams, has accused the director of a “deliberate, pre-meditated, short-term money grab.”

In a suit that claims breach of contract, copyright infringement, trademark infringement, and unfair competition, Miramax stated that the NFT sale would not qualify as a “publication” of the screenplay. According to the lawsuit, Tarantino’s lawyer argued that the director retained the right to publish his screenplay in his contract with Miramax, but the company is arguing that these Pulp Fiction NFTs would be a one-time sale not equivalent to “publication.”

“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,” wrote Miramax attorney Williams in his official statement. “This one-off effort devalues the NFT rights to Pulp Fiction, which Miramax intends to maximize through a strategic, comprehensive approach.”

Per the court documents obtained by Variety, the movie studio also claimed that it sent the director a cease and desist immediately after learning of the NFTs, which Tarantino allegedly disregarded. “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,” the studio’s lawsuit continued. “Left unchecked, Tarantino’s conduct could mislead others into believing Miramax is involved in his venture.”

Miramax is seeking a jury trial.

After Tarantino’s NFT announcement on Nov. 2, the celebrated director sat down for a panel discussion at NFT.NYC with influencers in the NFT space including Tom Bilyeu, GMoney, Coin Artist, and others to discuss the future of NFTs and entertainment.

Read the full Miramax complaint here.

Photo courtesy of Miramax.