Quentin Tarantino’s plan to jump into the NFT craze has hit a speed bump as Miramax is suing the director over his plans to release a line of NFTs based on his famous 1994 film “Pulp Fiction.”
The line of seven non-fungible tokens (NFTs) was announced by Tarantino and blockchain company Secret Network earlier this month and includes uncut and unreleased scenes from “Pulp Fiction.” But those that buy the NFTs will also receive exclusive access to extras, including commentary from Tarantino and images of the handwritten first draft of the film’s screenplay.
But Miramax, which released “Pulp Fiction” and is planning to release its own NFTs based on its film library, alleges that Tarantino does not hold the rights to release the NFT line and that his team expanded plans for the line after a cease-and-desist letter was sent.
“Pulp Fiction is one of the many beloved, award-winning, culturally iconic films in the Miramax library – with its brilliant storytelling and unique characters who still resonate with audiences more than twenty-five years later, so it was profoundly disappointing to learn of this deliberate, pre-meditated, short-term money grab by the Tarantino team to unilaterally circumvent Miramax’s rights to Pulp Fiction though the illicit development, promotion, and distribution of NFTs,” read a statement from Proskauer Rose LLP partner Bart Williams, who is representing Miramax.
“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,” Williams continued. “This one-off effort devalues the NFT rights to Pulp Fiction, which Miramax intends to maximize through a strategic, comprehensive approach.”
Legal reps for Tarantino did not immediately respond to requests for comment. According to a copy of the Miramax lawsuit obtained by TheWrap, Tarantino’s attorney responded to the cease-and-desist letter by arguing that Tarantino was acting within his “reserved rights” to develop certain products based on “Pulp Fiction.” According to the original contract, this includes “print publication (including, without limitation, screenplay publication, ‘making of’ books, comic books and novelization, in audio and electronic formats as well, as applicable).”
Miramax’s lawyers argue that NFTs are not applicable under Tarantino’s reserved rights do not contain any forward language, while Miramax’s rights concerning “Pulp Fiction” cover “all media now or hereafter known.”
“Miramax will defend all of its rights in regard to its library, including rights relating to NFTs, and will not allow Quentin’s representatives to deceive others into believing they have the authority to make similar deals in violation of the rights agreements they signed,” Williams said.
Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.