Sydney tribute film faces legal action from owner of Paris Je T’aime
Tropfest founder John Polson and collaborator Gary Hamilton have been accused of copyright infringement in their project to create a film about Sydney through a series of vignettes.
Emmanuel Benbihy, the creator of the similarly structured Paris Je T’aime, has been to court in France, claiming copyright and trademark infringement over Sydney Unplugged. He has won an order of seizure which orders the release of documents relating to the project.
Polson and Hamilton, who is MD of Sydney-based production company Arclight Films, were this week believed to be in Cannes attempting to sell rights to the film.
In 2006 Benbihy produced Paris Je T’aime, his first in a series of feature films based on vignettes compiled by different directors and set in a particular city. It was followed by New York, I Love You.
When the Sydney project was first revealed last June, Polson told Encore magazine it was called Sydney, I Love You. The film – since renamed Sydney Unplugged – is scheduled for production in the second half of this year for release in 2013.
The order of seizure is the first step in a possible trial towards an infringement suit.
Arclight did not respond to Encore’s request for comment.
Benbihy claims on hearing of the Sydney film he contacted Polson and Hamilton to work together but they declined. He said of Polson and Hamilton: “I can’t believe that people with such film experience have decided to illustrate the image of a wonderful city with so little concern for their actions and such an unethical manner. They will be embarrassing a lot of people including Australian film institutions and sponsors.”
Sydney Unplugged received single-project development funding from Screen Australia in January.
As creator of Cities of Love franchise, Benbihy was also producer on New York, I Love You. He has previously sent cease and desist letters for copyright and trademark infringement among other claims to former partners on New York, I Love You, Visitor Pictures, Sherazade Films and Very Useful Co, for their similar project Love Berlin – How We’ve Met.
Sydney Unplugged is due to include stories from a mixture of directors of varying experience including Alex Proyas, Russell Crowe, David Michod, Rachel Ward, Ray Lawrence, Toni Collette and Kieran Darcy-Smith.
Benbihy has franchised the project with films Shanghai, I Love You, Rio, Eu the Amo, Berlin, I Love You, and Jerusalem, I Love You, maintaining producer or EP on the title.
Australia’s copyright infringement should appeal in the push into the Chinese market 🙂
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Can that be copyrighted?
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I didn’t think you could copyright an idea. he’d just have to make sure it avoids some of the formulaic aspects of the franchise, I would have thought.
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The line between homage and plagiarism remains one of perception.
I’m off to copyright Oranges as a prelude to death.
Then copyright: a fucking big shark; a man in military uniform; a film that features real people instead of actors (I’ll rename it cockumentary); sexual encounters between bored housewives and cabana boys.
Then I’ll look up copyright in the dictionary.
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