After what feels like an eternity, the long running court case between Sean S. Cunningham’s Horror Inc and original screenwriter Victor Miller has come to an end – with Miller winning the case.
It has been reported by Eriq Gardner at The Hollywood Reporter, that Miller won the Copyright Termination Case which centered around the rights to original Friday the 13th, which Miller wrote and Cunningham directed.
Miller is the sole owner of the original screenplay, a decision which was being challenged by Cunningham, stating that the script was a ‘work for hire’ and Miller should not be the sole owner of the property.
With this verdict it means that Miller now owns the domestic rights to the characters of the first Friday the 13th, but at the same time the hockey-masked Jason Voorhees character remains owned by Cunningham and Horror Inc.
Larry Zerner, a former star of Friday the 13th Part III and now Entertainment Lawyer explained on Twitter that despite this verdict, both parties will need to agree a split on the money for a new Friday the 13th if a new film or other property is to be made.
So while this is definitely a step in the right direction, Jason Voorhees’ big screen return is still on the backburner, for now…..
