Last year I reported that Jayme Gordon had sued DreamWorks Animation alleging the studio stole their ideas for the feature film Kung Fu Panda. I didn?t see much more about that story and quite frankly just about every successful movie has to deal with someone who thinks it infringed on their previous work.
But according to Hollywood Reporter, Gordon?s case is advancing through the legal process much further than most claims of infringement.
What’s even more extraordinary is not only did the artist, Jayme Gordon, survive a summary judgment motion but also a judge’s pronouncement that he spoiled evidence in the case. The judge’s decision potentially sets the stage for an uncommon occurrence in Hollywood: a trial concerning a major studio in which a jury would determine whether the plaintiff’s work was stolen or the studio independently created its hit film.
Gordon brought the lawsuit in Massachusetts federal court in February 2011 and is looking for statutory damages and any profits obtained from allegedly wrongful acts.
Here?s an example of the alleged similarities:
Everybody is Kung Fu fighting.