Screenwriters for ‘Predator’ are suing Disney in an attempt to get the rights back

Brothers Jim and John Thomas will take Disney to court in an attempt to regain the rights to the franchise.

The Thomas brothers wrote the 1987 hit movie starring action hero Arnold Schwarzenegger and have now filed a lawsuit in pursuit of regaining the rights to the franchise. Disney’s 20th Century Fox has filed its own law suit, trying to retain the rights to the galactic warrior.

The brothers are trying to use copyright law’s termination provision, which allows authors and creators the ability to cancel their transfer of series after waiting a period of time(usually 30 plus years). The rights to a bunch of classic 1980s films are in danger due to this provision.

20th Century Fox immediately creating their own lawsuit.

“While federal statutory copyright law endows certain grantors, like defendants [the Thomas brothers], with copyright termination rights, such rights may only be exercised in accordance with the statute’s requirements, including provisions delineating when termination notices may be served and when the termination of rights becomes effective. Defendants’ notices fail to comply with these statutory requirements and are invalid as a matter of law.”

20th Century Fox