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Settlement of the lawsuit....Holy Cow!!!!


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Heard this on the radio this afternoon and saw it just before...Man I am surprised .....

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20050630/bs_afp/afplifestyleusfilm_050630200707

Warner Bros. to pay 17.5 million dollars in 'Dukes of Hazzard' settlement

Hollywood's Warner Bros. studios will pay 17.5 million dollars to settle a breach of copyright lawsuit that threatened to block the release of its "Dukes of Hazzard" movie, reports said.

The 11th-hour agreement by the movie powerhouse to fork out the huge sum to film producer Robert Clark came after a judge barred the studio from releasing its 55-million-dollar movie on August 13 unless the case was settled, industry publications said.

Clark had claimed that Warners had infringed on the copyright of his obscure 1974 film "Moonrunners," which became the basis of the hit Warner television series, "The Dukes of Hazzard," which led to the upcoming feature.

Under an injunction issued last week by US federal Judge Gary Allen Feess, all copies of Warner's new movie would have been impounded pending the settlement of the case, according to Daily Variety.

"Plaintiffs have shown a likelihood that they will be able to prove at trial that they have an ownership interest in 'The Dukes of Hazzard' film," Feess wrote, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

The settlement of at least 17.5 million exceeds what the studio spent on the salaries of actors in the high-anticipated summer movie that stars Johnny Knoxville, Jessica Simpson, Burt Reynolds and Willie Nelson.

The hit 1979 television series focused on the law-defying adventures of southern US country folk in a fast car.

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Heard this on the radio this afternoon and saw it just before...Man I am surprised .....

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20050630/bs_afp/afplifestyleusfilm_050630200707

Warner Bros. to pay 17.5 million dollars in 'Dukes of Hazzard' settlement

Hollywood's Warner Bros. studios will pay 17.5 million dollars to settle a breach of copyright lawsuit that threatened to block the release of its "Dukes of Hazzard" movie, reports said.

The 11th-hour agreement by the movie powerhouse to fork out the huge sum to film producer Robert Clark came after a judge barred the studio from releasing its 55-million-dollar movie on August 13 unless the case was settled, industry publications said.

Clark had claimed that Warners had infringed on the copyright of his obscure 1974 film "Moonrunners," which became the basis of the hit Warner television series, "The Dukes of Hazzard," which led to the upcoming feature.

Under an injunction issued last week by US federal Judge Gary Allen Feess, all copies of Warner's new movie would have been impounded pending the settlement of the case, according to Daily Variety.

"Plaintiffs have shown a likelihood that they will be able to prove at trial that they have an ownership interest in 'The Dukes of Hazzard' film," Feess wrote, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

The settlement of at least 17.5 million exceeds what the studio spent on the salaries of actors in the high-anticipated summer movie that stars Johnny Knoxville, Jessica Simpson, Burt Reynolds and Willie Nelson.

The hit 1979 television series focused on the law-defying adventures of southern US country folk in a fast car.

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Zap2 it has an article too..

http://www.zap2it.com/movies/news/story/0,1259,---26153,00.html

Warner Bros. Puts Up Dough to Put Up 'Dukes'

June 30, 2005

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com)- Warner Bros. Pictures will pay producer Robert B. Clark at least $17.5 million in a copywright infringement settlement. The deal may cost the studio a little dough, but it will keep "The Dukes of Hazzard" on track for an Aug. 5 release.

Clark produced an obscure 1975 release called "Moonrunners," which may not have become an iconic hit on its own, but which served as the basis for the popular "Hazzard" television show. That show, in turn, was the basis for this summer's "Hazzard," which stars Johnnie Knoxville and, if advertising and music videos are to be trusted, Jessica Simpson's rump.

According to Variety, Warner Bros. buckled in light of a preliminary injunction imposed by federal judge Gary Allen Feess. That injunction would have put the kibosh on the $55 million dollar potential franchise, jeopardizing its August release, its potential DVD release and squandering some $40 million in pre-release theatrical marketing. The trade paper notes that Clark's settlement is more than Warner Bros. paid in talent salaries for the remake's stars.

"Moonrunners" was directed by Gy Waldron, who went on to create, write and direct on "Hazzard." Its stars included Waylon Jennings and Arthur Hunnicutt.

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Zap2 it has an article too..

http://www.zap2it.com/movies/news/story/0,1259,---26153,00.html

Warner Bros. Puts Up Dough to Put Up 'Dukes'

June 30, 2005

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com)- Warner Bros. Pictures will pay producer Robert B. Clark at least $17.5 million in a copywright infringement settlement. The deal may cost the studio a little dough, but it will keep "The Dukes of Hazzard" on track for an Aug. 5 release.

Clark produced an obscure 1975 release called "Moonrunners," which may not have become an iconic hit on its own, but which served as the basis for the popular "Hazzard" television show. That show, in turn, was the basis for this summer's "Hazzard," which stars Johnnie Knoxville and, if advertising and music videos are to be trusted, Jessica Simpson's rump.

According to Variety, Warner Bros. buckled in light of a preliminary injunction imposed by federal judge Gary Allen Feess. That injunction would have put the kibosh on the $55 million dollar potential franchise, jeopardizing its August release, its potential DVD release and squandering some $40 million in pre-release theatrical marketing. The trade paper notes that Clark's settlement is more than Warner Bros. paid in talent salaries for the remake's stars.

"Moonrunners" was directed by Gy Waldron, who went on to create, write and direct on "Hazzard." Its stars included Waylon Jennings and Arthur Hunnicutt.

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So much for WB keeping a lid on that one! Guess they didn't have a gag order on the terms of the settlement after all. As a few days had passed since we first caught wind of this, I almost thought they were gonna keep it off the radar. Guess you can't hide a 17 million hit to the pocketbook!

Don't feel too bad for WB, though. They'll rake that back in, and more, the first weekend the movie is released.

Whoda thunk "Moonrunners" would be worth this much money, about 30 years later? Boy, it pays to save yer receipts!

Thanks for posting the articles!

Brian

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So much for WB keeping a lid on that one! Guess they didn't have a gag order on the terms of the settlement after all. As a few days had passed since we first caught wind of this, I almost thought they were gonna keep it off the radar. Guess you can't hide a 17 million hit to the pocketbook!

Don't feel too bad for WB, though. They'll rake that back in, and more, the first weekend the movie is released.

Whoda thunk "Moonrunners" would be worth this much money, about 30 years later? Boy, it pays to save yer receipts!

Thanks for posting the articles!

Brian

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