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Zambito v. Paramount Pictures Corp.

United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York

613 F. Supp. 1107 (1985)

Facts

Gary Zambito (plaintiff) brought suit against Paramount Pictures Corporation (Paramount) (defendant), alleging that the film Raiders of the Lost Ark copied a screenplay by Zambito to the point of copyright infringement. Similarities included an archeologist main character and a cave full of snakes. However, Zambito’s screenplay portrayed the main character as duplicitous and self-interested, contained a significant amount of adult-oriented content, and took place entirely in present-day Peru. Although Zambito asserted that the main villain in his screenplay was intended to be viewed as a postwar Nazi, nothing to that effect appeared in the work, contrasting with the 1930s Nazi villains of the film. Both Zambito and Paramount moved for summary judgment.

Rule of Law

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Issue

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Holding and Reasoning (McLaughlin, J.)

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A "yes" or "no" answer to the question framed in the issue section;
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The procedural disposition (e.g., reversed and remanded, affirmed, etc.).

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