Universal Studios sue Smash Pictures : Fifty Shades of Grey XXX Adaption

Universal Studios & Fifty Shades Limited go legal!

Copyright law is there for a reason! You can’t simply shoot a porno film and title it “Fifty Shades of Grey” without the express permission of the copyright holder and, in this case, without having the film rights to the book. Which Universal Studios claim is exactly what Smashing Pictures did with their film “Fifty Shades of Grey: a XXX Adaptation”.

Universal Studios who reportedly paid £3.1 million ($5 million) for the film rights and Fifty Shades Limited are suing Smashing Pictures for making and selling an illegal and unauthorised film version of E L James’ Fifty Shades of Grey book trilogy. They are seeking damages of an undisclosed figure, an injunction to block any further releases of the film and profits from the sale of the film. The lawsuit has been filed in United States District Court, Central District of California.

Universal Studios who are currently developing the authorised film version of the trilogy said that Smashing Pictures’ Fifty Shades of Grey: a XXX Adaptation “… is a rip-off plain and simple”.

Their claim observes:

“By lifting exact dialogue, characters, events, story, and style from the Fifty Shades trilogy, [producer] Smash Pictures ensured that the first XXX adaptation was, in fact, as close as possible to the original works”.

“Beginning with the first XXX Adaptation’s opening scene and continuing throughout the next 2½ hours of the film, Smash Pictures copies without reservation from the unique expressive elements of the Fifty Shades trilogy, progressing through the events of Fifty Shades of Grey and into the second book, Fifty Shades Darker”.

The film’s promotional text on the DVD cover reads:

“When an inexperienced college student, Anastasia Steele, meets an extremely wealthy and handsome young business tycoon, Christian Grey, a whirlwind romance encompassing the kinkiest of pleasures soon ensues. Christian, (RYAN DRILLER) takes the inexperienced virgin Anastasia, (ALLIE HAZE) into a world BDSM roll playing. Anastasia is completely swept up and scared as she has never experienced anything like this. She spent her last four years reading English literature while living vicariously through her outgoing roommate Kate (ALEXIS FORD). What made her charming prince like this? Was it the training in masochism he received at the hands of an older woman Mrs. Robinson (JULIA ANN)? How many shades of the object of her love must she push through to find true love? Based upon the best selling series of books that has swept the world and coined the new term “mommy porn”, FIFTY SHADES OF GREY, a XXX ADAPTATION puts the kinky fantasies that you only imagined into vivid color”.

At the time of writing Amazon.com rank the DVD 6,845 in their Movies & TV section. The image below of the DVD cover “Fifty Shades of Grey: a XXX Adaptation” can be clicked to enlarge it.

Photo Credits:
Top: Quote from E L James Fifty Shades of Grey – Between the Lines
Main: DVD Cover – From http://www.50shadesofgrey.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/FiftyShadesXXX-DVD-fb-soft4.jpg