‘Top Gun’ Rights Illegally Extended by Paramount, Suit Says (1)

Paramount Pictures Corp. failed to turn over the film rights for the blockbuster “Top Gun” franchise to the author of a 1983 story that inspired the movies, according to a copyright infringement lawsuit filed Monday in federal court in California.

The complaint said Paramount lost its rights to the film in 2020 after the author’s family sent the studio a copyright termination notice, pursuant to the Copyright Act.

“Top Gun: Maverick,” the sequel to the original 1986 film, was released on May 27 and banked $124 million in its debut weekend. The movie was one of the largest box ...