Anderson v. Stallone

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Anderson v. Stallone, 11 USPQ2D 1161 (C.D. Cal. 1989).

[edit] Introduction

Timothy Burton Anderson, an author, who wrote a script for Rocky IV, brought a suit for copyright infringement, unfair competition, unjust enrichment, and breach of confidence against Sylvester Stallone,MGM, and other parties. Stallone et al. filed a motion for summary judgment.

[edit] Case Background

In June of 1982, after viewing the movie Rocky III, Timothy Anderson wrote a treatment for Rocky IV. In October of 1982, Mr. Anderson met with a member of MGM's board of directors. During the meeting, they discussed using Anderson's script for Rocky IV. Anderson claimed that MGM told him that if they used his script he would be paid a large sum of money.

[edit] Mr. Anderson's Literary Background

According to Mr. Anderson's law firm bio, Mr. Anderson wrote a "non-law related novel" called THE REIGN OF THE STAVKA which (according to the first person references and the intimate knowledge of Mr. Anderson's Utah background) appears to be his own reviewof his book on Amazon.com, is based on real-life encounters with secret KGB spies who told him the true story of the collapse of the Soviet Union:

"One of the most amazing events of my legal career was in 1990 when a group of Soviet businessmen showed up at my office in St. George, Utah and claimed that they had business to do with me. Although, I had done some international work, the task they assigned to me was far beyond anything a lawyer would be asked to do, in the state of Utah or anywhere else in the country, perhaps with the exception of New York City. Within days, I was in Washington DC (with an FBI tail)... Eventually the Russians all went home, but not first without leaving their stories - explaiing in detail their KGB roles as they spoke of their hopes for a new Russia. Some of the tales were wild-haired and far fetched. But the wildest of all seemed to be directed at the question of the truth as to why the Soviet Union and the Eastern Block was caving with hardly a shot being fired. Hence, The Reign of the Stavka. What were so may KGB agents doing in the US posing as businessmen during the fall of Communism? The wild tales, the real stories and my wacko immaginaton are all merged to give you a good time between the pages of the Reign of the Stavka. Enjoy the read - and post your reviews."

Mr. Anderson also authored a book called TOO CLOSE TO KILL?, a political tour de force described as:

"The United States is in the grips of a major constitutional crisis caused by a too-close-to-call election, in which even the Electoral College fails to select the President. The unabashedly ambitious and stunningly beautiful democratic vice president Charlotte Reid has fallen three votes short of the 270 needed to defeat the winner of the popular vote—the charismatic ex-NFL quarterback and former Oklahoma governor David Houston. Amid the chaos, Robert Cannon, an investigator for a small Georgetown law firm, is pulled out of retirement by the CIA to carry out an assassination—not a Cold War termination in a foreign country, away from American soil for which he had become so renown in intelligence circles. Rather, his target is a 100-year-old congressman from the State of Mississippi. A day later, agents from the Pentagon demand he take on a similar mission. The target—an aging female justice of the Supreme Court. Coincidence? Hardly!"

Mr. Anderson may have channeled his military experience, having "served as 'Logstar' (Honorary Wing Commander) of the 388 Fighter Wing at Hill Air Force Base, Ogden, Utah, 2001-2002 (back-seated in an F-16, earned his 9-G certificate and did not throw up)."