Abstract

GOMAR, Carmen Guiralt  and  CARRATALA, Adolfo. El plagio cinematográfico de Letty Lynton (1932) y su impacto en la industria fílmica estadounidense: análisis del proceso judicial y de su cobertura mediática. OBS* [online]. 2016, vol.10, n.3, pp.1-19. ISSN 1646-5954.

This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the judicial proceedings concerning the film Letty Lynton (1932). The movie, despite being an emblem of the classical period of Hollywood, was banned in 1936, following a suit filed by two playwrights against Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer for plagiarism. The lawsuit revealed a complexity that US courts had not addressed so far in copyright infringement matters, not least because the film was based on a true story that took place during the nineteenth century but also because the motion picture company had acquired the rights to a novel that also told the facts. The continuing resources and judgments ended after eight years with the ruling of the Supreme Court. This paper analyses in detail the examination of the case by studying three sources: literary materials relating to the film, judicial pronouncements generated by the demand for plagiarism and the media coverage offered by four contemporary trade papers. The results allow establishing a chronology of the process, evaluating the media coverage it got and identifying the impact both in the field of justice and in the Hollywood industry.

Keywords : Letty Lynton (1932); plagiarism in film; copyright; film journalism; Hollywood film industry; US justice.

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