- Registrations for Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction NFT collection go live today
- Miramax has demanded that courts stop Tarantino from auctioning off the NFTs over alleged breaches of copyright
- A fascinating legal precedent would result from a Miramax win after the auction has completed
The controversial Pulp Fiction NFT collection orchestrated by its director Quentin Tarantino opens for registrations today, despite an ongoing lawsuit between Tarantino and the studio that produced the film, Miramax. Tarantino claims that the Pulp Fiction NFTs represent sections of a handwritten script that were never used in the film and so don’t come under the copyright contracts, whereas Miramax says it owns everything associated with the film.
Pulp Fiction NFT Dispute Highlights Copyright Issue Again
Tarantino announced his move into the NFT world in October last year when he revealed that unused sections of the original Pulp Fiction script, written in his own hand, would be auctioned off as NFTs. Miramax stepped in immediately and tried to put a stop to his efforts, claiming that it owned copyright to the script in whatever version, despite the scenes to be sold not being included in the film.
Miramax’s reasons for this were more than just ideological – it has plans of its own to launch a Pulp Fiction NFT range and didn’t want Tarantino stealing its thunder. The case is moving through the courts but that didn’t stop Tarantino announcing at the end of last year that his Pulp Fiction NFT auction will go ahead as planned, with registrations opening today:
Successful Auction Could Lead to Legal No Man’s Land
Tarantino is clearly keen to see the auction through, and should it be completed and the Pulp Fiction NFTs distributed before the court case is heard, it will be interesting to see what would happen to the NFTs that were sold.
Given the pseudonymous nature of blockchain it could be tricky for Miramax to go about reclaiming any of the Pulp Fiction NFTs sold by Tarantino, leaving buyers in a potentially tricky scenario – they would be holding assets that would likely rocket in value due to their perceived illegality, but they would be unable to realize those gains.
Copyright around NFTs is already a huge issue, and the Pulp Fiction NFT battle is another example of what will only grow over time as the space expands.
