Bros. Wachowski thieving oiks....
Discussion
Article nicked in full from fansite:
This little known story has met a just conclusion, as Sophia Stewart,
African American author of The Matrix will finally receive her just due
from the copyright infringement of her original work!!!
Monday, October 4th 2004 ended a six-year dispute involving Sophia
Stewart, the Wachowski Brothers, Joel Silver and Warner Brothers.
Stewart's allegations, involving copyright infringement and
racketeering, were received and acknowledged by the Central District of
California, Judge Margaret Morrow residing.
Stewart, a New Yorker who has resided in Salt Lake City for the past
five years, will recover damages from the films, The Matrix I, II and
III, as well as The Terminator and its sequels. She will soon receive
one of the biggest payoffs in the history of Hollywood, as the gross
receipts of both films and their sequels total over 2.5 billion dollars.
Stewart filed her case in 1999, after viewing the Matrix, which she felt
had been based on her manuscript, "The Third Eye," copyrighted in 1981.
In the mid-eighties Stewart had submitted her manuscript to an ad placed
by the Wachowski Brothers, requesting new sci-fi works.
According to court documentation, an FBI investigation discovered that
more than thirty minutes had been edited from the original film, in an
attempt to avoid penalties for copyright infringement. The investigation
also stated that "credible witnesses employed at Warner Brothers came
forward, claiming that the executives and lawyers had full knowledge
that the work in question did not belong to the Wachowski Brothers."
These witnesses claimed to have seen Stewart's original work and that it
had been "often used during preparation of the motion pictures." The
defendants tried, on several occasions, to have Stewart's case
dismissed, without success.
Stewart has confronted skepticism on all sides, much of which comes from
Matrix fans, who are strangely loyal to the Wahowski Brothers. One
on-line forum, entitled Matrix Explained has an entire section devoted
to Stewart. Some who have researched her history and writings are open
to her story. Others are suspicious and mocking. "It doesn't bother me,"
said Stewart in a phone interview last week, "I always knew what was
true."
Some fans, are unaware of the case or they question its legitimacy, due
to the fact that it has received little to no media coverage. Though the
case was not made public until October of 2003, Stewart has her own
explanation, as quoted at aghettotymz.com:
"The reason you have not seen any of this in the media is because Warner
Brothers parent company is AOL-Time Warner... this GIANT owns 95 percent
of the media... let me give you a clue as to what they own in the media
business... New York Times papers/magazines, LA Times papers/magazines,
People Magazine, CNN news, Extra, Celebrity Justice, Entertainment
Tonight, HBO, New Line Cinema, Dreamworks, Newsweek, Village Roadshow...
many, many more!... They are not going to report on themselves. They
have been surpressing my case for years..."
Fans who have taken Stewart's allegations seriously, have found eerie
mythological parallels, which seem significant in a case that revolves
around the highly metaphorical and symbolic Matrix series. Sophia, the
Greek goddess of wisdom has been referenced many times in speculation
about Stewart. In one book about the Goddess Sophia, it reads, "The
black goddess is the mistress of web creation spun in her divine matrix"
Although there have been outside implications as to racial injustice
(Stewart is African American), she does not feel that this is the case.
"This is all about the Benjamins," said Stewart. "It's not about money
with me. It's about justice."
Stewart's future plans involve a record label, entitled Popsilk Records,
and a motion picture production company, All Eyez On Me, in reference to
God. "I wrote The Third Eye to wake people up, to remind them why God
put them here. There's more to life than money," said Stewart. "My whole
to the world is about God and good and about choice, about spirituality
over 'technocracy'."
If Stewart represents spirituality, then she truly has prevailed over
the "technocracy" represented in both the Terminator and the Matrix, and
now, ironically, by their supposed creators.
Stewart is currently having discussions with CBS about a possible
exclusive story and has several media engagements in the near future to
nationally publicize her victory. June 13th 2004. Sophia Stewart's press
release read: "The Matrix & Terminator movie franchises have made world
history and have ultimately changed the way people view movies and how
Hollywood does business, yet the real truth about the creator and
creation of these films continue to elude the masses because the hidden
secret of the matter is that >these films were created and written by a
Black woman... a Black woman named Sophia Stewart. But Hollywood does
not want you to know this fact simply because it would change history.
Also it would encourage our Black children to realize a dream and that
is... nothing is impossible for them to achieve!"
This little known story has met a just conclusion, as Sophia Stewart,
African American author of The Matrix will finally receive her just due
from the copyright infringement of her original work!!!
Monday, October 4th 2004 ended a six-year dispute involving Sophia
Stewart, the Wachowski Brothers, Joel Silver and Warner Brothers.
Stewart's allegations, involving copyright infringement and
racketeering, were received and acknowledged by the Central District of
California, Judge Margaret Morrow residing.
Stewart, a New Yorker who has resided in Salt Lake City for the past
five years, will recover damages from the films, The Matrix I, II and
III, as well as The Terminator and its sequels. She will soon receive
one of the biggest payoffs in the history of Hollywood, as the gross
receipts of both films and their sequels total over 2.5 billion dollars.
Stewart filed her case in 1999, after viewing the Matrix, which she felt
had been based on her manuscript, "The Third Eye," copyrighted in 1981.
In the mid-eighties Stewart had submitted her manuscript to an ad placed
by the Wachowski Brothers, requesting new sci-fi works.
According to court documentation, an FBI investigation discovered that
more than thirty minutes had been edited from the original film, in an
attempt to avoid penalties for copyright infringement. The investigation
also stated that "credible witnesses employed at Warner Brothers came
forward, claiming that the executives and lawyers had full knowledge
that the work in question did not belong to the Wachowski Brothers."
These witnesses claimed to have seen Stewart's original work and that it
had been "often used during preparation of the motion pictures." The
defendants tried, on several occasions, to have Stewart's case
dismissed, without success.
Stewart has confronted skepticism on all sides, much of which comes from
Matrix fans, who are strangely loyal to the Wahowski Brothers. One
on-line forum, entitled Matrix Explained has an entire section devoted
to Stewart. Some who have researched her history and writings are open
to her story. Others are suspicious and mocking. "It doesn't bother me,"
said Stewart in a phone interview last week, "I always knew what was
true."
Some fans, are unaware of the case or they question its legitimacy, due
to the fact that it has received little to no media coverage. Though the
case was not made public until October of 2003, Stewart has her own
explanation, as quoted at aghettotymz.com:
"The reason you have not seen any of this in the media is because Warner
Brothers parent company is AOL-Time Warner... this GIANT owns 95 percent
of the media... let me give you a clue as to what they own in the media
business... New York Times papers/magazines, LA Times papers/magazines,
People Magazine, CNN news, Extra, Celebrity Justice, Entertainment
Tonight, HBO, New Line Cinema, Dreamworks, Newsweek, Village Roadshow...
many, many more!... They are not going to report on themselves. They
have been surpressing my case for years..."
Fans who have taken Stewart's allegations seriously, have found eerie
mythological parallels, which seem significant in a case that revolves
around the highly metaphorical and symbolic Matrix series. Sophia, the
Greek goddess of wisdom has been referenced many times in speculation
about Stewart. In one book about the Goddess Sophia, it reads, "The
black goddess is the mistress of web creation spun in her divine matrix"
Although there have been outside implications as to racial injustice
(Stewart is African American), she does not feel that this is the case.
"This is all about the Benjamins," said Stewart. "It's not about money
with me. It's about justice."
Stewart's future plans involve a record label, entitled Popsilk Records,
and a motion picture production company, All Eyez On Me, in reference to
God. "I wrote The Third Eye to wake people up, to remind them why God
put them here. There's more to life than money," said Stewart. "My whole
to the world is about God and good and about choice, about spirituality
over 'technocracy'."
If Stewart represents spirituality, then she truly has prevailed over
the "technocracy" represented in both the Terminator and the Matrix, and
now, ironically, by their supposed creators.
Stewart is currently having discussions with CBS about a possible
exclusive story and has several media engagements in the near future to
nationally publicize her victory. June 13th 2004. Sophia Stewart's press
release read: "The Matrix & Terminator movie franchises have made world
history and have ultimately changed the way people view movies and how
Hollywood does business, yet the real truth about the creator and
creation of these films continue to elude the masses because the hidden
secret of the matter is that >these films were created and written by a
Black woman... a Black woman named Sophia Stewart. But Hollywood does
not want you to know this fact simply because it would change history.
Also it would encourage our Black children to realize a dream and that
is... nothing is impossible for them to achieve!"
hold on, I can accept the Matrix complaints, but the Terminator?
It's a familiar premise but if the Matrix used a lot of the script how did the Terminator movies do so? Is it just a premise she is complaining about - surely robots taking over the world has been written about before (Issac Asimov had similar enough stories...).
It's a familiar premise but if the Matrix used a lot of the script how did the Terminator movies do so? Is it just a premise she is complaining about - surely robots taking over the world has been written about before (Issac Asimov had similar enough stories...).
Actually, it was proven that Cameron ripped off an old "Twilight Zone" episode in making the original Terminator.
Apparantly he'd have got away with it if he hadn't blabbed his mouth off about it on the record somewhere, which was later used in evidence against him.
(Allegedly)
>> Edited by JonRB on Monday 31st January 20:36
Apparantly he'd have got away with it if he hadn't blabbed his mouth off about it on the record somewhere, which was later used in evidence against him.
(Allegedly)
>> Edited by JonRB on Monday 31st January 20:36
FourWheelDrift said:
Someone tried to do the same to JK Rowling saying she had ripped off her idea. That was thrown out so will this, I believe sha has made the claim but the result will be the same.
Yep Rowling is derivative drivel, but its not a whole sale rip-off per-se. Good on her for getting kids reading big books anyway!
DanH said:Exactly. Nothing new in it that wasn't in the many Enid Blyton type books I read as a kid.
Yep Rowling is derivative drivel, but its not a whole sale rip-off per-se. Good on her for getting kids reading big books anyway!
As you say, though, top marks for getting kids interested in books.
FourWheelDrift said:
Someone tried to do the same to JK Rowling saying she had ripped off her idea. That was thrown out so will this, I believe sha has made the claim but the result will be the same.
Apparently at most major signings in the US, you will see people trying to hand envelopes to the author in question. These are carefully intercepted by a minder. Would-be authors write up their 'great idea' and try to get it in the hands of a sucessful author so they can sue them later for stealing the concept. The minder is there to make sure the famous name never comes into contact with the envelope.
Since most stories owe a lot to those that came before them - particularly genre stuff like crime and science fiction - it is daft to try to claim ideas are somehow unique property. With regards to the Matrix, in her script this woman apparently didn't mention the idea of a virtual reality world that keeps humans ignorant of what's really going on. She apparently thought that idea was 'stupid'. Which is a bit of a pity as it's the whole point of the film.
IMO the matrix lacked origonality all the way through.
Imagery was directly lifted from anime across the board, look and feel and a lot of plot was heavily influenced by Dark city too.
If this woman did write the story as sugested then fair doo's, she should get all she deserves, I dont think the W brothers thought up the movie themselves at all.
It wasnt origonal, but it did bring several elements together in a very well produced, entertaiing movie, prehaps it would have been a great triology with her onboard.
I know if i wrote truly origonal SCiFi(damned hard to do) I'd want recognition for it.
Imagery was directly lifted from anime across the board, look and feel and a lot of plot was heavily influenced by Dark city too.
If this woman did write the story as sugested then fair doo's, she should get all she deserves, I dont think the W brothers thought up the movie themselves at all.
It wasnt origonal, but it did bring several elements together in a very well produced, entertaiing movie, prehaps it would have been a great triology with her onboard.
I know if i wrote truly origonal SCiFi(damned hard to do) I'd want recognition for it.
RobDickinson said:It's funny you should say that, but I distincly remember coming out of the cinema when I saw The Matrix for the first time thinking that it was a load of derivative twaddle that I'd already seen and read in countless Sci-Fi works.
IMO the matrix lacked origonality all the way through.
It was only after it came out on DVD and I watched it several times that I came to enjoy it on its own merits rather than being hung up on its influences and origins.
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