Big Win for Disney In This Copyright Case

Disney was facing a lawsuit that could have cost them billions of dollars. However, a jury has ruled in their favor.

Moana Lawsuit

In January, we shared that Disney was facing a multi-billion dollar lawsuit over Moana. Filmmaker Buck G. Woodall filed the suit following the release of Moana 2.

The plaintiff claims that the Moana franchise is a result of copyright infringement. Furthermore, he claims that he is entitled to 10 billion dollars in damages and 2.5% of gross revenue earned by Disney from the “Moana 2.”

Woodall claims that The Walt Disney Company stole the idea for Moana from a film he had in development.  According to Woodall, Moana has striking similarities to his “Bucky the Wave Warrior” or “Bucky” script.

Alleged Similarities

This isn’t the first time Woodall has filed a complaint against Disney. His original complaint was regarding the original Moana movie. This was dismissed in November because he filed too late, however one claim was able to continue.

This current lawsuit claims Disney has committed copyright infringement.

Woodall describes “Bucky” as an animated feature about Polynesian Culture. His script also features a Polynesian teenager who is setting off on a journey across the ocean to aid an endangered island. The story also involves a necklace and a tattoo-covered demigod who wields a giant hook. Woodall alleges that his ideas were transferred to Disney.

Results

Because of the four-year delay, from Moana’s release and his complaint, the court limited it to just Lake Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Disney’s home video distribution. This one claim was able to continue because the DVD was not released until 2017.

Earlier this week, a jury ruled in favor of Disney in this copyright case, that Disney did not steal Woodell’s ideas. The jury only deliberated for about two and a half hours before reaching their verdict.

The jury ruled in favor of Disney. No copyright infringement took place.

He is also pursuing a copyright infringement case with Moana 2 (mentioned above), which is currently pending. These lawsuits must be decided separately.

What do you think of the jury’s ruling? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to share this post with your friends!