(1978) Tags: MGM | United Artists
Ted BERKIC v. Michael CRICHTON
In 1968, the plaintiff wrote a 54 page screen treatment that he called ‘Reincarnation, Inc’. Hoping to interest a studio in producing a film based on his work, he gave the screen treatment to a literary agent, defendant Marvin Moss, and asked for his help. Moss read ‘Reincarnation’ and suggested that the plaintiff collaborate with defendant Michael Crichton on a “shared-credit” basis. The plaintiff declined the offer.
In 1978, defendant MGM/UA Entertainment Co. released the movie ‘Coma’, written and directed by Crichton, starring Michael Douglas and based on a novel by the same title written by defendant Robin Cook. The novel is still in print and the movie has been and continues to be shown on cable television and is available on videocassettes and videodiscs. The plaintiff alleges that both the movie and the book ‘Coma’ were largely “adapted, derived, or copied” from his screen treatment ‘Reincarnation’.