(1987)
Clive Barker v. Park Avenue Entertainment, LLC
This action concerns the ownership of U.S. copyright interests in the 1986 novel entitled The Hellbound Heart and the derivative motion picture screenplay entitled “Hellraiser”, both authored by Clive Barker, and on which the 1987 film “Hellraiser” and ensuing “Hellraiser” film franchise are based.
Defendants, an entertainment company and its principal, claim to own or control television and videogame rights to Barker’s Book and Screenplay, as alleged successors to entities that acquired film, television and ancillary rights to Clive Barker’s literary works. On December 18, 2019, Clive Barker duly served a statutory Termination Notice on Defendants’ predecessors to reclaim his copyright interests pursuant to provisions of United States Copyright Act. The Termination Notice, which was recorded in the United States Copyright Office, has an effective termination date of December 19, 2021.
Accordingly, in this action, Clive Barker seeks a declaration that his Termination Notice is valid under the Copyright Act, that it will re-vest in him copyright ownership of his Book and Screenplay on December 19, 2021.