Miramax Sues Quentin Tarantino Over ‘Pulp Fiction’ NFTs

Hollywood studio Miramax has sued director Quentin Tarantino on Tuesday over his plans to sell digital collectible NFTs based on his 1994 film Pulp Fiction.

Tarantino announced that he will sell a series of unique non-fungible tokens (NFTs) based on his handwritten screenplay of the cult classic. It was described by the Cannes Film festival as a set of “dime-store stories set in lowlife L.A.”

A website for the NFT sales said they will include a digital version of the film’s “iconic ‘Royals with Cheese’ scene,” as well as a recording of Tarantino having a personal interview revolving around “secrets” about the project to the fans.

Miramax produced the film, and the company is now owned by Bein Media Group and Viacom CBS. The studio alleged that Tarantino also plans to sell NFTs of page scans and digital film props.

According to the suit, a lawyer responded to Miramax’s cease-and-desist letter served on November  4. It said Tarantino holds reserved rights to print publication of the script. The suit seeks unspecified damages as well.

Miramax argued in the suit that the print publication and online NFTs are not the same.

”The proposed sale of a few original script pages or scenes as an NFT is a one-time transaction, which does not constitute publication, and in any event does not fall within the intended meaning of print publication,” the suit stated. “The right to sell NFTs of such excerpts of any version of the screenplay to Pulp Fiction is owned and controlled by Miramax.”

The suit was filed in federal court in Los Angeles, and Miramax argues that Tarantino signed away rights to “all media” for Pulp Fiction when the film was under development in 1993.

”Miramax holds the rights needed to develop, market, and sell NFT is relating to its deep film library,” the suit said.