Hollywood Road

Sue!

The two days of the weekend were fleeting, and on Monday morning, Jordan Belfort, who has always been paying attention to the box office trend of "The Wolf of Wall Street", ushered in a newly hired lawyer who understands Hollywood and the entertainment industry at his home.

The box office of "The Wolf of Wall Street" made him drool with jealousy. Even if the income he got was used to repay the debt judged by the court, he could still pay off a large sum. If he could get more, maybe he You can buy a new villa and move out of this frustrating small three-bedroom house.

But he knew it was not easy, so he hired a professional lawyer.

After receiving the contract handed over by Jordan Belfort, the lawyer carefully read it one by one. After a long time, he said, "Mr. Belfort, frankly speaking, you want to get more from "The Wolf of Wall Street". It’s not easy to earn a lot of money.”

Jordan Belfort Ho stood up, "But I deserve it! "The Wolf of Wall Street" got a box office close to 40 million US dollars last weekend, and the North American box office has accumulated a total of 142.75 million US dollars! I deserve it Get more income!"

"I need to remind you, Mr. Belfort." The lawyer looked quite professional, "The copyright transfer contract you signed does not involve any dividends, and the copyright fee of 3 million US dollars you received is a one-time sale. Subsequent benefits have nothing to do with you."

"I was deceived!" Jordan Belfort said anxiously, "I was deceived by that shameless Murphy Stanton. He promised me to participate in the screenwriting, and the screenwriter would enjoy dividends..."

The lawyer spread his hands, "There are no such clauses in the contract."

"These are verbal commitments!" Jordan Belfort emphasized. "Voice commitments!"

The lawyer didn't say anything more, but he clearly didn't believe his words. He is a lawyer who has been serving the Hollywood industry. He knows that Murphy Stanton has a very good reputation in this area, and he has always followed the principle of "pay for what you get". Unwritten rules, in comparison, the notorious guy opposite is a standard liar.

If it weren't for the considerable legal fees paid by Jordan Belfort, and the fact that this matter is feasible according to industry practice, he would not have accepted it.

Who was Jordan Belfort? He immediately understood the expression on the lawyer's face, and his nose was almost not crooked.

"I'm a liar, aren't I?" He couldn't help raising his voice, "How much did I cheat? Look at Murphy Stanton, "Man of Steel" cheated more than 200 million dollars from the audience. Dividends, "Inglourious Basterds" also has more than 100 million dollars, right? He is the real fraudster, and I am insignificant in front of him."

"It really doesn't matter."

This thought flashed through the lawyer's mind, and although he didn't say anything, he still followed, "No matter how you look at it, what you said is legal income."

Hearing this, Jordan Belfort got a little angry, "Are you my lawyer, or Murphy Stanton's lawyer?"

"I'm just talking about the facts." The lawyer was neither humble nor overbearing.

"You..." Jordan Belfort stretched out a hand unconsciously, pointing at the lawyer, just about to say something, but was interrupted by the lawyer, "Mr. Belfort, let's get down to business."

Jordan Belfort forced the words back into his stomach, sat back on the sofa, and said, "Well, I don't want any dividends! But Murphy Stanton and the film "The Wolf of Wall Street" have violated my legal rights. rights and interests."

The lawyer took out a pen and notebook and asked, "What are the details?"

"Finally the end scene!" Jordan Belfort emphasized. "It doesn't match my autobiography, and I've rehabilitated, and he paints me as still a liar! It hurt my reputation, and I can fully sue he!"

"You do have that power."

Speaking of this, the lawyer reminded, "But Mr. Belfort, there are clear provisions in the entertainment laws of the United States. The facts on which film adaptations are based are not protected by copyright or trademark laws.

The parties have no rights to the facts experienced. There is no law that clearly stipulates that movies based on real people and real events must obtain the authorization of the parties concerned. "

"What?" Jordan Belfort didn't understand this before, and said in amazement, "How is this possible! Murphy Steinman has clearly violated my legal rights, can't I still pursue it?"

"It is the freedom of Hollywood and production companies to make movies, but only if the legal rights of individual citizens are not violated."

Hearing what the lawyer said, Jordan Belfort nodded slightly. This is the right way, and this is the only thing that is beneficial to him.

But the lawyer went on to say, "The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution provides for this aspect. Films as a way of expressing speech are naturally protected by it. If a film uses material derived from public records, such as news reports. , public information, official registration information, etc., its creation is not restricted. Also, if a film can get the authorization of a reporter reporting a certain event, it also has legal copyright.”

Jordan Belfort's relaxed expression immediately tightened up again.

The lawyer didn't stop talking, and continued, "According to what I've learned, Murphy Stanton has collected enough information about you to prove that the plot of the film is true. The authorization of the newspaper has also been supported by the court, if you want to rely on this aspect to sue him, the chance of winning is very small, not only will you not get money, but you may also lose a large amount of litigation costs."

This is not the era when Jordan Belfort was rampant, let alone the financial industry he is familiar with, and he has no support from interest groups behind him.

After thinking for a while, Jordan Belfort gradually calmed down, and said coldly, "Is there nothing I can do about that shameless liar Murphy Stanton?"

"This is exactly the service I can provide." The lawyer said confidently, "Mr. Belfort, this is why you came to me, isn't it?"

Jordan Belfort was silent for a long time, then nodded slightly, and said, "What can you do?"

The lawyer said slowly, "We still sue Murphy Stanton and his adaptation of "The Wolf of Wall Street" for violating your legal rights, and then demand an apology and compensation from the other party."

"Huh?" Jordan Belfort didn't know much about Hollywood, and couldn't figure out what the lawyer wanted to do. He couldn't help asking, "Didn't you reject me when I said this before?"

"Because you are suing for the sake of litigation, and I am not for litigation!" The lawyer could see that the former Wolf of Wall Street was outdated, so he had to explain, "The purpose of our lawsuit is to force Murphy Stanton to do something. Make concessions, settle with you out of court, and pay you a certain amount of compensation."

Jordan Belfort's eyes widened, "That's okay too?"

"Of course." The lawyer nodded vigorously, "In recent years, the number of infringement lawsuits suing Hollywood directors and producers has increased. Many directors have encountered real or false infringement lawsuits, but I have studied most cases, found a common denominator.”

"What do you have in common?" Jordan Belfort said through gritted teeth. "Is there another shameless person like Murphy Stanton in Hollywood?"

The lawyer looked up at Jordan Belfort. Murphy Stanton is indeed not a good person, but when it comes to credibility, this outdated guy is a hundred blocks away.

However, he is still a very professional lawyer, regardless of Jordan Belfort's words, continued, "In the cases I have studied, more than 99% of the people and companies ultimately choose to sue the plaintiff. Court settlement."

Jordan Belfort asked, "Why?"

The lawyer explained again, "These plaintiffs will reasonably control their greed and limit the compensation requested within a certain amount. In this way, compared with the cost of out-of-court settlement, the time cost of litigation And all kinds of expenses are even more expensive for the producer!"

"That is to say..." Jordan Belfort understood, "In order to save time and money, once we sue, Murphy Stanton will probably choose to settle with us out of court?"

The lawyer said confidently, "The probability of this is more than 80%. The time of big directors is very precious, and they want to hit the Oscars. Even if it is for Oscar nominations, they will compromise with us!"

Eighty percent?

Hearing this number, Jordan Belfort stood up and took a few steps. Eighty percent is already a very, very high probability.

"Are you sure?" he asked again.

"Very sure!" The lawyer analyzed carefully, "Murphy Stanton's work plan is basically that after a movie is released, he will soon start preparing for a new work. His time is very precious..."

He glanced at Jordan Belfort again, and didn't say 'Murphy Stanton sure wouldn't waste his time on someone like you'.

"That's good!" Jordan Belfort desperately needed money, and quickly made a decision, "We'll do it this way."

"There is one thing I need to declare in advance, Mr. Belfort." The lawyer said suddenly, "I know Murphy-Stanton's lawyer Robert, and I can communicate with him in private, so regardless of the amount of compensation after an out-of-court settlement is reached in the future How much, 50% of it belongs to my reward!"

"It's impossible!" Jordan Belfort refused without thinking, "I've already paid you a lot of legal fees."

The lawyer shook his head, "Let's put it this way, my private communication with lawyer Robert is the key. If you think you can hire other lawyers to do this, then please ask Gao Ming."

While speaking, he packed his briefcase and was about to stand up and say goodbye.

Jordan Belfort quickly raised his hand to stop him, and said, "May I think about it?"

"Of course." The lawyer smiled slightly, "Please hurry up, time is precious!"

"No later than tomorrow night," Jordan Belfort said. (to be continued)). If you like this work, you are welcome to come to the starting point () to vote, your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users please read here. )