Issue No. 071 · Story 01 · October 30, 2026

Screenwriter Sues Alexander Payne Over The Holdovers

On October 28, screenwriter Simon Stephenson sued Alexander Payne and other defendants in federal court, alleging The Holdovers copied protected expression from his screenplay Frisco. He alleges Payne read Frisco in 2013 and 2019 and passed both times. As of October 30, no court has decided the merits.

§Stephenson alleges 46 corresponding incidents across the works, including 24 in the same order.
§He separately alleges Payne removed or altered the title and author information on copies of Frisco.
§He seeks damages, defendants' profits and injunctions against further exploitation of material he says was copied.

THE TAKEAWAY

Stephenson alleges Payne removed or altered the title and author information on copies of Frisco, raising the question of whether that counts as removing copyright management information.

Filing: ESCA Filings

Same issue

SAG-AFTRA Backs Copyright Owners in OpenAI Case

On October 29, SAG-AFTRA and three other unions moved to file a brief supporting copyright owners in the federal case against OpenAI. The proposed brief argues that unlicensed AI training harms creative workers who rely on licensing revenue. As of October 30, the court has not ruled on the motion, and no court has decided fair use in this case.

Sutter Home Loses Its Bandit Trademark Win

On October 29, a federal appeals court issued an unpublished, nonprecedential memorandum reversing Sutter Home's summary judgment win against Roar Spirits and sending the trademark registration dispute back. Sutter Home opposed Roar's tequila mark applications, claiming likely confusion with its BANDIT mark. As of October 30, no final determination on likelihood of confusion has been made.

Trademark

Go Pack Go Lacks Copyright Protection in McMillan's Appeal

On October 28, the Seventh Circuit affirmed dismissal of Calvin McMillan's copyright complaint against the NFL and Wisconsin Department of Revenue. He alleged lottery tickets copied phrases from Pack Attack and Go Pack Go without authorization. The nonprecedential order held he offered no proof of registration, which was his burden, and the brief phrases lacked copyright protection.