Sony’s Woody Allen Film the Target of William Faulkner Copyright Case

Last month, Faulkner Literary Rights filed a copyright case against Sony Pictures Classics, accusing Sony of infringing a quote from William Faulkner's book, Requiem for a Nun.  The original quote, "The past is never dead. It's not even past," was allegedly used in Woody Allen's movie, Midnight in Paris.

According to the complaint, the movie's main character speaks the infringing lines:

The past is not dead! Actually, it's not even past. You know who said that? Faulkner. And he was right. And I met him, too. I ran into him at a dinner party.

Sony allegedly did not seek nor receive permission before creating, publishing and/or distributing the film. The complaint goes on to allege that use of the infringing quote and Faulkner's name is likely to cause confusion as to a perceived affiliation between William Faulkner and Sony.  

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