‘Moana’ Trial Ends in Win for Disney as Company Is Cleared of Copyright Infringement

variety.com:

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer A jury on Monday sided with Disney in a copyright trial involving “Moana,” clearing the company of an infringement suit brought by a screenwriter.

The plaintiff, Buck Woodall, filed suit in 2020, alleging that “Moana” was based on his work entitled “Bucky the Wave Warrior.” After a two-week trial in federal court in Los Angeles, the eight-member jury found unanimously that Disney did not have access to the 2011 screenplay or earlier treatments.

The jury deliberated for less than three hours. Because the jurors ruled that the filmmakers did not have access to the script, they did not have to address the question of whether the two works are similar.

Woodall, who is based in New Mexico, alleged a series of similarities between his work and the original 2016 “Moana.” He argued that both projects involve teenagers who defy their parental orders to set off on a dangerous voyage and save a Polynesian island.