Paramount is 'seemingly steamrolling the little guy' as studio faces 'Top Gun' lawsuit, legal expert says

foxnews.com:

"Top Gun: Maverick," although extremely successful, grossing around $295 million at the domestic box office, now has a legal battle on their hands.

Paramount was hit with a copyright lawsuit by the family of the author behind the original story used for the "Top Gun."  A spokesperson from Paramount Pictures told FOX News Digital, "these claims are without merit, and we will defend ourselves vigorously."  The lawsuit was filed by Shosh and Yuval Yonay on Monday in California.The Yonays are the heirs of Ehud Yonay, the author of the 1983 article "Top Guns." The storyline for the original "Top Gun" film was based off the article.

Tom Cruise is pictured here at the UK Premiere "Top Gun: Maverick." Cruise is not being personally sued.  (Photo by Joseph Okpako/WireImage) "It’s definitely an interesting case, given it's a much-loved property with a high-profile cast and massive budget." entertainment lawyer Rod Lindblom, who is not involved with the lawsuit, told FOX News Digital. "As a practitioner, I will definitely be watching to see how some of the case-specific issues are adjudicated over the next several years, as it will have a big impact on an area of law that is currently in flux," he continued. "But the main takeaway is that the studios need to take reversion of rights claims much more seriously. "Why would a studio with a valuable franchise or iconic piece of intellectual property, which it is going to sink hundreds of millions of dollars into, not keep the financial peace with potential rights holders?" pondered Lindblom. "The whole ‘ask for forgiveness later’ idea is a pretty bad look when you’re talking about a massive studio seemingly steamrolling the little guy."  Greg Tarzan Davis, Tom Cruise and Jennifer.