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PEOPLE & ARTS Monday 26 June 2017
Writer sues Tupac filmmakers, alleges copyright infringement

By MESFIN FEKADU character Nigel is based tures did not immediately
AP Music Writer on a character Powell respond to the same email
NEW YORK (AP) — A maga- wrote about in one of his request for comment sent
zine writer has filed a copy- magazine articles. The suit to Lionsgate. Powell’s law-
right infringement lawsuit says the character is based yer, Keith White, said his
against the creators of the on Jacques “Haitian Jack” client’s “exclusive and in-
new Tupac Shakur biopic, Agnant. timate access” to Shakur
saying that portions of the “There are stories with fic- was the result of trust he’d
film are based on his arti- tional characters and re- established over the years.
cles about the late rapper. worked narratives that are “The narrative that Kevin
Kevin Powell says in the unique to the Original Work developed from many in-
federal lawsuit filed Friday that appear in the Infring- tense and exclusive mo-
that “All Eyez On Me” bor- ing Work,” the suit said. ments with Tupac should
rows from articles he wrote “Rather than contact Plain- not have been used in any
and interviews he did with tiff, Defendants, while fully film without Kevin’s ap-
Shakur in the 1990s for Vibe aware of Plaintiff’s copy- proval and consultation,”
magazine. right in the Original Work, White said in a statement
The lawsuit says, for in- willfully and improperly de- Saturday.
stance, the film’s fictional veloped, produced, filmed “All Eyez On Me” debuted
and released the Infringing last weekend at No. 3 with
$27.1 million. Critics have
Like Work derived from Plain- panned the movie and
Like
tiff’s Original Work.”
Jada Pinkett Smith, a close
Powell is suing Lionsgate,
us on Program Pictures, Morgan friend of Shakur’s, contra-
us on
dicted several scenes in
Creek Pictures as well as
the film and called her por-
Facebook producers and screen- trayal “deeply hurtful.”
Facebook
writers of the film. A rep-
Shakur, one of the most
resentative for Lionsgate
prolific figures in hip-hop,
Bon Dia 24 Aruba declined to comment Sat- In this Aug. 15, 1996, file photo, rapper Tupac Shakur attends a died in 1996 from gunshot
voter registration event in South Central Los Angeles.
facebook.com/bondianoticia urday. Morgan Creek Pic- Associated Press wounds.q