Month: September 2022

Rocket Report: SLS launch targeted for late September, unique view of Falcon 9

“I cannot see a rebuild of the cooperation we had in the past.”

An Ariane 5 rocket takes off on Wednesday evening from Kourou, French Guiana.

Enlarge / An Ariane 5 rocket takes off on Wednesday evening from Kourou, French Guiana. (credit: ESA)

Welcome to Edition 5.10 of the Rocket Report! There is much, and more, happening in the world of lift with Firefly set to make a second launch its Alpha rocket, and NASA still attempting to make a first launch of its Space Launch System booster. Word of warning: There may not be a Rocket Report next week as I will be traveling on assignment.

As always, we welcome reader submissions, and if you don't want to miss an issue, please subscribe using the box below (the form will not appear on AMP-enabled versions of the site). Each report will include information on small-, medium-, and heavy-lift rockets as well as a quick look ahead at the next three launches on the calendar.

Inside the long, drawn-out battle for Georgia's spaceport. In a lengthy feature article, NBC news explores the long, seven-year battle in Georgia to develop a spaceport that would launch rockets over two barrier islands. Remarkably, with an annual budget of just $57 million, Camden County has so far spent $12 million in taxpayer money on the heretofore futile effort. “We’re paying taxes year after year after year for the spaceport, but nothing has materialized,” said Camden resident Steve Weinkle, who has become one of the most vocal opponents of the project. “This is our ‘bridge to nowhere.’"

Read 24 remaining paragraphs | Comments

Tarantino and Miramax Settle Copyright Lawsuit Over “Pulp Fiction” NFTs

Quentin Tarantino and Miramax have settled their copyright infringement lawsuit over the “Pulp Fiction” NFT project. The film studio accused the director of using copyrighted materials, including the screenplay, without owning all the rights. The settlement details are not public but both parties say that they might collaborate to release more NFTs in the future.

From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

tarantino nftLast fall, movie director Quentin Tarantino announced that he would auction ‘Pulp Fiction’ NFTs to the public.

These NFTs would unlock handwritten scripts and exclusive custom commentary from Tarantino, assets that many fans would like to get their hands on.

NFTs are not without copyright issues, however, as Quentin Tarantino swiftly discovered. Movie studio Miramax, which owns most of the rights to the film, sees the plan as a contract breach and copyright infringement.

NFT Copyright Battle

In a lawsuit filed at a California federal court last November, the movie company accused the director of attempting to cash in on something to which he doesn’t own the full rights.

“Eager to cash in on the non-fungible token (‘NFT’) boom, as widely reported in the media, Quentin Tarantino recently announced plans to auction off seven ‘exclusive scenes’ from the 1994 motion picture Pulp Fiction in the form of NFTs,” the complaint read.

Despite this legal dispute, the first NFT was put up for auction early this year, selling for over a million dollars. Follow-up token auctions were halted soon after but the lawsuit continued.

Settlement

In June, Tarantino’s legal team asked the court to dismiss the case. This request was actively fought by Miramax. Behind the scenes, however, both sides also tried to reach agreement.

Last week, Tarantino and Miramax came together for a full-day settlement discussion, led by mediation firm Signature Resolution. While some progress was made, both parties informed the court that the case hadn’t been settled.

A week later, the movie director and film studio have now reached an agreement. A few hours ago, they filed an official notice of settlement at the California federal court.

“The parties have settled this case and expect to file their dismissal papers within two weeks,” their settlement notice reads.

settle

More Tarantino NFTs?

The settlement details have not been shared in public but via a press statement, both parties suggest that more NFTs may be released in the future. If that’s the case, Miramax will likely get part of the cut.

“The parties have agreed to put this matter behind them and look forward to collaborating with each other on future projects, including possible NFTs,” Tarantino and Miramax comment.

With the settlement, the legal battle is effectively over. The official TarantinoNFT website remains online at the time of writing. The same can’t be said for the Twitter account, which quietly disappeared a few months ago.

Miramax used the website and the Twitter account as evidence in court, as they both posted copyrighted imagery from the Pulp Fiction film. The website was later updated to show images from Tarantino only, while the potentially infringing tweets were deleted at the same time.

From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.