Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Harper Lee sues agent over To Kill a Mockingbird copyright
Guardian UK ^ | May 4, 2013 | David Batty

Posted on 05/04/2013 1:41:37 PM PDT by ConservativeStatement

Harper Lee, the author of To Kill A Mockingbird, has sued her literary agent for allegedly duping her into assigning him the copyright on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel.

In the lawsuit filed in federal court in Manhattan, Lee says Samuel Pinkus, the son-in-law of Lee's long-time agent, Eugene Winick, took advantage of her failing hearing and eyesight to transfer the rights on the book, which has sold more than 30 million copies worldwide and became an Oscar-winning film.

The 87-year-old says she has no memory of agreeing to relinquish her rights or signing the agreement that cements the purported transfer.

(Excerpt) Read more at guardian.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: book; books; copyright; harperlee; lawsuit; lee; literature; nosympathy; tkam; tokillamockingbird; toobad; workmore
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-99 next last
To: billorites

There are other southern writers who have done the same....the guy who wrote Forest Gump....I believe has only written two books in his life.


21 posted on 05/04/2013 2:09:29 PM PDT by pepsionice
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: ClearCase_guy

It’s the other way around. Harper Lee wrote Capote’s books.

She didn’t like the limelight, but he did. He was her beard or frontman.

She finally wrote one book under her own name instead of his. She still didn’t like the limelight.

I know her attorney who discovered the senior fraud. Sad. A dirty son-in-law of her original agent.

Harper Lee still has some secrets...just not to tell.


22 posted on 05/04/2013 2:09:32 PM PDT by Southack (Media Bias means that Castro won't be punished for Cuban war crimes against Black Angolans in Africa)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: Perdogg

23 posted on 05/04/2013 2:11:50 PM PDT by JoeProBono (A closed mouth gathers no feet - Mater tua caligas exercitus gerit ;-{)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: Perdogg

You can see Capote’s true writing style in the telegrams that he sent while researching In Cold Blood. His telegrams were hip, cool, personal, flippant, obsequious, and over the top.

In Cold Blood was cold and level. Serious.

In contrast, when you see Harper Lee’s personal notes, her private writing style matches To Kill A Mockingbird.


24 posted on 05/04/2013 2:14:53 PM PDT by Southack (Media Bias means that Castro won't be punished for Cuban war crimes against Black Angolans in Africa)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: pepsionice
There are other southern writers who have done the same....the guy who wrote Forest Gump....I believe has only written two books in his life.

Winston Groom? He has 18 books in publication and climbing.

25 posted on 05/04/2013 2:17:17 PM PDT by 0.E.O
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 21 | View Replies]

To: ClearCase_guy

She had one book in her. Period.

Several authors ought to stop at one book.


26 posted on 05/04/2013 2:30:45 PM PDT by onyx (Please Support Free Republic - Donate Monthly! If you want on Sarah Palin's Ping List, Let Me know!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: Borges

ping


27 posted on 05/04/2013 2:31:13 PM PDT by EveningStar ("What color is the sky in your world?" -- Frasier Crane)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Argus

Sure. For the 28 years that the law specified originally under the constitution.

Resting one’s laurels should have a finite fiscal viability. Get out and write more if you want to keep getting paid.

And this goes triple for corporations who buy copyrights.

I was pretty clear on my post originally. Any particular reason you chose to insinuate opposition to effectively perpetual copyright equates to opposition to all copyright? Should I and others also assume that you also accuse those of us who oppose illegal immigration of being opposed to all immigration? You are using the exact same technique.


28 posted on 05/04/2013 2:33:39 PM PDT by MrEdd (Heck? Geewhiz Cripes, thats the place where people who don't believe in Gosh think they aint going.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: ClearCase_guy

Me too! I have always thought so.
***********

Personally, I think Truman Capote wrote it.


29 posted on 05/04/2013 2:37:15 PM PDT by kabumpo (Kabumpo)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: MrEdd

No, copyright should be at least for the life of the writer; to compare a book to a bridge is ludicrous.


30 posted on 05/04/2013 2:40:02 PM PDT by kabumpo (Kabumpo)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: goodwithagun

Really? Which ones? That in a case of a black on white rape allegation, the black man is always a noble innocent, and the white woman is an illiterate obese low class slob?


31 posted on 05/04/2013 2:43:24 PM PDT by kabumpo (Kabumpo)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: ConservativeStatement

Good grief! Where was her personal Atticus?
This smacks of elder abuse.


32 posted on 05/04/2013 2:46:10 PM PDT by Liberty Valance (Keep a simple manner for a happy life :o)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: 0.E.O
Lee spent months in Kansas with Capote while he was researching "In Cold Blood'

There's a quite good movie about it..."Infamous"..Sandra Bullock plays Harper Lee, and the guy who plays Capote has him down cold..

33 posted on 05/04/2013 2:52:38 PM PDT by ken5050 (Not every Muslim is a terrorist, but just about every terrorist is a Muslim..)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: ConservativeStatement

I don’t know whether this will end up being a jury trial or not, but if it were and I was on it—Samuel Pinkus would need to be prepared to part with a huge quantity of his money (both existing and future earnings), I can’t stand people who take unfair advantage of other people and I absolutely despise people who take advantage of the elderly and infirm. What a creep!


34 posted on 05/04/2013 2:52:45 PM PDT by House Atreides
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ConservativeStatement

I saw the movie when I was very young — maybe eight or so. I did not like the troublemakers and just naturally took the side of the locals against the migrants. I refused to read the book when it was assigned in high school. I think I read Last of the Mohicans instead. James Fenimore Cooper — now there is a good guy.


35 posted on 05/04/2013 2:56:42 PM PDT by Born to Conserve
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ConservativeStatement

In many states, taking advantage of the elderly for financial gain is a pretty nasty felony...


36 posted on 05/04/2013 2:56:48 PM PDT by piytar (The predator-class is furious that their prey are shooting back.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ClearCase_guy

Given his track record, I would of said Bill Ayers, except “To Kill a Mockingbird” actually has a substantial moral core to it.


37 posted on 05/04/2013 2:58:59 PM PDT by Stosh
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: Born to Conserve

Are you thinking of ‘The Grapes of Wrath’?


38 posted on 05/04/2013 3:01:53 PM PDT by Borges
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 35 | View Replies]

To: kabumpo
Your post #31.

..... That in the case of a black on white rape allegation, the black man is always a noble innocent, and the white woman is an illiterate obese low class slob?

The father of the woman is pictured as a low life alcoholic degenerate. Full name of fictional character is:

Robert E. Lee Ewell.

Not much more need be said. However we may never know how much the author wanted to please the likes of the left and their wallowing in "white guilt".

39 posted on 05/04/2013 3:07:32 PM PDT by Peter Libra
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 31 | View Replies]

To: kabumpo

Lee is very subtle with the conservative slant of the novel. It takes several readings to figure his out. When Mrs. Dubose says horrible things to the kids, Atticus does not say anything to her but tells his kids she has the right to say what she wants. That is when we discuss the constitutionality of hate crimes. In his closing argument Atticus tells the jury that all men aren’t created equal, that some men are more talented than others, some ladies make better cakes, etc.; however, he does stress that it is the courtroom in which all men truely are equal. This is when we discuss hiring and college acceptance quotas. Lee is brutal on modern education methods, which Jem incorrectly refers to as the Dewey Decimal System. Miss Caroline tells Scout her father is not qualified to teach as he does not have her degree. Sound familiar? Jem’s treehouse experiment fails when his father severs his supply line. Jem would have stayed in his treehouse for days as long as Scout kept bringing him food and water and doing his chores for him. This incident comes right after we learn Bob Ewell’s kids starve because he drinks their relief check. Scout suggests he stop getting one but Atticus tells her people feel sorry for the kids. Lee exposes here how welfare accomplishes the exactly the opposite of its intent. Mr. Underwood can’t stand black people and won’t have one near him yet he helps Atticus defend Tom Robinson from the lynch mob. At this point we discuss that it’s okay to disagree with or not accept someone (think homosexuality or gun control), but that does not give us the right to harm somebody because of their beliefs. Only the most ignorant people in the novel use the derogatory “n” word, at which point we discuss its intent and use in modern hip hop. I also take the opportunity to explain who started the KKK and why it was started, as well as who supported civil rights and who didn’t. We talk about the injustice of the Duke case and the issues that surround the rape case at our own school. I could continue with the conservativeness of the novel, but I have to get dinner on the table.


40 posted on 05/04/2013 3:19:43 PM PDT by goodwithagun (My gun has killed fewer people than Ted Kennedy's car.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 31 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-99 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson