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Message: <blockquote data-quote="billd91" data-source="post: 1137940" data-attributes="member: 3400">Would the Lovecraft estate, or Arkham House Publishing depending on who has the rights, complain about a book of dark knowledge? Depends. Is the book of dark knowledge written by a mad arab who writes about alien gods and is then ripped apart in public by invisible demons? If so, I would hope they'd sue. Otherwise, books of dark knowledge aren't exactly unique. It's the details that make it infringement and not the generalities. Now, with respect to the movie vs WW, I'm not so sure the consensus is that WW isn't being ripped off. I think we can agree, generally, that the general trappings of werewolves and vampires aren't all that unique. It's the actual screenplay of the movie compared to the short story that will be the most important in the courts. If they are close enough that a jury would find it unreasonable for the movie's story developers/ screenwriters to not have been influenced by the short story, then WW should be rewarded with due damages. And from the discussion here, there really aren't that many people familiar with the story chiming in. The ones who have, second hand for the most part, said that it's pretty close. If you get to the point that the story is ripped off, then the other points of similarity help to show that it was lifted a bit more whole cloth rather than piecemeal elements. I suspect that would allow WW to claim greater due damages because it would show greater blatant disregard on Sony's part.I'm not familiar with the story, myself, but claiming that it's a variant on Romeo and Juliet isn't really a defense since the injection of the werewolves, vampires, and specific plot elements (like the master vampire coming out of slumber to settle things, various specific killings) could still be protected even if the Romeo/Juliet-West Side Story-kids getting it on from rival clans/gang general element is unprotected old hat.I'd like to hear more from people who have both seen the movie and read the story.</blockquote>

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