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By Jonathan Stempel Jan 2 (Reuters) – A federal appeals court ruled on Friday that the 2022 Tom Cruise blockbuster "Top Gun: Maverick" did not infringe a magazine article that inspired the original 1986 "Top Gun" film. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Pasadena, California said "Maverick," from Paramount Pictures, was not substantially similar to "Top Guns," a 1983 article by Ehud Yonay about the U.S. Navy's Top Gun fighter pilot training school in San Diego.  Yonay gave Paramount rights to his article that year for the original "Top Gun," and was credited in the film. His widow Shosh Yonay and son Yuval Yonay, heirs to his copyright, terminated the license in 2020 and said they deserved some profits from "Maverick," whose $1.5 billion worldwide gross is the 14th highest ever according to Box Office Mojo. "Maverick" is also Cruise's highest-grossing film. Lawyers for the Yonays did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Paramount, part of Paramount Skydance, said it was pleased that the appeals court "recognized that plaintiffs' claims were completely without merit." The Yonays, both from Israel, said "Maverick" shared plot, character, dialogue and thematic elements with "Top Guns," with both works depicting "what it takes to be the best of the best in fighter aviation." The three-judge appeals court panel said "Maverick" contained many significant plot elements not in "Top Guns," including a romantic subplot and Cruise's character, Navy Captain Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, returning to train younger pilots. It also said the Yonays described both works at "such a high level of abstraction" that the alleged similarities were not protectable. "Their claim of substantial similarity fails because what is protected is not similar, and what is similar is not protected," Circuit Judge Eric Miller wrote. The panel added that Paramount was not required to credit Ehud Yonay in "Maverick" because his 1983 agreement did not cover the film. Friday's decision upheld an April 2024 dismissal by U.S. District Judge Percy Anderson in Los Angeles. Paramount is also defending against a lawsuit in New York by screenwriter Shaun Gray, who said he wrote several scenes that appeared in "Maverick" and deserves some of its profits. Jury selection is scheduled for March 9. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Bill Berkrot)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

By Jonathan Stempel Jan 2 (Reuters) – A federal appeals court ruled on Friday that the 2022 Tom Cruise blockbuster "Top Gun: Maverick" did not infringe a magazine article that inspired the original 1986 "Top Gun" film. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Pasadena, California said "Maverick," from Paramount Pictures, was not substantially similar to "Top Guns," a 1983 article by Ehud Yonay about the U.S. Navy's Top Gun fighter pilot training school in San Diego.  Yonay gave Paramount rights to his article that year for the original "Top Gun," and was credited in the film. His widow Shosh Yonay and son Yuval Yonay, heirs to his copyright, terminated the license in 2020 and said they deserved some profits from "Maverick," whose $1.5 billion worldwide gross is the 14th highest ever according to Box Office Mojo. "Maverick" is also Cruise's highest-grossing film. Lawyers for the Yonays did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Paramount, part of Paramount Skydance, and its lawyers did not immediately respond to similar requests. The Yonays, both from Israel, said "Maverick" shared plot, character, dialogue and thematic elements with "Top Guns," with both works depicting "what it takes to be the best of the best in fighter aviation." The three-judge appeals court panel said "Maverick" contained many significant plot elements not in "Top Guns," including a romantic subplot and Cruise's character, Navy Captain Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, returning to train younger pilots. It also said the Yonays described both works at "such a high level of abstraction" that the alleged similarities were not protectable. "Their claim of substantial similarity fails because what is protected is not similar, and what is similar is not protected," Circuit Judge Eric Miller wrote. The panel added that Paramount was not required to credit Ehud Yonay in "Maverick" because his 1983 agreement did not cover the film. Friday's decision upheld an April 2024 dismissal by U.S. District Judge Percy Anderson in Los Angeles. Paramount is also defending against a lawsuit in New York by screenwriter Shaun Gray, who said he wrote several scenes that appeared in "Maverick" and deserves some of its profits. Jury selection is scheduled for March 9. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Bill Berkrot)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

By Jonathan Stempel Jan 2 (Reuters) – A federal appeals court ruled on Friday that the 2022 Tom Cruise blockbuster "Top Gun: Maverick" did not infringe a magazine article that inspired the original 1986 "Top Gun" film. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Pasadena, California said "Maverick," from Paramount Pictures, was not substantially similar to "Top Guns," a 1983 article by Ehud Yonay about the U.S. Navy's Top Gun fighter pilot training school in San Diego.  Yonay gave Paramount rights to his article that year for the original "Top Gun," and was credited in the film. His widow Shosh Yonay and son Yuval Yonay, heirs to his copyright, terminated the license in 2020 and said they deserved some profits from "Maverick," whose $1.5 billion worldwide gross is the 14th highest ever according to Box Office Mojo. "Maverick" is also Cruise's highest-grossing film. Lawyers for the Yonays did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Paramount, part of Paramount Skydance, and its lawyers did not immediately respond to similar requests. The Yonays, both from Israel, said "Maverick" shared plot, character, dialogue and thematic elements with "Top Guns," with both works depicting "what it takes to be the best of the best in fighter aviation." The three-judge appeals court panel said "Maverick" contained many significant plot elements not in "Top Guns," including a romantic subplot and Cruise's character, Navy Captain Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, returning to train younger pilots. It also said the Yonays described both works at "such a high level of abstraction" that the alleged similarities were not protectable. "Their claim of substantial similarity fails because what is protected is not similar, and what is similar is not protected," Circuit Judge Eric Miller wrote. The panel added that Paramount was not required to credit Ehud Yonay in "Maverick" because his 1983 agreement did not cover the film. Friday's decision upheld an April 2024 dismissal by U.S. District Judge Percy Anderson in Los Angeles. Paramount is also defending against a lawsuit in New York by screenwriter Shaun Gray, who said he wrote several scenes that appeared in "Maverick" and deserves some of its profits. Jury selection is scheduled for March 9. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Bill Berkrot)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

By Jonathan Stempel Jan 2 (Reuters) – A federal appeals court ruled on Friday that the 2022 Tom Cruise blockbuster "Top Gun: Maverick" did not infringe a magazine article that inspired the original 1986 "Top Gun" film. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Pasadena, California said "Maverick," from Paramount Pictures, was not substantially similar to "Top Guns," a 1983 article by Ehud Yonay about the U.S. Navy's Top Gun fighter pilot training school in San Diego.  Yonay gave Paramount rights to his article that year for the original "Top Gun," and was credited in the film. His widow Shosh Yonay and son Yuval Yonay, heirs to his copyright, terminated the license in 2020 and said they deserved some profits from "Maverick," whose $1.5 billion worldwide gross is the 14th highest ever according to Box Office Mojo. "Maverick" is also Cruise's highest-grossing film. Lawyers for the Yonays did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Paramount, part of Paramount Skydance, and its lawyers did not immediately respond to similar requests. The Yonays, both from Israel, said "Maverick" shared plot, character, dialogue and thematic elements with "Top Guns," with both works depicting "what it takes to be the best of the best in fighter aviation." The three-judge appeals court panel said "Maverick" contained many significant plot elements not in "Top Guns," including a romantic subplot and Cruise's character, Navy Captain Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, returning to train younger pilots. It also said the Yonays described both works at "such a high level of abstraction" that the alleged similarities were not protectable. "Their claim of substantial similarity fails because what is protected is not similar, and what is similar is not protected," Circuit Judge Eric Miller wrote. The panel added that Paramount was not required to credit Ehud Yonay in "Maverick" because his 1983 agreement did not cover the film. Friday's decision upheld an April 2024 dismissal by U.S. District Judge Percy Anderson in Los Angeles. Paramount is also defending against a lawsuit in New York by screenwriter Shaun Gray, who said he wrote several scenes that appeared in "Maverick" and deserves some of its profits. Jury selection is scheduled for March 9. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Bill Berkrot)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

MILAN, Jan 2 (Reuters) – Italian singer and songwriter Laura Pausini will be among the headline performers at the opening ceremony of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, organisers said on Friday.  Pausini, one of Italy's most internationally acclaimed artists, is credited with helping to bring the country's music to a global audience. She has won a Grammy, five Latin Grammy Awards, a Golden Globe and earned an Oscar nomination during a career spanning more than three decades. The Milano Cortina Games opening ceremony will take place on February 6 at Milan's San Siro Stadium. Created and produced by Balich Wonder Studio, the event will feature performances by international artists like American pop superstar Mariah Carey alongside elements celebrating Italian culture and innovation.  Pausini "embodies the concept of Harmony", the central theme of the ceremony, and her music represents a meeting point between tradition and modernity, between Italian roots and an international outlook, organisers said in a statement. The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will be staged across northern Italy, with events hosted in Milan, Cortina d'Ampezzo and other venues in Lombardy, Veneto and Trentino-Alto Adige.  The Games will run from February 6 to 22. (Reporting by Gianluca Semeraro, editing by Pritha Sarkar)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

SEOUL, Jan 1 (Reuters) – K-Pop sensation BTS will return with a new album on March 20, followed by a world tour, the boy band's agency said on Thursday. The album will be the first released by the seven-member group in more than three years since the 2022 anthology album "Proof", the group's agency Big Hit Music, a unit of HYBE, said in a statement. BTS' activities as a group had been on hiatus as the members carried out South Korea's mandatory military service in turn. (Reporting by Joyce Lee; Editing by Chris Reese)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

SEOUL, Jan 1 (Reuters) – K-Pop sensation BTS will return with a new album on March 20, followed by a world tour, the boy band's agency said on Thursday. The album will be the first released by the seven-member group in more than three years since the 2022 anthology album "Proof", the group's agency Big Hit Music, a unit of HYBE, said in a statement. BTS' activities as a group had been on hiatus as the members carried out South Korea's mandatory military service in turn. (Reporting by Joyce Lee; Editing by Chris Reese)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

SEOUL, Jan 1 (Reuters) – K-Pop sensation BTS will return with a new album on March 20, followed by a world tour, the boy band's agency said on Thursday. The album will be the first released by the seven-member group in more than three years since the 2022 anthology album "Proof", the group's agency Big Hit Music, a unit of HYBE, said in a statement. BTS' activities as a group had been on hiatus as the members carried out South Korea's mandatory military service in turn. (Reporting by Joyce Lee; Editing by Chris Reese)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

Dec 31 (Reuters) – Walt Disney Animation Studios' "Zootopia 2" surpassed 2019's "Frozen 2" to become its highest-grossing film ever, the company said on Wednesday, marking a bright spot in a year when global box office continues to trail pre-pandemic levels. The animated sequel is the fifth Walt Disney Animation Studios film to cross $1 billion globally, grossing around $1.46 billion at the box office after its strong U.S. Thanksgiving weekend opening. The film's success has been fueled by an extraordinary reception in China, where "Zootopia 2" has grossed over $560 million. The sequel dominated its opening weekend in China, capturing approximately 95% of all movie ticket sales. "Zootopia 2" launched Hollywood's crucial holiday season with an estimated $556 million in global ticket sales in the opening weekend. The film reunites rabbit police officer Judy Hopps and her fox partner Nick Wilde in a new adventure through the bustling animal metropolis. With global box office still falling short of pre-pandemic 2019 levels, the sequel's success has been a welcome relief to the studio and theater owners banking on packed shows during the year's second-busiest moviegoing season. (Reporting by Harshita Mary Varghese in Bengaluru; Editing by Vijay Kishore)

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Dec 31 (Reuters) – Netflix's Christmas Day National Football League broadcasts set new records, with the Detroit Lions vs the Minnesota Vikings becoming the most-streamed NFL game in the United States, the streaming giant said on Wednesday. The Lions vs Vikings game drew 27.5 million viewers on average in the U.S., with viewership peaking at over 30 million, the company said, citing data from Nielsen. The first game, the Dallas Cowboys vs the Washington Commanders, averaged 19.9 million viewers in the U.S. The NFL is the most popular professional league in the U.S., with games regularly drawing tens of millions of viewers on traditional broadcast networks. CBS's broadcast of the Kansas City Chiefs vs the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day drew 57.2 million viewers, according to Nielsen. The Netflix broadcasts extend the NFL's push for global dominance. Netflix struck a deal last year to stream the league's games on Christmas Day through 2026. Live sports programming is key to Netflix's push to build out its ad-supported subscription tier, with advertisers paying premium rates for placements during events that attract large, loyal audiences. Netflix said last month that ads on its platform have reached over 190 million monthly active viewers (MAVs) globally. (Reporting by Harshita Mary Varghese in Bengaluru; Editing by Tasim Zahid)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)