Universal asked a judge to dismiss MGM and Danjaq’s lawsuit regarding “Section 6,” a spy movie the studio has in development. MGM and Danjaq are accusing Universal and screenwriter Aaron Berg of ripping off their James Bond franchise.
In a new motion filed Tuesday, Universal says that claim is absurd.
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“In an effort to claim an unfounded monopoly on the British spy genre, and to scare away Universal and any other would-be competitors to James Bond, Plaintiffs rushed to file this needless action,” the motion said.
Universal claims the plaintiffs have no proof of direct infringement and are engaging in speculation based on an earlier draft of the script. MGM and Danjaq remain convinced that Universal will not make substantive changes to the script and want to look at the ongoing work. Universal has no intention of showing them, unless the judge enforces it.
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In the motion, Universal asks the judge to end the conflict, leaving the door open for MGM and Danjaq to take legal action should the final script infringe upon any copyrights.
Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.