[CowboyCurtis]

I know this is old news, and I know it's been brought up elsewhere, but my God, why couldn't have Gurney sued Lucas for stealing intellectual property!!! You KNOW Lucas would've done it in a heartbeat if someone was "borrowing" ideas from him. You KNOW he would!!!! What a %$#$^ing thief!!! My respect was at an all time low for the man, this is lower than low!!! This proves that the man hasn't had an original idea since after ESB. He alienated anyone who worked with him on the first two films, and divorced his wife who was the best filter for all of his ideas. Sometimes I wish 20th Century Fox had had more control over the rights of the films and taken over... things might have been a little bit better. We'll never know, though, will we.

I mean, not only the parade, but the waterfall city---right down to a plot in Gurney's story where their SUB is attacked by a GIGANTIC FISH!!!!!!

I know George borrowed from other films and comics, etc. to make the early Star Wars, but at least they had been around awhile. Him ripping off of something so recent speaks of him being desperate for ideas to make TPM. I can just see him frantically looking around the house and goes into his kid's room... "Ideas, need ideas! Where can I get ideas... waaaait... What's this? Dinotopia, hmmmm..."

Thank goodness he didn't pick up "Dora the Explorer."

Then Lucas doesn't even ask Gurney for permission. He tells him when the film is finished---and RIGHT BEFORE HE PREMIERES IT!!!! GOD DAMN YOU LUCAS!!!

If it was my intellectual property, and I would have had your ass in a sling long ago!!! Dumbass! Jerk!

You're lucky Gurney was an easy going pacifist goofball.

[miladyblue]

You're lucky Gurney was an easy going pacifist goofball.

It might also be that Gurney (I know nothing about Dinotopia) might have decided that it was not worth the court battle. GL is rich enough that he can afford the best lawyers, and the court battle would have drained Gurney dry long before he (?) ever saw a dime.

Art Buchwald took on Paramount Pictures, successfully, over a claim of plagiarism against the Eddie Murphy movie, "Coming to America." He won, but supposedly Paramount's accountants were able to show that the movie, despite making $ 100 million, was a loss for Paramount's box office. Art Buchwald was already established and respected as a writer in the business long before this movie came out, so it is not like he was a publicity seeking hack.

Of course, maybe GL quietly worked out some sort of financial compensation for Gurney, or Gurney was flattered by the use of his ideas in a Star Wars movie.

Weirder things have happened!

[georgelucas4greedo]

Of course, maybe GL quietly worked out some sort of financial compensation for Gurney, or Gurney was flattered by the use of his ideas in a Star Wars movie.

I was thinking the same thing. I mean if George Lucas was inspired by you, you would flaunt it. Furthermore, the visuals, and not plot, made up most of the alleged plagarism. The only loser in this scenario is TPM, because it sucked.

This post has been edited by georgelucas4greedo: 26 July 2006 - 01:38 PM

[StarWarsIsUs]

I haven't heard of that until now! That's freaking 'Woaw!'

How did Lucas even pick up on the idea for all of that anyway? What multi-millionaire director reads Dinotopia? There's not a problem with that in and of itself... but you when you steal ideas from something like that... it is weak. Very weak.

I think I dislike TPM even more now. If that was possible.

This post has been edited by StarWarsIsUs: 26 July 2006 - 09:18 PM

[CowboyCurtis]

His kids had the book. He was reading them to Jett at bedtime.

And, yes, Gurney was apparently impressed that Lucas liked his work, but this still does not reflect well on Lucas one damn bit. You just know he was desperate for TPM ideas and he saw those books.

I probably should not be wound up over this, but I use to have respect for this man. Now I have NO respect. Seriously, I'm an artist. I worked as a caricature artist at a theme park. I drew a caricature of X-Files, and not more than a week later, the boss drew the EXACT same caricature. Exact same pose, exact same funny scenario in it. I was livid! The other artists thought that was bad form, too. It's no big thing now, but it's the same thing here. The old boss didn't have a single fresh idea to do the X-Files characters in a different pose or scenario, no he had to rip off another artist's idea.

There is no doubt in my mind that Gurney would've won that court battle.

So---ZERO--hell, NEGATIVE respect for George Lucas.

And you know what, I would have more respect if he had publicly said, "Oh, I had a lot of inspiration from Gurney's book," but the fathead didn't even do that. He acts like it was all his. The guy is pure scum. I hope his gouty neck consumes him.

Someone really needs to take Lucas down a few hundred pegs.

This post has been edited by CowboyCurtis: 27 July 2006 - 07:58 AM