BLACK AUTHOR WINS THE MATRIX COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT CASE

[Luminus]

Did anyone hear about this?

This little known story has met a just conclusion, as Sophia Stewart, African American author of The Matrix will finally receive her just due from the copyright infringement of her original work!!!
A six-year dispute has ended involving Sophia Stewart, the Wachowski Brothers, Joel Silver and Warner Brothers. Stewart’s allegations, involving copyright infringement and racketeering, were received and acknowledged by the Central District of California, Judge Margaret Morrow presiding.
Stewart, a New Yorker who has resided in Salt Lake City for the past five years, will recover damages from the films, The Matrix I, II and III, as well as The Terminator and its sequels.

She will soon receive one of the biggest payoffs in the history of Hollywood, as the gross receipts of both films and their sequels total over 2.5 billion dollars. Stewart filed her case in 1999, after viewing the Matrix, which she felt had been based on her manuscript, ‘The Third Eye,’ copyrighted in 1981. In the mid-eighties Stewart had submitted her manuscript to an ad placed by the Wachowski Brothers, requesting new sci-fi works..

According to court documentation, an FBI investigation discovered that more than thirty minutes had been edited from the original film, in an attempt to avoid penalties for copyright infringement. The investigation
also stated that ‘credible witnesses employed at Warner Brothers came forward, claiming that the executives and lawyers had full knowledge that the work in question did not belong to the Wachowski Brothers.’ These
witnesses claimed to have seen Stewart’s original work and that it had been ‘often used during preparation of the motion pictures..’ The defendants tried, on several occasions, to have Stewart’s case dismissed, without success.

Stewart has confronted skepticism on all sides, much of which comes from Matrix fans, who are strangely loyal to the Wachowski Brothers. One on-line forum, entitled Matrix Explained has an entire section devoted to Stewart. Some who have researched her history and writings are open to her story.

Others are suspicious and mocking. ‘It doesn’t bother me,’ said Stewart in a phone interview last week, ‘I always knew what was true.’Some fans, are unaware of the case or they question its legitimacy, due to
the fact that it has received little to no media coverage. Though the case was not made public until October of 2003, Stewart has her own explanation, as quoted at aghettotymz.com :
‘The reason you have not seen any of this in the media is because Warner Brothers parent company is AOL-Time Warner…. this GIANT owns 95 percent of the media… let me give you a clue as to what they own in the media business… New York Times papers/magazines, LA Times papers/magazines, People Magazine, CNN news, Extra, Celebrity Justice, Entertainment Tonight, HBO, New Line Cinema, DreamWorks, Newsweek, Village Roadshow and many, many more! They are not going to report on themselves. They have been suppressing my case for years.’ Fans who have taken Stewart’s allegations seriously, have found eerie mythological parallels, which seem significant in a case that revolves around the highly metaphorical and symbolic Matrix series. Sophia, the Greek goddess of wisdom has been referenced many times in speculation about Stewart. In one book about the Goddess Sophia, it reads, ‘The black
goddess is the mistress of web creation spun in her divine matrix.’Although there have been outside implications as to racial injustice (Stewart is African American), she does not feel that this is the case. ’This is all about the Benjamins,’ said Stewart. ‘It’s not about money with me. It’s about justice.’

Source

 

[T'Baio]

Good for her.

It really points to maybe why the sequels sucked so bad. I've said all along, when the Wachowski's claimed they planned a trilogy, it's so obviously BS. The last two films seem to be written by completely different people, even ignoring some of the rules, mythology and happenings from the first film.

Not sure why Terminator is included in this, though.

 

[CaptainWacky]

FINALLY.

 

[Asbo Zaprudder]

So will we ever see the missing 30-minutes restored?

 

[captcalhoun]

yeah, i heard about this a while back on another forum and someone said exactly what T'Baio said - explains why the sequels are so different.

i too am befuddled as to where the Terminator flicks fit in though.

 

[T'Baio]

Not sure why the authors ethnicity has to be pointed out, though.

 

[Roger Wilco]

Good for her. I'm not sure how her skin colour matters, but it's nice to see authors getting what they are owed in Hollywood.

 

[Guartho]

Does this mean the Oracle was a Mary Sue?

 

[Kestra]

Wow, I had no idea this was going on. It sounds like justice was served though, and I'm glad she stuck with it.

 

[Rii]

Not sure why the authors ethnicity has to be pointed out, though.

Because the story comes from a site dedicated to "preserving and promoting the legacy of the Black Panther Party" and because Sophia Stewart wishes it so:

Sophia Stewart's press release read: 'The Matrix & Terminator movie franchises have made world history and have ultimately changed the way people view movies and how Hollywood does business, yet the real truth about the creator and creation of these films continue to elude the masses because the hidden secret of the matter is that these films were created and written by a Black woman...a Black woman named Sophia Stewart. But Hollywood does not want you to know this fact simply because it would change history. Also it would encourage our Black children to realize a dream and that is...nothing is impossible for them to achieve!'

As for this...

Fans who have taken Stewart's allegations seriously, have found eerie mythological parallels, which seem significant in a case that revolves around the highly metaphorical and symbolic Matrix series. Sophia, the Greek goddess of wisdom has been referenced many times in speculation about Stewart. In one book about the Goddess Sophia, it reads, 'The black goddess is the mistress of web creation spun in her divine matrix.'

If Stewart represents spirituality, then she truly has prevailed over the 'technocracy' represented in both the Terminator and the Matrix, and now, ironically, by their supposed creators.

I think my brain just dribbled out of my ears.

 

[vampgrrl]

I'm calling bullshit. Provide a real source.

(As well as the Terminator and its sequels..ha, ha. I'm siding with the W Bros and James Cameron. This story is crap)

Snopes, http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/matrix.asp
Ka-kow!

 

[T'Baio]

Bam! Good research!

 

[Rii]

Snopes, http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/matrix.asp
Ka-kow!

/wince

 

[vampgrrl]

If you can run a fake story about the Matrix and Terminator...why not include nuBSG as well.

I do wish this Sophia Stewart story would hurry up and die.

 

[Nerdius Maximus]

Interesting. I'd never even heard of this. Reminds me of the movie "Hoosiers." It was based on the life of a relative of mine(the coach who was played by Gene Hackman), but they ended up changing enough stuff that they didn't have to pay him. Still, it gave him a lot of publicity at the time and we all went to the theater to see it. He got an autobiography deal out of it at least, and Bush Sr. Invited him to the White House.

 

[Nerdius Maximus]

Oh, wow, didn't see that the story was... A Faaaaaaaaaaake!

 

[Tiberius Jim]

 

[Luminus]

LOL! Yeah, that Greek Goddess nonsense did kinda ruin the authenticity of the article. Good job, people!

 

[JustAFriend]

Terminator was her idea??? Yea, that must be real news to Harlan Ellison, when the Terminator was ripped of from his 1957 short story and the 1964 episode of "The Outer Limits":

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soldier_(The_Outer_Limits)


... I remember when that episode aired and laughed about it when I saw the original Terminator movie....

 

[CaptainWacky]

You mean WHITE author Harlan Ellison, don't you?