There is drama with actor-screenwriter Tyler Perry, stemming from “The Diary of a Mad Black Woman.” Donna West filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Perry. He took the stand yesterday and said that he did not steal material from a woman’s play for his blockbuster movie. Madea needs to show up at the trial. She would fix the problem once and for all.
Donna West is suing Perry in federal court, arguing that he lifted material from a script she wrote titled “Fantasy of a Black Woman,” which was based primarily on her own experiences. She wants a jury to award her family all the profits made from Perry’s 2005 film, which earned some $50 million.
Perry insisted that his screenplay is an original work, but under questioning by West’s attorney, said he did not know whether anyone actually saw him write the script, The Marshall News Messenger reported for its Thursday editions. Perry’s attorney said his client doesn’t have an original copy of his script because he sends all his work to the Library of Congress for a copyright. Source: Atlanta Journal Constitution
There are always haters popping up, but if this woman’s work was lifted, then Perry needs to do the right thing and give her what she is due.
West’s attorney, Aubrey “Nick” Pittman, suggested that Perry copied ideas from other movies and incorporated them into his box office hit. He asked Perry whether he had taken concepts from “Mrs. Doubtfire,” “The Color Purple,” “An Officer and a Gentleman” and Martin Lawrence’s role in “Big Momma’s House.””I never stole anything from anybody — never,” Perry said, locking his eyes with the jury.
The jurors watched the film and listened to a reading of the script from West’s play which was performed in 1991 at the Junior Black Academy of Arts and Letters at the Dallas Convention Center. Considering Tyler Perry’s rags to riches story, I am inclined to believe he did the right thing and did not infringe on this woman’s story, but who knows? We’ll see what the outcome will be when they have reached a verdict in the case.
Filed under: Copyright Infringement, Diary of a Mad Black Woman, Donna West, Fantasy of a Black Woman, Tyler Perry
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