Paramount Sues Company Citing 'Coming To America' Infringement: WSJ

A pop-up restaurant, JMC Pop Ups LLC, that paid homage to the 1980s classic comedy “Coming to America” by creating a temporary version of McDowell’s, the fictional fast-food burger place in the 1988 film, now faces a lawsuit from Paramount Pictures over copyright infringement, reported Wall Street Journal.
JMC Pop Ups LLC created a temporary version of McDowell’s, the fictional fast-food burger place in the 1988 film starring Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall.
Paramount Global’s PARA Paramount Pictures is suing JMC in the Copyright Claims Board, a newly created tribunal that stems from a 2020 law and caps infringement claims at $30,000.
Paramount is asking for $30,000 plus lawyers’ fees because of the alleged infringement of “Coming to America.”
JMC creates themed restaurants and bars associated with television shows and movies, had run the McDowell’s pop-up for about two weeks in May and June in Springfield, Va., a suburb of Washington, D.C., and last April in Cherry Hill, N.J., a suburb of Philadelphia, Paramount stated.
“The McDowell’s pop-up was a creative celebration of a fake restaurant,” said John Powell, a lawyer representing JMC.
Mr. Powell said the pop-up didn’t infringe on Paramount’s registered trademarks or copyrights and couldn’t have harmed their business. “JMC is disappointed by Paramount’s heavy-handed response to fans of its films,” he said.
Paramount also took issue with the food served by the McDowell’s pop-up. “To make matters worse, the quality of the food is in serious question, as consumers have reported feeling discomfort after eating at the infringing restaurant,” its claim stated.
Price Action: PARA shares are trading lower by 1% at $24.90 during the pre-market session on Monday.

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