LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Hollywood's Universal Studios has filed a copyright lawsuit against a porn production company, accusing it of lifting language, characters and plot from the best-selling erotic book trilogy "Fifty Shades of Grey" for its own adult films and sex toys.
Calling one of the adult movie adaptations of the British novel "a rip-off plain and simple," Universal's lawsuit seeks to stop sales of copycat porn movies and to recoup any profits they earn.
"Fifty Shades of Grey" by E.L. James and its two sequels have sold more than 40 million copies since first being published in 2011. Universal bought the rights for a film adaptation earlier this year for a reported $5 million.
The suit was filed jointly in federal court in California on Tuesday by Universal and James's British company which owns the copyright to the novels.
The lawsuit said that Los Angeles-based based Smash Pictures had produced a movie called "Fifty Shades of Grey: a XXX Adaptation" which lifted "exact dialogue, characters, events, story, and style from the 'Fifty Shades' trilogy."
"The first XXX adaptation is not a parody, and it does not comment on, criticize, or ridicule the originals. It is a rip-off, plain and simple," the lawsuit added.
Smash Pictures could not be reached for comment.
Universal said Smash Pictures had two subsequent movies in production and that one of its subsidiaries had also launched a "Play Kit" of kinky sex toys called "Fifty Shades of Pleasure."
The lawsuit seeks an injunction, unspecified damages, and profits from sales of the movies, which it says are trademark and copyright infringements.
Universal Studios is a unit of Comcast Corp
(Reporting By Jill Serjeant; Editing by Sandra Maler)
All Critics (146) | Top Critics (39) | Fresh (138) | Rotten (8)
Achieves its sunny disposition by pulling punches.
A funny, tender and mostly unsentimentalized movie about physical and emotional triumph.
Forced to do all his acting with his face, Hawkes displays the kind of camera-arresting capability that has earned others Oscar nominations.
This is a crowd-pleaser of the finest sort.
Using only his tilted head, his eyes, nose, and mouth and that quizzical voice, Hawkes brings O'Brien to life.
Deeply moving. The Oscar-worthy (John) Hawkes invests his character with a sense of grace and humor that nullifies any potential pity. This is a great movie for adults and even for older adolescents.
It is rare to watch a movie where sex is treated with maturity, religion is treated with respect and characters are so heart-warmingly written and portrayed.
Raw, unrestrained and sympathetic without giving in to melodrama, 'The Sessions' is about a man facing a physical challenge who decides he wants to become intimate with a woman.
An intelligent, funny, insightful film that offers a frank examination of sex. It's not prurient or titillating, just truthful.
A remarkable actor, John Hawkes, gives a remarkable performance as a remarkable character.
Surprisingly funny and touching.
Presents the sensitive O'Brien as a brave, funny, unselfish and unlikely romantic-fantasy dream hero for disappointed, weary or jaded older female moviegoers.
The uplifting struggle for living a life of dignity for paralyzed from the neck down polio victim Mark O'Brien.
The sex scenes are frank and explicit, but never cheap and exploitative. (Yes, they get naked. Grow up.) The nudity isn't airbrushed pin-up perfection, but raw and real - and all the more lovely and moving because of it.
Taking the good with the bad, this isn't a terrible movie, though it is being rather overhyped. I found myself laughing a lot and enjoying the transformations the actors go through, but an unengaging story only serves to drag it down.
A film, inspired by the life of the late poet-journalist Mark O'Brien, that celebrates the relationship between physical and emotional intimacy.
Not just another weepy drama of overcoming odds, a My Left Foot with a different appendage. The Sessions is often brazenly funny, not from shocking dialogue but characters reacting the way people do, especially with such a flustering subject as sex.
an unusually frank and frequently humorous meditation on the transformative power of connection
Take away the nudity and the frank sex talk and you'd pretty much be left with a high-minded TV movie -- with unusually good actors.
Hunt's tangible disregard for false modesty does justice to the misunderstood surrogacy profession, while Hawkes' committed yet matter-of-fact portrayal of O'Brien masterfully avoids theatricality or sappy heartstring tugging.
Lewin has never had talent like Hawkes, Hunt, and Macy as his instruments before, and he makes the best of them.
Popular sex therapist Dr. Ruth once said that sexual surrogates are "illegal." The Sessions makes them mainstream.
An adult film that approaches the serious subject of sex with refreshingly explicit honesty.
The honest performances and assured direction makes The Sessions an extremely accomplished film that celebrates sexuality.
WASHINGTON (AP) ? Average U.S. rates on fixed mortgages stayed close to record lows this week, a trend that has made home buying more affordable and helped the housing market recover.
Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday that the average rate on the 30-year loan edged up to 3.32 percent. That's close to last week's rate of 3.31 percent, the lowest on records dating to 1971.
The average on the 15-year fixed mortgage ticked up to 2.64 percent from 2.63 percent last week, also a record low.
The average rate on the 30-year loan has been below 4 percent all year. It has fallen further since the Federal Reserve started buying mortgage bonds in September to encourage more borrowing and spending.
Low mortgage rates have helped lift home sales this year. The National Association of Realtors on Thursday said that its index measuring the number of people who signed contracts in October to buy homes jumped to nearly its highest level in almost six years.
Home prices also have increased, which makes consumers feel wealthier and more likely to spend. And builders are more confident that the market will improve and have started more homes.
Lower rates also have persuaded more people to refinance. That typically leads to lower monthly mortgage payments and more spending. Consumer spending drives nearly 70 percent of economic activity.
Still, the housing market has a long way to a full recovery. And many people are unable to take advantage of the low rates, either because they can't qualify for stricter lending rules or they lack the money to meet larger down payment requirements.
To calculate average mortgage rates, Freddie Mac surveys lenders across the country on Monday through Wednesday of each week. The average doesn't include extra fees, known as points, which most borrowers must pay to get the lowest rates. One point equals 1 percent of the loan amount.
The average fee for 30-year loans was 0.8 point, up from 0.7 point last week. The fee for 15-year loans was unchanged at 0.6 point.
The average rate on a one-year adjustable-rate mortgage was steady at 2.56 percent. The fee for one-year adjustable-rate loans ticked up to 0.5 point from 0.4.
The average rate on a five-year adjustable-rate mortgage fell to 2.72 percent from 2.74 percent last week. The fee remained at 0.6 point.
13 from UCI named American Association for the Advancement of Science FellowsPublic release date: 29-Nov-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Tom Vasich tmvasich@uci.edu 949-824-6455 University of California - Irvine
Honor is conferred for distinguished contributions to their fields
Irvine, Calif., Nov. 29, 2012 Twelve UC Irvine researchers and one administrator have been made fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world's largest general scientific society.
A total of 702 AAAS members are being honored this year for their efforts to advance science or its applications. New fellows will receive an official certificate and a gold and blue rosette pin on Feb. 16, 2013, at the organization's annual meeting in Boston.
The class is being formally announced Nov. 30 in the AAAS News & Notes section of the journal Science. The 2012 UCI fellows are:
Bruce Blumberg, professor of developmental & cell biology, pharmaceutical sciences and biomedical engineering, for his contributions to the field of developmental biology, particularly for increasing understanding of the interactions between environmental signals and the developmental origins of disease
Andrew Borovik, professor of chemistry, for his work on developing more efficient chemical processes through molecular design inspired by biological enzymes
Ken Cho, professor of developmental & cell biology, for his additions to developmental biology, such as identifying the mechanism of Spemann's organizer and the importance of growth factor signaling during early embryogenesis
Ron Frostig, professor of neurobiology & behavior, for his work in using optical imaging to describe the organization and plasticity of the cerebral cortex
David Gardiner, professor of developmental & cell biology, for his contributions to the field of regeneration research and for his role in building the bridge between phenomenology and molecular biology
Wen-Hwa Lee, Donald Bren Professor of biological chemistry, for advancing the understanding of human tumor suppressors including the retinoblastoma, p53 and BRCA genes in the cell cycle, differentiation and genomic stability
Jacob Levin, assistant vice chancellor for research development, for helping establish the emerging profession of research development and for outstanding leadership in the National Organization of Research Development Professionals
Hartmut Luecke, professor of molecular biology & biochemistry, physiology & biophysics and computer science, for his contributions to the fields of structural biology and membrane protein crystallography
Markus Ribbe, professor of molecular biology & biochemistry and chemistry, for his achievements in elucidating the biosynthetic pathways of nitrogenase metalloclusters and uncovering novel catalytic features of alternative nitrogenase systems
Ann Sakai, professor of ecology & evolutionary biology, for her work on the evolution of plant breeding systems, mentoring undergraduates and promoting the involvement of underrepresented groups in biology
Rozanne Sandri-Goldin, professor and chair of microbiology & molecular genetics, for her contributions to molecular virology, particularly for shedding light on how multifunctional viral proteins commandeer host cell pathways to benefit viral replication
Thomas Schilling, professor of developmental & cell biology, for his work in vertebrate development that has provided mechanistic insight into the formation of the nervous system and skeleton in early embryos
Gregory Weiss, professor of chemistry and molecular biology & biochemistry, for his contributions to the field of chemical biology, especially for expanding the technique of bacteriophage peptide and protein display into new interdisciplinary areas
###
About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, UCI is a top-ranked university dedicated to research, scholarship and community service. Led by Chancellor Michael Drake since 2005, UCI is among the most dynamic campuses in the University of California system, with more than 28,000 undergraduate and graduate students, 1,100 faculty and 9,400 staff. Orange County's second-largest employer, UCI contributes an annual economic impact of $4.3 billion. For more UCI news, visit www.today.uci.edu.
About the American Association for the Advancement of Science: The world's largest general scientific society, AAAS publishes the journals Science, Science Translational Medicine and Science Signaling. The nonprofit was founded in 1848 and includes 261 affiliated societies and academies of science serving 10 million individuals. AAAS is open to all and fulfills its mission of "advancing science, serving society" through initiatives in science policy, international programs, science education and more.
News Radio: UCI maintains on campus an ISDN line for conducting interviews with its faculty and experts. Use of this line is available for a fee to radio news programs/stations that wish to interview UCI faculty and experts. Use of the ISDN line is subject to availability and approval by the university.
UCI maintains an online directory of faculty available as experts to the media. To access, visit www.today.uci.edu/experts.
For UCI breaking news, visit www.zotwire.uci.edu.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
13 from UCI named American Association for the Advancement of Science FellowsPublic release date: 29-Nov-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Tom Vasich tmvasich@uci.edu 949-824-6455 University of California - Irvine
Honor is conferred for distinguished contributions to their fields
Irvine, Calif., Nov. 29, 2012 Twelve UC Irvine researchers and one administrator have been made fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world's largest general scientific society.
A total of 702 AAAS members are being honored this year for their efforts to advance science or its applications. New fellows will receive an official certificate and a gold and blue rosette pin on Feb. 16, 2013, at the organization's annual meeting in Boston.
The class is being formally announced Nov. 30 in the AAAS News & Notes section of the journal Science. The 2012 UCI fellows are:
Bruce Blumberg, professor of developmental & cell biology, pharmaceutical sciences and biomedical engineering, for his contributions to the field of developmental biology, particularly for increasing understanding of the interactions between environmental signals and the developmental origins of disease
Andrew Borovik, professor of chemistry, for his work on developing more efficient chemical processes through molecular design inspired by biological enzymes
Ken Cho, professor of developmental & cell biology, for his additions to developmental biology, such as identifying the mechanism of Spemann's organizer and the importance of growth factor signaling during early embryogenesis
Ron Frostig, professor of neurobiology & behavior, for his work in using optical imaging to describe the organization and plasticity of the cerebral cortex
David Gardiner, professor of developmental & cell biology, for his contributions to the field of regeneration research and for his role in building the bridge between phenomenology and molecular biology
Wen-Hwa Lee, Donald Bren Professor of biological chemistry, for advancing the understanding of human tumor suppressors including the retinoblastoma, p53 and BRCA genes in the cell cycle, differentiation and genomic stability
Jacob Levin, assistant vice chancellor for research development, for helping establish the emerging profession of research development and for outstanding leadership in the National Organization of Research Development Professionals
Hartmut Luecke, professor of molecular biology & biochemistry, physiology & biophysics and computer science, for his contributions to the fields of structural biology and membrane protein crystallography
Markus Ribbe, professor of molecular biology & biochemistry and chemistry, for his achievements in elucidating the biosynthetic pathways of nitrogenase metalloclusters and uncovering novel catalytic features of alternative nitrogenase systems
Ann Sakai, professor of ecology & evolutionary biology, for her work on the evolution of plant breeding systems, mentoring undergraduates and promoting the involvement of underrepresented groups in biology
Rozanne Sandri-Goldin, professor and chair of microbiology & molecular genetics, for her contributions to molecular virology, particularly for shedding light on how multifunctional viral proteins commandeer host cell pathways to benefit viral replication
Thomas Schilling, professor of developmental & cell biology, for his work in vertebrate development that has provided mechanistic insight into the formation of the nervous system and skeleton in early embryos
Gregory Weiss, professor of chemistry and molecular biology & biochemistry, for his contributions to the field of chemical biology, especially for expanding the technique of bacteriophage peptide and protein display into new interdisciplinary areas
###
About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, UCI is a top-ranked university dedicated to research, scholarship and community service. Led by Chancellor Michael Drake since 2005, UCI is among the most dynamic campuses in the University of California system, with more than 28,000 undergraduate and graduate students, 1,100 faculty and 9,400 staff. Orange County's second-largest employer, UCI contributes an annual economic impact of $4.3 billion. For more UCI news, visit www.today.uci.edu.
About the American Association for the Advancement of Science: The world's largest general scientific society, AAAS publishes the journals Science, Science Translational Medicine and Science Signaling. The nonprofit was founded in 1848 and includes 261 affiliated societies and academies of science serving 10 million individuals. AAAS is open to all and fulfills its mission of "advancing science, serving society" through initiatives in science policy, international programs, science education and more.
News Radio: UCI maintains on campus an ISDN line for conducting interviews with its faculty and experts. Use of this line is available for a fee to radio news programs/stations that wish to interview UCI faculty and experts. Use of the ISDN line is subject to availability and approval by the university.
UCI maintains an online directory of faculty available as experts to the media. To access, visit www.today.uci.edu/experts.
For UCI breaking news, visit www.zotwire.uci.edu.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) ? Rocket sections are apparently being trucked into North Korea's northwest launch site, but some analysts are asking whether it's just a calculated bluff meant to jangle the Obama administration and influence South Korean voters ahead of presidential elections in three weeks.
There are questions about whether North Korean scientists have corrected whatever caused the embarrassing crackup of its last rocket shortly after liftoff in April, and whether Pyongyang is willing to risk another failure ? along with U.N. condemnation and more sanctions.
"It's possible, of course, that Pyongyang knows its preparations will be seen and discussed in the West, and they are intended to be a signal rather than signs of an imminent launch," David Wright, a physicist with the Union of Concerned Scientists, wrote on the organization's website this week. "Preparing for a launch less than a year after a failure calls into question whether the North could have analyzed and fixed whatever went wrong."
Before its last two launches, North Korea notified international organizations of its plans to send a satellite into orbit aboard a rocket. Neither the International Maritime Organization nor the International Civil Aviation Organization has responded to requests from The Associated Press for information. But South Korea and analysts say North Korea has yet to provide such notification, something that usually happens weeks in advance.
Even if a launch never comes, the mere preparations could be an attempt to influence the Dec. 19 presidential election in rival South Korea and raise Pyongyang on President Barack Obama's list of foreign policy priorities as he prepares to be inaugurated for his second term in January.
North Korea has repeatedly tried to interfere with South Korean elections, according to government officials and analysts, and there's speculation that Pyongyang's rocket work could be an attempt to raise worries as campaigning heats up.
North Korea presumably prefers the liberal candidate, Moon Jae-in, the argument goes. Another provocation, or simply heightened tensions, could be seen by voters as evidence of a failed North Korea policy by the current conservative leader in Seoul.
Both Moon and the conservative contender, Park Geun-hye, have signaled a softening on North Korea policy. But Moon has suggested a return to an accommodating policy of engagement and aid for Pyongyang that has been missing during the five years of President Lee Myung-bak's rule, which ends in February when his single term expires.
"If indeed a new satellite launch is North Korea's next provocation, it will be an early test of South Korean candidate commitments to reopen dialogue with the North," Scott Snyder, senior fellow for Korea studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, wrote this week.
Pyongyang could also be trying to send a message to Obama following his re-election. Pyongyang has previously staged what Washington and Seoul consider provocations around elections in both the United States and South Korea. North Korea conducted a rocket and nuclear test within months of Obama taking office in early 2009.
Washington worries about North Korean launches because long-range rocket technology can be easily converted into use for missiles that could target the United States.
Analysis of recent satellite images written for 38 North, the website for the U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, suggests Pyongyang could be ready to launch a three-stage rocket by the end of the first week in December.
The timing of the preparations has some analysts expecting a launch.
North Korea's April rocket firing came during celebrations of the centennial of the birth of national founder Kim Il Sung, current leader Kim Jong Un's grandfather. Pyongyang has declared 2012 a crucial year for its scientific and economic development, and there has been speculation that it could do something extraordinary to mark its conclusion.
Dec. 17 also marks the one-year anniversary of the death of Kim Jong Un's father, Kim Jong Il.
Because North Korea's missile and nuclear programs aren't transparent, said Daniel Pinkston, a North Korea analyst at the International Crisis Group, outsiders cannot determine what went wrong with the April test and what scientists are doing to address the problem.
Any launch attempt raises the specter of failure, Pinkston said, but "they call it rocket science because ... it's hard. Everyone makes mistakes ... but every time you test, you get to go back and work on those problems and fix them."
Baek Seung-joo, an analyst at the state-run Korea Institute for Defense Analyses in South Korea, said past failure could actually be a spur to try again.
"North Korea needs to redeem its embarrassing rocket failure in April," he said.
___
AP writer Sam Kim contributed to this report from Seoul.
Scientists studying Bigfoot discovered that he has three fully human wives.
Scientists studying Bigfoot discovered that he has three fully human wives.
Bigfoot is not only real and living among us, but he is married to three lovely women (pictured below).
Bigfoot reportedly ?married? the women in the last fifteen years and the women are reportedly very happy especially ?in the bedroom,? according to Wendy Goodman, Bigfoot?s first wife.
This revelation about Bigfoot?s relationship status comes just days after scientists revealed that Bigfoot is a direct relative of man and had sex with human females 15,000 years ago ? according to a new scientific study using ?real? DNA samples.
?Bigfoot has been having sex with women for a long time,? said Dr. Robert Blanton, a Bigfoot expert. ? ?And there have probably been thousands of women that have slept with, and married, ?Bigfoot and his ancestors.?
Veterinarians?say that having sex with a Sasquatch is safe and they say that if any woman fall sin love with a Sasquatch, they should not be worried about copulating with the beast.
?There is nothing wrong with making love with Bigfoot,? Dr. Blanton said.
How did the team definitively determine that Bigfoot was married?
?We suspected that Bigfoot had wives because we found some domestic huts in the woods, that suggested so,? Dr. Blanton told WWN. ??So we posted a question on Twitter looking for women (or men) who have had sex with Bigfoot and one of the wives came forward. ?And so we went an interviewed all three.?
Does that mean there are little baby Bigfoots out there?
?We believe there are,? said Dr. Blanton.
Genetically, the Sasquatch are a human hybrid with unambiguously modern human maternal ancestry. Government at all levels must recognize them as an indigenous people and immediately protect their human and Constitutional rights against those who would see in their physical and cultural differences a ?license? to hunt, trap, or kill them.?
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Public release date: 29-Nov-2012
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