Photo: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic; Amy Sussman/FilmMagicLeBron JamesandDrakeare facing a lawsuit over a sports documentary they collaborated on.According to theNew York PostandTMZ, there has been a lawsuit filed in New York state Supreme Court over the rights toBlack Ice, a film adaptation of the bookBlack Ice: The Lost History of the Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes, 1895 to 1925, which was released in 2014.Billy Hunter, former executive director of the National Basketball Players Association, filed the lawsuit this week and is requesting $10 million, the outlets report.“While the defendants LeBron James, Drake and Maverick Carter are internationally known and renowned in their respective fields of basketball and music, it does not afford them the right to steal another’s intellectual property,” Hutcher said in the suit, per thePost.The Hollywood Reportershared last summer that James' Uninterrupted Canada and The SpringHill Company (founded with his business partner Maverick Carter) would be making the doc. Drake and Adel “Future” Nur, who produceEuphoria, are executive producers through their DreamCrew Entertainment company.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.LeBron James.Kevin Winter/GettyThe suit claims Hunter paid one of the authors, George Fosty, $250,000 in February 2022 for “exclusive worldwide rights” to any “audiovisual” adaptation of the film. James’s team allegedly offered the Fostys $100,000 to acquire the “already optioned” rights to produce a separate documentary and agreed to pay them 3 percent of the film’s budget, according to thePost.Reps for Drake and James did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment.Director Hubert Davis said in a statement toTHRlast summer about the project, “I think it is more important than ever before for all generations, particularly young people of color, to understand and see the diverse faces who have contributed and shaped one the essential fabrics of our country.“Last month, James signeda contract extensionwith the Lakers worth $97.1 million, meaning he’ll remain in Los Angeles at least until 2024. The extension makes him the highest-earning player in the history of the NBA, with his career earnings totaling $532 million, perCNBC.
Photo: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic; Amy Sussman/FilmMagic
LeBron JamesandDrakeare facing a lawsuit over a sports documentary they collaborated on.According to theNew York PostandTMZ, there has been a lawsuit filed in New York state Supreme Court over the rights toBlack Ice, a film adaptation of the bookBlack Ice: The Lost History of the Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes, 1895 to 1925, which was released in 2014.Billy Hunter, former executive director of the National Basketball Players Association, filed the lawsuit this week and is requesting $10 million, the outlets report.“While the defendants LeBron James, Drake and Maverick Carter are internationally known and renowned in their respective fields of basketball and music, it does not afford them the right to steal another’s intellectual property,” Hutcher said in the suit, per thePost.The Hollywood Reportershared last summer that James' Uninterrupted Canada and The SpringHill Company (founded with his business partner Maverick Carter) would be making the doc. Drake and Adel “Future” Nur, who produceEuphoria, are executive producers through their DreamCrew Entertainment company.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.LeBron James.Kevin Winter/GettyThe suit claims Hunter paid one of the authors, George Fosty, $250,000 in February 2022 for “exclusive worldwide rights” to any “audiovisual” adaptation of the film. James’s team allegedly offered the Fostys $100,000 to acquire the “already optioned” rights to produce a separate documentary and agreed to pay them 3 percent of the film’s budget, according to thePost.Reps for Drake and James did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment.Director Hubert Davis said in a statement toTHRlast summer about the project, “I think it is more important than ever before for all generations, particularly young people of color, to understand and see the diverse faces who have contributed and shaped one the essential fabrics of our country.“Last month, James signeda contract extensionwith the Lakers worth $97.1 million, meaning he’ll remain in Los Angeles at least until 2024. The extension makes him the highest-earning player in the history of the NBA, with his career earnings totaling $532 million, perCNBC.
LeBron JamesandDrakeare facing a lawsuit over a sports documentary they collaborated on.
According to theNew York PostandTMZ, there has been a lawsuit filed in New York state Supreme Court over the rights toBlack Ice, a film adaptation of the bookBlack Ice: The Lost History of the Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes, 1895 to 1925, which was released in 2014.
Billy Hunter, former executive director of the National Basketball Players Association, filed the lawsuit this week and is requesting $10 million, the outlets report.
“While the defendants LeBron James, Drake and Maverick Carter are internationally known and renowned in their respective fields of basketball and music, it does not afford them the right to steal another’s intellectual property,” Hutcher said in the suit, per thePost.
The Hollywood Reportershared last summer that James' Uninterrupted Canada and The SpringHill Company (founded with his business partner Maverick Carter) would be making the doc. Drake and Adel “Future” Nur, who produceEuphoria, are executive producers through their DreamCrew Entertainment company.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
LeBron James.Kevin Winter/Getty
The suit claims Hunter paid one of the authors, George Fosty, $250,000 in February 2022 for “exclusive worldwide rights” to any “audiovisual” adaptation of the film. James’s team allegedly offered the Fostys $100,000 to acquire the “already optioned” rights to produce a separate documentary and agreed to pay them 3 percent of the film’s budget, according to thePost.
Reps for Drake and James did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment.
Director Hubert Davis said in a statement toTHRlast summer about the project, “I think it is more important than ever before for all generations, particularly young people of color, to understand and see the diverse faces who have contributed and shaped one the essential fabrics of our country.”
Last month, James signeda contract extensionwith the Lakers worth $97.1 million, meaning he’ll remain in Los Angeles at least until 2024. The extension makes him the highest-earning player in the history of the NBA, with his career earnings totaling $532 million, perCNBC.
source: people.com
