MGM Sued Over 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'
By Athena Stamos on 2004-05-26
The estate of Ian Fleming (creator of James Bond) says film studio MGM (headed by billionaire Kirk Kerkorian) is infringing on its copyright in the children’s book Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Fleming’s estate filed suit in Manhattan federal court against MGM. The suit says MGM’s right to profit from the 1968 film about the magical car expired in 1992.
So what’s taken the Ian Fleming estate so long to file suit? It has been 12 years after all.
An MGM spokeswoman declined to comment, saying the studio hadn’t seen the suit.