British actor and comedian Sacha Baron Cohen has earned himself another legal victory over his popular 2009 film ‘Bruno’, following a judge’s decision to dismiss a copyright infringement allegation.
Baron Cohen, the co-writer, producer and star of ‘mockumentary’ film Bruno, has been accused of breaching intellectual copyright laws in one scene of his movie.
The issue in question is a scene where lead character Bruno causes havoc backstage at a fashion show whilst wearing a Velcro suit. Writer John Musero claimed that this scene was remarkably similar to one in his unmade film Himbos, which he unsuccessfully pitched to the makers of Bruno.
The copyright infringement lawsuit has now been dismissed by a Californian federal court, with Judge Percy Anderson saying:
“Although both scenes are generally similar in that they each involve a character wearing a Velcro suit who becomes stuck to a variety of objects and subsequently causes “mayhem,” this basic plot idea is not protected by copyright law.”
Baron Cohen has been sued over his films numerous times in the past, so it is assumed that he has sufficient professional indemnity insurance in place to cover the legal costs of disputing allegations.