Larry Zerner, a copyright and entertainment lawyer, clarified that NECA's new line of Friday the 13th figures doesn't mean the series' complicated legal problems are over. While Zerner is a practicing lawyer now, his claim to fame among the Friday the 13th fan base comes from his role as prankster Shelly Finkelstein in Friday the 13 Part III. Finkelstein himself is a notable character within the lore of the series, as he was the original owner of the iconic hockey mask that Jason Voorhees wears. Zerner himself is not officially involved in the legal battle between Friday the 13th creator Sean Cunningham and writer Victor Miller.
The history of the legal battle between Cunningham and Miller is complicated. Miller wrote the screenplay for the original Friday the 13th but was not involved with the franchise beyond that. U.S. copyright law allows the original author of a work to take back their copyright 35 years after it was given. Miller tried to do this but was blocked by Cunningham, who argued that Miller was a work-for-hire, and didn't have any legal claim to Friday the 13th under the rules of U.S. Copyright law. The two went to court, where a judge ruled in favor of Miller. Cunningham appealed the decision, and the case went back to court in February of 2020. Zerner hypothesized that the case would be resolved by June, but as of July 2020, no official ruling on the case has been made. Fans are particularly invested in this court case, as until it is resolved no further Friday the 13th films and related merchandise (including the popular Friday the 13th video game, which famously had to stop production halfway through because of the lawsuit) can be made.
Zerner pointed out on his Twitter that NECA's new toy line of Friday the 13th figures doesn't mean that the legal issues are over and new movies can be made. Fans were hopeful that the creation of these new figures meant that Cunningham and Miller had reached some kind of agreement and that a new movie could possibly be on the way. Zerner pointed out that NECA's figures don't violate the copyright Miller has over the first Friday the 13th film, so NECA could release them without the legal issues being resolved.
However, it's not all bad news. Zerner also pointed out that a year ago, Warner Bros., who owns the rights to the Friday the 13th film series, had not allowed the release of any new figures for the franchise. Zerner remarked that this doesn't necessarily mean we're any closer to getting a new movie, but the fact that Warner Bros. is allowing new releases of the figures is good news.
It has been over ten years since the last Friday the 13th film has been released. While NECA's new figures don't mean that the legal issues have been solved, Warner Bros. allowing the release of them does show that the company is still interested in the franchise. Warner Bros., Cunningham, and Miller know that there is a rabid and active fan base for the horror franchise desperately waiting for Jason Voorhees to make a return to the big screen. This could mean we're closer than ever to some kind of deal made between all parties involved. Hopefully, we will get to see another Friday the 13th film on the silver screen sooner rather than later.
Source: Larry Zerner