Latest news with #Danjaq
Irish Examiner
27-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
James Bond franchise owners request more time to defend control of 007 spy name in Europe
The owners of the multibillion-pound James Bond franchise have requested more time to mount their defence to keep control of the super spy's name in Europe, after a legal challenge to their trademark rights across a range of goods and services. In February, it was revealed a Dubai-based property developer had filed claims in the EU and UK, arguing lack of use meant various protections had lapsed around James Bond's intellectual property, including his name, his 007 assignation, and the catchphrase 'Bond, James Bond'. Nearly all the actions relate to the merchandising of goods and services under the Bond name, which can be challenged after five years of 'non-use'. Josef Kleindienst, an Austrian who is building a $5bn luxury resort complex called the Heart of Europe on six artificial islands off Dubai, has argued the trademarks have been commercially under-exploited. Daniel Craig's last outing as 007, No Time to Die, was released in 2021 and with no announcement yet of his replacement or timeline for production of the next film, the franchise is on track to beat the previous longest gap between instalments of six years and four months. The Bond trademarks are registered to the US-based company Danjaq, which controls the rights to worldwide James Bond merchandising in conjunction with the UK-based production company Eon. Danjaq had an initial 60 days to file its defence of the trademarks after the challenge. It has done so with the UK Intellectual Property Office, but has requested more time to file in the EU. 'As a general rule, any initial unilateral request for an extension that is received in time will be considered appropriate and will be granted,' said the EU Intellectual Property Office in a filing extending the deadline. However, it added that it was highly unlikely to grant a further extension beyond mid-June 'unless there are exceptional circumstances'. Danjaq also co-owns the copyright to the existing James Bond films, along with MGM Studios, which was acquired by Amazon for $8.5bn in 2021. Days after the report of Kleindienst's legal challenges, it emerged Amazon had paid more than bn to gain full 'creative control' of the James Bond franchise from Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson, the longtime stewards of the Bond films. With creative control, Amazon now has the power to move forward with new films and potentially TV spin-offs too, without approval from the two British-American heirs to the film producer Albert 'Cubby' Broccoli, who had overseen the integrity of the character originally created in 1953 by the author Ian Fleming. In March, Amazon confirmed Amy Pascal and David Heyman would steer the next Bond film, although no release date or lead actor has yet been named. Ms Pascal has experience with the Bond series in her previous position as Sony's chair of film, overseeing Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace and Skyfall. She also had producer credits on the latest Spider-Man series. Mr Heyman is best known as the producer of all Harry Potter films as well as the Fantastic Beasts franchise and is now in pre-production on the much-anticipated HBO TV series adaptation of the stories. He is the second most commercially successful film producer of all time, with credits including Gravity, Paddington, Barbie, Wonka, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. The Guardian Read More What does the Amazon MGM Studios deal mean for the James Bond series?
Irish Times
27-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
James Bond franchise owners seek more time to defend control of 007 spy name
The owners of the multibillion-pound James Bond franchise have requested more time to mount their defence to keep control of the super spy's name in Europe, after a legal challenge to their trademark rights across a range of goods and services. In February, the Guardian reported that a Dubai-based property developer had filed claims in the UK and EU arguing that lack of use meant various protections had lapsed around James Bond's intellectual property, including his name, his 007 assignation and the catchphrase 'Bond, James Bond'. Nearly all the actions relate to the merchandising of goods and services under the Bond name, which can be challenged after five years of 'non-use'. Josef Kleindienst, an Austrian who is building a $5bn luxury resort complex called the Heart of Europe on six artificial islands off Dubai, has argued the trademarks have been commercially under-exploited. READ MORE [ Pierce Brosnan: 'I had no qualifications. I was really behind the eight ball – without a mother, without a father' Opens in new window ] Daniel Craig's last outing as 007, No Time to Die , was released in 2021 and with no announcement yet of his replacement or timeline for production of the next film, the franchise is on track to beat the previous longest gap between instalments of six years and four months. The Bond trademarks are registered to the US-based company Danjaq, which controls the rights to worldwide James Bond merchandising in conjunction with the UK-based production company Eon. A Playmobil 007 Aston Martin Danjaq had an initial 60 days to file its defence of the trademarks after the challenge. It has done so with the UK Intellectual Property Office, but has requested more time to file in the EU. 'As a general rule, any initial unilateral request for an extension that is received in time will be considered appropriate and will be granted,' said the EU Intellectual Property Office in a filing extending the deadline. However, it added that it was highly unlikely to grant a further extension beyond mid-June 'unless there are exceptional circumstances'. Danjaq also co-owns the copyright to the existing James Bond films, along with MGM Studios, which was acquired by Amazon for $8.5bn in 2021. Days after the report of Mr Kleindienst's legal challenges, it emerged that Amazon had paid more than $1bn to gain full 'creative control' of the James Bond franchise from Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson, the long-time stewards of the Bond films. [ An Irish Diary: How James Bond maligned Shannon Airport duty free Opens in new window ] With creative control , Amazon now has the power to move forward with new films and potentially TV spin-offs too, without approval from the two British-American heirs to the film producer Albert 'Cubby' Broccoli, who had overseen the integrity of the character originally created in 1953 by the author Ian Fleming. In March, Amazon confirmed that Amy Pascal and David Heyman would steer the next Bond film, although no release date or lead actor has yet been named. Ms Pascal has experience with the Bond series in her previous position as Sony's chair of film, overseeing Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace and Skyfall. She also had producer credits on the latest Spider-Man series. Mr Heyman is best known as the producer of all Harry Potter films as well as the Fantastic Beasts franchise and is now in pre-production on the much-anticipated HBO TV series adaptation of the stories. He is the second most commercially successful film producer of all time, with credits including Gravity, Paddington, Barbie, Wonka and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. – The Guardian
The Guardian
27-05-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
James Bond franchise owners request more time to defend control of 007 spy name
The owners of the multibillion-pound James Bond franchise have requested more time to mount their defence to keep control of the super spy's name in Europe, after a legal challenge to their trademark rights across a range of goods and services. In February, the Guardian revealed that a Dubai-based property developer had filed claims in the UK and EU arguing that lack of use meant various protections had lapsed around James Bond's intellectual property, including his name, his 007 assignation and the catchphrase 'Bond, James Bond'. Nearly all the actions relate to the merchandising of goods and services under the Bond name, which can be challenged after five years of 'non-use'. Josef Kleindienst, an Austrian who is building a $5bn luxury resort complex called the Heart of Europe on six artificial islands off Dubai, has argued the trademarks have been commercially under-exploited . Daniel Craig's last outing as 007, No Time to Die, was released in 2021 and with no announcement yet of his replacement or timeline for production of the next film, the franchise is on track to beat the previous longest gap between instalments of six years and four months. The Bond trademarks are registered to the US-based company Danjaq, which controls the rights to worldwide James Bond merchandising in conjunction with the UK-based production company Eon. Danjaq had an initial 60 days to file its defence of the trademarks after the challenge. It has done so with the UK Intellectual Property Office, but has requested more time to file in the EU. 'As a general rule, any initial unilateral request for an extension that is received in time will be considered appropriate and will be granted,' said the EU Intellectual Property Office in a filing extending the deadline. However, it added that it was highly unlikely to grant a further extension beyond mid-June 'unless there are exceptional circumstances'. Danjaq also co-owns the copyright to the existing James Bond films, along with MGM Studios, which was acquired by Amazon for $8.5bn in 2021. Days after the report of Kleindienst's legal challenges, it emerged that Amazon had paid more than $1bn to gain full 'creative control' of the James Bond franchise from Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson, the longtime stewards of the Bond films. With creative control, Amazon now has the power to move forward with new films and potentially TV spin-offs too, without approval from the two British-American heirs to the film producer Albert 'Cubby' Broccoli, who had overseen the integrity of the character originally created in 1953 by the author Ian Fleming. In March, Amazon confirmed that Amy Pascal and David Heyman would steer the next Bond film, although no release date or lead actor has yet been named. Pascal has experience with the Bond series in her previous position as Sony's chair of film, overseeing Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace and Skyfall. She also had producer credits on the latest Spider-Man series. Heyman is best known as the producer of all Harry Potter films as well as the Fantastic Beasts franchise and is now in pre-production on the much-anticipated HBO TV series adaptation of the stories. He is the second most commercially successful film producer of all time, with credits including Gravity, Paddington, Barbie, Wonka and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
Extra.ie
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Extra.ie
James Bond hopeful drops major clue he could be the next 007
The actor potentially set to become the next 007 may have already blown their cover and revealed they have secured the top gig as the secret agent. Bond last hit screens in 2021's No Time To Die, a film which saw Daniel Craig play the role of the super agent for the fifth and final time on the silver screen. With Craig bowing out on top in the role, much of the post-movie discussion centred around who may play Bond in future films. Daniel Craig as James Bond in No Time To Die. Pic: MGM/Eon/Danjaq/UPI/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock And now Godzilla star Aaron Taylor-Johnson could be the chosen one for the role, with a new development catching well-trained eyes. Pic: MGM/Eon/Danjaq/UPI/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Rumours persisted prior to Amazon's purchase of the Bond film franchise that 34-year-old Johnson was the preferred choice of ex-Bond producer Barbara Broccoli. And while the actor himself has previously been coy on speculation, his latest career move could be an indication of a good sign on the Bond end of things. Aaron Taylor-Johnson. Pic:Johnson this week joined the family of global ambassadors of Omega – the luxury watch brand which has appeared on the wrists of 007 actors for decades. 'I have always had an appreciation for timepieces but especially for Omega,' Johnson said via Instagram. 'Now, after visiting the factory, I am in awe of the skill required to manufacture such a luxurious product.' View this post on Instagram A post shared by OMEGA (@omega) While Johnson has the lead-in with the Bond timepiece manufacturer, perhaps the bookmakers are worth more of a glance to weigh up who else remains in the frame. Theo James, star of The Divergent, currently heads the betting at 6/4. Second favourite is Superman star Henry Cavill, with the 42-year-old priced at just 3/1 having been heavily linked with the role for the last number of years. Johnson then comes in at third in the betting at 7/2.
The Independent
14-02-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Not Bond, James Bond: 007 in danger of losing his name in trademark battle
The owners of the multibillion-pound James Bond franchise are facing a legal battle to keep control of the trademark of the iconic British spy's name. The revelation arrives after a Dubai-based property developer filed several claims in the UK and Europe over non-use, which could see the character stripped of his catchphrase: 'The name's Bond, James Bond.' Austrian businessman Josef Kleindienst has filed several 'cancellation actions based on non-use' claims, which, under UK and EU law, mean that if a name is trademarked against several goods and services but the owner does not commercially exploit it for at least five years, then a challenge to remove ownership of the name can be made. The name of the character, last played by Daniel Craig in 2021's No Time To Die, is subject to challenge across its variation of monikers that include: James Bond Special Agent 007, James Bond 007, James Bond, James Bond: World of Espionage and the famous 'Bond, James Bond' line. The Guardian reports that Kleindienst is challenging the owner's failure to use the James Bond name across a range of goods and services, including 'models of vehicles', 'computer programmes and electronic comic books', 'electronic publishing' and design. Kleindienst is the founder of the Kleindienst Group, which is currently building a $5 billion luxury resort called the Heart of Europe on human-made islands off the coast of Dubai. A spokesperson for the businessman told The Guardian that he has plans to utilise the Bond name if he wins his challenge. The James Bond trademarks are officially registered to US-based company Danjaq, which owns and controls the rights to global James Bond merchandising, alongside Eon. Eon is the UK-based production company run by Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson that's been behind some of the franchise's most successful films, including Casino Royale, Quantum Of Solace and Skyfall. The Independent has contacted Eon for comment. Mark Caddle, a partner and patent attorney at the intellectual property firm Withers & Rogers told The Guardian: 'Following the date of the filing of the cancellations Danjaq has two months to submit their defence. If Danjaq wants to keep these alive they will need to engage in a trademark office action to show that they have used James Bond in the areas being challenged in the last five years.' He added: 'In any case, Danjaq would certainly counter-challenge. James Bond is still well used and loved. I don't think that route would be straightforward for him [even if he were to win].' The news comes as James Bond producers continue their ongoing search for Daniel Craig's replacement to play 007 in the franchise's next film. The Fall Guy actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson was first rumoured for the role in January 2023 after it was reported that producer Barbara Broccoli had been left impressed by a screen test with the actor, whose credits include Kick-Ass, Bullet Train and Nowhere Boy. Former Bond stars including Pierce Brosnan and George Lazenby have all offered their support for the Nowhere Boy actor, saying they believe he could be the right candidate. Meanwhile, other rumoured names include Idris Elba, Regé-Jean Page, Cillian Murphy, James Norton, Henry Cavill and Tom Hardy.
