Judge dismisses ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ lawsuit

A federal judge is dismissing a copyright infringement lawsuit brought against Paramount Pictures involving the blockbuster Tom Cruise-starring film, “Top Gun: Maverick.”

The judge in the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles ruled Friday that the 2022 sequel, which grossed nearly $1.5 billion at the box office worldwide, was “not substantially similar” to an article by author Ehud Yonay.

The 2022 lawsuit from the family of Yonay — who penned a 1983 magazine piece that inspired the original “Top Gun” — had sued the movie studio, saying it didn’t acquire the rights to the article before releasing the movie’s second installment, more than three decades after the first.

Paramount had obtained the rights to exclusively produce the 1986 “Top Gun” film based on Yonay’s writing.

“The plots, sequences of events, and pacing of the Works are largely dissimilar. Any similarities are based on unprotected elements, such as general plot ideas, facts, or scènes à faire,” the judge’s ruling said.

Before the suit’s dismissal, Ehud’s widow and son, Shosh Yonay and Yuval Yonay, were seeking damages and to prevent the distribution of the film as well as future sequels.

“We are pleased that the court recognized that plaintiffs’ claims were completely without merit,” Paramount said in a statement, Reuters reported.

The plaintiffs said they expect to appeal the ruling.