Danjaq
| Holding company | |
| Industry | Entertainment |
| Founded | 1962 |
| Founder | |
| Headquarters | Santa Monica, California, United States |
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Key people
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| Products | James Bond 007 film series |
| Subsidiaries | Eon Productions |
Danjaq, LLC (formerly Danjaq S.A. and Danjaq Inc.) is the holding company responsible for the copyright and trademarks to the characters, elements, and other material related to James Bond on screen. It is currently owned and managed by the family of Albert R. Broccoli, the co-initiator of the popular film franchise. Eon Productions, the production company responsible for producing the James Bond films, is a sister company of Danjaq.
Contents
History
Founding
Danjaq S.A. was founded by Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman after the release of the first James Bond film Dr. No, in 1962, to ensure all future films in the series. The new company was to be called Danjaq, a combination of Broccoli and Saltzman's respective wives' names (Dana Broccoli and Jacqueline Saltzman).[1] In 1962, Danjaq began its association with United Artists.[2]
Ownership
Due to a series of failed business interests, Harry Saltzman's personal financial difficulties forced him to sell his 50% share of Danjaq to United Artists in 1975.[3]
In 1986, Albert and Dana Broccoli acquired United Artists' 50% stake in the company and so assumed complete control of Danjaq.[4] John Cork claims that in exchange for the sale, MGM/UA received an exclusive distribution deal with Danjaq that is far more lucrative than when the shares were originally owned by Broccoli and Saltzman.[5]
Following the death of Albert Broccoli in 1996 and Dana Broccoli in 2004 control of Danjaq was passed to Michael G. Wilson.[6]
Copyright status
Although the trademarks for material related to the Bond films are held by Danjaq, the copyrights to the first 20 film properties are co-owned by Danjaq LLC and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios (the technical successor to subsidiary United Artists). The copyrights to Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace and Skyfall, are shared between Danjaq LLC, MGM, and Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc.
Films made outside the control of Danjaq
Two Bond films have been made outside the control of Danjaq, the first was the 1967 film Casino Royale, with David Niven as Bond; the second was the 1983 film Never Say Never Again, a remake of Thunderball. Never Say Never Again was the result of a legal dispute involving Kevin McClory, one of the credited co-writers of the Thunderball novel, who was awarded the film rights to the novel in a 1963 settlement with Ian Fleming.
On January 1, 2015, the original Bond books authored by Fleming entered the public domain in Canada, the People's Republic of China, Japan and other countries in which copyright is restricted to the Berne Convention minimum of 50 years after the death of the author, . While Danjaq continues to hold copyright and trademarks to the characters, elements, and other material unique to Eon's James Bond film series, it is now possible for unauthorized Bond films based on Fleming's literary character to be produced though they may not be distributed the United States of America, the European Union or other jurisdictions in which the character is not yet in the public domain.[7]
In late 2015, Canadian cult filmmakers Lee Demarbre and Ian Driscoll announced plans to film an unauthorized low-budget adaptation of Ian Fleming's 1960 short story "For Your Eyes Only" which Fleming partly set in Canada. If completed, the film will only be able to be released in Canada, the People's Republic of China and other countries in which Fleming's copyright has expired and could not be distribued in countries where copyright terms are longer such as the United States or the European Union. Driscoll told CBC Radio “I don’t expect to supplant the giant blockbuster James Bond, but I think there’s room in the world for an arthouse James Bond, to live alongside that, to give a different interpretation of the characters". The film would be based on Fleming's original short story, and possibly other elements of the literary Bond, and would not be a remake of the 1981 Eon film or use any elements unique to it or to any of the authorized Bond films. The filmmakers hope to ultimately produce four Canadian James Bond films.[8][9][10]
Litigation
Danjaq LLC v. James Bond Ltd
On 13 July 2009 Danjaq applied under s.69(1)(b)Companies Act 2006 for a change of name of James Bond Ltd, which had been registered since 12 June 2009.
James Bond Ltd was ordered by the adjudicator at the Company Names Tribunal to change its name and to not register another company with an offending name. The respondent was also ordered to contribute toward Danjaq's costs.[11]
References
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- ↑ Danjaq, S.A. v. Pathe Communications Corporation, No. 91-55878. (Oct 6 1992) United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit.
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- ↑ Danjaq LLC v. Sony Corp., 263 F.3d 942 (9th Cir. 2001)
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- ↑ Danjaq LLC v. James Bond Ltd Retrieved 23 September 2014
