By Rebecca A. Gardner –

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-mgm-and-danjaq-james-bond-20131115,0,731960.story#axzz2lbejcjR6

“Bond.  James Bond.”  The fight over these famous words –which have grossed nearly $2 billion in film – ended last week when the estate of film writer Kevin McClory reached a settlement with film studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. and Danjaq LLC.  In exchange for an undisclosed sum, MGM and Danjaq LLC have acquired all rights to the famous secret agent.  McClory had co-written the script for “Thunderball” with Bond author Ian Fleming and insisted that as a consequence of the collaboration, he also owned rights to the Bond character.  After McClory's death in 2006, his estate continued his fight.

Documenting your intellectual property interests with proper help from your IP attorneys, business attorneys, and estate planning attorneys can be key to avoiding such disputes.  For more information, feel free to contact the team of super secret agents at HMS Law Group LLP.