Cowboys and Aliens copyright lawsuit

'Cowboys & Aliens' Sparks Copyright Infringement Lawsuit

By Tim KenneallyGiven the reception that the Jon Favreau film "Cowboys & Aliens" received, one would think that people would be reluctant to take credit for inspiring it. But that's exactly what's at the heart of lawsuit filed Thursday.

In the suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Texas, comic-book artist Steven John Busti claims that the graphic novel "Cowboys & Aliens"--and, thus, the movie it was based on--stole its concept and more from a story he wrote and drew.

According to Busti, his story "Cowboys and Aliens," which was "centered around the idea of alien invaders set during the old west," was published in the comic book "Bizarre Fantasy #1" in 1995--and, perhaps more important, was previewed in an issue of "Comic Shop News," on the same page that featured coverage of Scott Mitchell Rosenberg.

Two years later, Rosenberg and Platinum Studios produced a graphic one-sheet for their own proposed graphic novel titled "Cowboys & Aliens." Universal Studios and DreamWorks II Distribution purchased the movie rights based on the one-sheet.Comment:  For more on Cowboys and Aliens, see Adam Beach Helps Flood Victims and Aliens = Metaphor for Indians?