Thomas

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA San Francisco Division JAMES E. THOMAS, et al., Case No. 21-cv-02720-LB

Plaintiffs,

ORDER TRANSFERRING CASE TO

v. THE CENTRAL DISTRICT OF

CALIFORNIA

TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX FILM CORPORATION, et al., Re: ECF Nos. 12 & 27 15 Defendants. 16 INTRODUCTION The plaintiffs are two brothers — James Thomas and John Thomas — who wrote the screenplay for the movie Predator, released in 1987 by defendant Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation.1 In 1986, the Thomases transferred their rights in the screenplay (including the right of publication) to Twentieth Century. In 2016, they served Twentieth Century with a notice terminating the transfer effective April 17, 2021.2 See 17 U.S.C. § 203 (allowing termination during a defined window). In 2021, the parties disputed whether the notice was premature. The Thomases then served two

25 1 Compl. – ECF No. 1 at 3 (¶ 7). The other defendants are the Walt…