The three co-creators of mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap have joined forces in a $400 million lawsuit against French media firm Vivendi – the parent company of Universal Music.
Harry Shearer, who co-wrote the film and soundtrack and starred as bassist Derek Smalls, originally filed a suit against the company last year for $125m, claiming Vivendi had withheld millions of dollars in profits since acquiring the rights to the film in 1989.
Now, with the addition of Spinal Tap members Christopher Guest and Michael McKean, aka Nigel Tufnel and David St. Hubbins, along with director Rob Reiner, the size of the claim has been boosted to $400m.
The original claim said the creators had been paid just $98 between 1989-2006 for soundtrack sales royalties, while merchandise sales generated a total of $81 between 1984-2006.
Reiner says: “Fair reward for artistic endeavour has long been raised by those on the wrong end of the equation. What makes this case so egregious is the prolonged and deliberate concealment of profit and the purposeful manipulation of revenue allocation between various Vivendi subsidiaries – to the detriment of the creative talent behind the band and film.
“Such anti-competitive practices need to be exposed. I am hoping this lawsuit goes to 11.”
McKean adds: “This Is Spinal Tap was the result of four very stubborn guys working very hard to create something new under the sun.
“The movie’s influence on the last three decades of film comedy is something we are very proud of. But the buck always stopped somewhere short of Rob, Harry, Chris and myself. It’s time for a reckoning. It’s only right.”
And with the band back together, Shearer says: “Their participation will help demonstrate the opaque and misleading conduct at the heart of this case. We’re even louder now.”
This Is Spinal Tap was created on a budget of $2.2m and released in 1984.
