Clips from ‘Ace Ventura’ appeared in ‘Tiger King.’ Now Netflix faces copyright lawsuit
About three-quarters of the way through the first episode of “Tiger King” on Netflix, private zoo operator Bhagavan “Doc” Antle prattles off some of the “500 gigantic international movies” he says he made with wild animals.
“Ace Ventura” is first on the list.
Two clips from “Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls” flashed across the screen as Antle spoke. Now, more than a year after the hit docuseries was released, those five seconds of screen time are at the center of a copyright infringement lawsuit filed by the producers of “Ace Ventura.”
California-based Morgan Creek Productions Inc., which released the second “Ace Ventura” flick in 1995, sued Netflix Inc. and Goode Films LLC — the documentary film production company behind “Tiger King” — in federal court on Monday, Dec. 27.
The lawsuit, filed in the Central District of California, accuses the two defendants of using clips from Ace Ventura without permission in violation of federal copyright laws.
Netflix and Goode Films have not replied to the complaint, court documents show, and a representative from Netflix did not immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment on Tuesday, Dec. 28. Representatives for Goode Films could not be reached for comment.
A lawyer representing Morgan Creek Productions also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
According to the lawsuit, the second “Ace Ventura” movie grossed $108 million with actor Jim Carrey at the helm. The movie follows fictional pet detective Ace Ventura, who specializes “in the recovery of stolen wild and exotic animals.”
Counsel for Morgan Creek Productions said the two “Ace Ventura” films have a “large and loyal cult-like following, especially among male adolescents.”
The second movie came out around the same time as several others that required the use of wild animals on set, including “The Jungle Book” (1994), “Dr. Dolittle” (1998) and “Mighty Joe Young” (1998) — all of which Antle says he worked on in the first episode of “Tiger King.”
“Tiger King” follows the bizarre downfall of Joseph Allen Maldonado-Passage, also known as Joe Exotic — a big-cat enthusiast who owned the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park in Wynnewood, Oklahoma, for two decades before he was found guilty of orchestrating an elaborate murder-for-hire plot involving his self-proclaimed nemesis Carole Baskin.
Maldonado-Passage, who was sentenced to 22 years in prison shortly before the docuseries aired in March 2020, has maintained his innocence.
Audiences were introduced to “Doc” Antle about 30 minutes into the first episode of “Tiger King,” where Antle discusses appearing on the “Late Show with David Letterman” alongside his tigers as well as his other Hollywood endeavors.
Antle’s interview was accompanied by short clips from the films on which he reportedly worked.
Two of those scenes came from “Ace Ventura 2” — one in which Carrey’s character is posing with a monkey on his shoulder and a second in which he’s seen riding an elephant.
Neither were used with “permission or license,” attorneys for Morgan Creek Productions said in the lawsuit.
The production company’s copyright license for the film took effect on Jan. 29, 1996, according to exhibits attached to the complaint.
Netflix and Goode Films are accused of taking clips from the film in violation of that copyright, showing it to an “audience of literally millions of viewers” for their own financial benefit, the complaint states. Lawyers for Morgan Creek Productions said the clips “serve to enhance the commercial value of ‘Tiger King’” in that they showcased how frequently wild animals have been used in Hollywood and added “levity” to the episode.
They also said the clips seemed to insinuate that the makers of “Ace Ventura” were “promoting ‘Tiger King’ favorably.”
Morgan Creek Productions sent a letter to Netflix and Goode Films in June 2020 looking to negotiate a copyright license for the use of the “Ace Ventura” clips in “Tiger King,” according to the complaint. But discussions fell through, prompting the production company to sue.
The production company is seeking more than $300,000 in damages plus attorneys’ fees.
This story was originally published December 28, 2021 at 3:34 PM with the headline "Clips from ‘Ace Ventura’ appeared in ‘Tiger King.’ Now Netflix faces copyright lawsuit."
