The fight for the Weinstein Company's "The Butler" title continues as the company enters the appeal process on Friday July 19.
Weinstein will try to ensure that "The Butler's" title remains and will appeal to the title registration bureau. The organization ruled that the Weinstein Company could not use the name because it was already owned by Warner Bros from a 1916 short film "The Butler". TWC was told to stop promoting the movie under the original title because it would face fines of $25,000 a day.
However according to TWC the company had already registered "Lee Daniel's The Butler" as an alternate title allowing for a possible solution. According to sources behind the scenes Warner Bros has already proposed several ways to resolve the conflict but neither side has come to an agreement.
TWC has continued to fight against Warner Bros and enlisted attorney David Boies to defend its case. Last week the attorney wrote a number of letters to WB and the Title Registration Bureau threatening them. However, Warner Bros responded and accused the company of a "disturbing pattern and practice of flagrant [Title Registration Bureau] rules violations."
TWC has already taken down the movie's website and Facebook page in order to not pay the penalties. The film has generated massive Oscar buzz with many pundits claiming that the movie's stars, such as Forest Whitaker and Oprah Winfrey, could get nominations. A failure to win the appeal could potentially delay the movie or confuse audiences with a different title.
"The Butler" is slated for release on August 16 and also stars Robin Williams, David Oyelowo, Alex Pettyfer, Vanessa Redgrave, Jane Fonda, Terrence Howard, Alan Rickman, John Cusack, Liev Schreiber, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Melissa Leo. The appeal is scheduled for 10 am at the MPAA's offices.