The estate of Sherlock Holmes creator Arthur Conan Doyle has arrived at a settlement agreement with the creators of the recent movie “Mr. Holmes.” The estate claimed that the recent film infringed on stories that were still under copyright. The lawsuit was filed against Miramax, Roadside Attractions, and Condon in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico. The movie starring Ian McKellen depicts an elderly retired Sherlock Holmes looking back on his life and getting involved in a new case. Benjamin Allison, an attorney for the Doyle estate, announced in September that a settlement had been reached between the estate and the makers of the film. Most of Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes works are in the public domain, but there are currently ten works published between 1923 and 1927 that remain under copyright.
See Ted Johnson, ‘Mr. Holmes’ Copyright Lawsuit Settled, Variety, October 9, 2015.
