Writer sues Tupac filmmakers, alleges copyright infringement


              FILE - In this Aug. 15, 1996, file photo, rapper Tupac Shakur attends a voter registration event in South Central Los Angeles.  A music journalist has filed an infringement lawsuit against the creators of the new Tupac Shakur biopic, claiming that portions of the film are based on his interviews with the late rapper. Plantiff Kevin Powell claims in documents filed Friday, June 23, 2017 that “All Eyez On Me” borrows from articles he wrote and interviews he had done with Shakur in the 1990s for Vibe magazine.  (AP Photo/Frank Wiese, File)
FILE - In this Aug. 15, 1996, file photo, rapper Tupac Shakur attends a voter registration event in South Central Los Angeles. A music journalist has filed an infringement lawsuit against the creators of the new Tupac Shakur biopic, claiming that portions of the film are based on his interviews with the late rapper. Plantiff Kevin Powell claims in documents filed Friday, June 23, 2017 that “All Eyez On Me” borrows from articles he wrote and interviews he had done with Shakur in the 1990s for Vibe magazine. (AP Photo/Frank Wiese, File)

NEW YORK (AP) - A magazine writer has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against the creators of the new Tupac Shakur biopic, saying that portions of the film are based on his articles about the late rapper.

Kevin Powell says in the suit that "All Eyez On Me" borrows from articles he wrote and interviews he did with Shakur in the 1990s for Vibe magazine.

The lawsuit says, for instance, the film's fictional character Nigel is based on a character Powell wrote about in one of his magazine articles. The suit says the character is based on Jacques "Haitian Jack" Agnant, whom Powell interviewed.

He sued Lionsgate, Program Pictures, Morgan Creek Pictures and others in the complaint, filed Friday in New York.

A representative for Lionsgate declined to comment.

Upcoming Events