The copyrights to the telenovela that gave birth to the current U.S. television series “Jane the Virgin” belong to RCTV networks, a U.S. magistrate judge has ruled, and not to a screenwriter who wrote the series over a decade ago while working for the network in Caracas, Venezuela.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrea M. Simonton’s Sept. 30 opinion clarified choice of law issues regarding initial copyright ownership of foreign works in the U.S. and transfer of copyright ownership in foreign works, attorneys involved in the case said. It also clarified a question on interpretation of Venezuelan copyright law.
