- Share this article on Facebook
- Share this article on Twitter
- Share this article on Flipboard
- Share this article on Email
- Show additional share options
- Share this article on Linkedin
- Share this article on Pinit
- Share this article on Reddit
- Share this article on Tumblr
- Share this article on Whatsapp
- Share this article on Print
- Share this article on Comment
While multiple big-money fights over The Walking Dead rage on, The Hollywood Reporter has learned a dispute over the spinoff has quietly settled.
Mel Smith, author of comic series Dead Ahead, in July sued AMC Networks, Robert Kirkman and others associated with Fear the Walking Dead. He claimed the show’s second season was derived from his work. Also named as a defendant was David Alpert, who is Kirkman’s business partner and manager and had been Smith’s agent.
In February, U.S. District Court Judge Lucy Koh denied AMC’s motion to dismiss the complaint, finding “what Defendants essentially seek is summary judgment because they stray beyond the four corners of the complaint and into factual disputes over the similarities and differences between Dead Ahead and Fear the Walking Dead, including whether certain elements of Dead Ahead are protectable under copyright law.”
The details of the settlement are confidential. Koh on Wednesday granted a stipulation of dismissal with prejudice.
THR Newsletters
Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day