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International Media Films (IMF) brought legal action against Lucas Entertainment in 2007, claiming that their film Michael Lucas’ La Dolce Vita, a remake of Federico Fellini's classic 1960 movie La Dolce Vita, infringed copyright and trademark.   It was not until 31^st March 2010 that the case was decided, when Judge John Koeltl ruled that IMF had failed to provide enough admissible evidence to prove it was the undisputed owner of the film’s copyright.

During the case, the chain of ownership of the film dating back to 1962 was disputed.   IMF claimed that the original producers of the film assigned the rights to Cinemat S. A. in 1962.   Cinemat S. A. transferred rights to Hor A.G. in 1980, who subsequently passed ownership on to Oriental Films the following year.   In 1998, Oriental transferred rights to Cinestampa who then transferred rights to IMF in 2001.   The following year, IMF filed a registration with the US Copyright Office on a restoration copy of the film.

However, Lucas claimed the existence of a different chain of ownership which resulted in Paramount Pictures controlling rights to the film.   They also disputed the authenticity of agreements between Cinemat, Hor, Oriental and Cinestampa, claiming there were inaccuracies in dates and signatures.

Finding in favour of the defendant, Judge Koeltl said, ‘… it is possible for the Fellini film to be in the public domain.   It is the plaintiff who bears the burden of proving that its chain of title is valid.’

Lucas’s film won 14 awards at the gay porn industry’s equivalent of the Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Threesome.

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