Litigation over Tom Clancy Works entails primary however complicated copyright parts

If best-selling action thriller writer Tom Clancy had written a book about a copyright battle for novels and characters he created, including his best-known creation, Jack Ryan, the title blurb could have been, “Even though Clancy saw what Jack Ryan looked like The Clancy likely never imagined a non-fictional chapter featuring Jack Ryan in a bitter family dispute over Clancy’s estate.

This is exactly how the US District Court for the District of Maryland describes current copyright disputes between Clancy’s widow Alexandra and his former wife Wanda King. Clancy v Jack Ryan Enterprises Ltd. (JREL), 17-3371. The case is complex, but it involves fundamental copyright issues.