French court allows sequel of ’Miserables’
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Reuters
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Aralık 23, 2008 00:00
PARIS - Modern-day sequels to Victor Hugo's classic "Les Miserables" have been allowed after a French court threw out a case from the 19th century master's descendants, a lawyer for publishers Plon said Friday.
After a legal battle lasting years, a Paris appeals court ruled in favor of Plon, publishers of two novels based on Les Miserables by modern-day author Francois Ceresa, Plon's lawyer Paul Lombard said.
"The court has dismissed the suit from the descendants of Victor Hugo and ordered them to pay 10,000 euros in damages and interest," he said. The ruling by the appeals court in Paris follows a claim by Pierre Hugo and other descendants against Plon and Ceresa, the author of two novels featuring popular characters such as the abandoned waif Cosette or the student Marius.
The ruling was challenged by the publishers who said it contravened the principle of freedom of expression and the case made its way through the court system before reaching the final appeals court in Paris where it was heard last month.
Published in 1862, "Les Miserables" was an instant success and generations of French children have grown up with characters like Cosette and Marius, the street urchin Gavroche and the convict-hero Jean Valjean.
The book also formed the basis for several film versions and one of the most successful musicals of all time.
In 2001, a lower court found that two novels by Ceresa, "Cosette ou le temps des illusions" (Cosette or the time of illusions) and "Marius ou le Fugitif" (Marius or the Fugitive) constituted an offense against the moral rights of Victor Hugo.
"Not only did Plon fail to consult Mr Hugo, but the publisher subsequently treated him off-handedly and refused any discussion," Pierre Hugo's lawyer Stephane Loisy said.
The challenge was supported by the Societe des Gens de Lettres, an authors' rights group set up in 1838 by Victor Hugo and peers like Honore de Balzac and Alexandre Dumas.
"The court has dismissed the suit from the descendants of Victor Hugo and ordered them to pay 10,000 euros in damages and interest," he said. The ruling by the appeals court in Paris follows a claim by Pierre Hugo and other descendants against Plon and Ceresa, the author of two novels featuring popular characters such as the abandoned waif Cosette or the student Marius.
The ruling was challenged by the publishers who said it contravened the principle of freedom of expression and the case made its way through the court system before reaching the final appeals court in Paris where it was heard last month.
Published in 1862, "Les Miserables" was an instant success and generations of French children have grown up with characters like Cosette and Marius, the street urchin Gavroche and the convict-hero Jean Valjean.
The book also formed the basis for several film versions and one of the most successful musicals of all time.
In 2001, a lower court found that two novels by Ceresa, "Cosette ou le temps des illusions" (Cosette or the time of illusions) and "Marius ou le Fugitif" (Marius or the Fugitive) constituted an offense against the moral rights of Victor Hugo.
"Not only did Plon fail to consult Mr Hugo, but the publisher subsequently treated him off-handedly and refused any discussion," Pierre Hugo's lawyer Stephane Loisy said.
The challenge was supported by the Societe des Gens de Lettres, an authors' rights group set up in 1838 by Victor Hugo and peers like Honore de Balzac and Alexandre Dumas.