Jersey Boys Creators Guilty of Copyright Infringement | Playbill

News Jersey Boys Creators Guilty of Copyright Infringement A Nevada court finds that the show copied unlawfully from an unpublished biography.
Matt Bogart, Jarrod Spector, Drew Gehling and Jeremy Kushnier in Jersey Boys Joan Marcus

Creators of the long-running Broadway smash Jersey Boys have been found guilty in federal court in Nevada of copyright infringement, according to a report on Forbes.com.

Jurors determined that 10 percent of the show‘s success is attributable to material director Des McAnuff and writers Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice drew from an unpublished biography, Tommy DeVito—Then and Now, by author Rex Woodard.

The decision comes just weeks before the ten-year run of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical is scheduled to end January 15, 2017. The show has spun off international productions, tours, and a movie.

Productions spokespersons have not responded to Playbill.com’s request for comment.

Woodard died in 1991 at the age of 41, after being diagnosed with lung cancer. Woodard’s widow, Donna Corbello, brought the case and had originally said 30 percent of the show’s success was owed to her late husband‘s book.

The musical tracks the career of the singing group Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. DeVito, one of the founders of the Four Seasons, co-wrote the book with Woodard before he died. DeVito later said he had written the book on his own and it was used in the preparation of the musical.

According to Forbes, “The jurors did not indicate which parts of the autobiography were copied. Yet, Judge Robert C. Jones identified eleven similarities between the manuscript and the musical, including the dialogue surrounding songs, the characterization of individuals, and the description of scenes.”

No word on whether the show‘s creators will appeal the decision. The case has been ongoing for more than a year.

READ: FRANKIE VALLI AND BOB GAUDIO SUED FOR COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT OVER THEIR OWN LIFE STORIES

(Updated November 29, 2016)

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