http://www.dannyjohn-jule...?newsID=10
This little known story has met a just conclusion, as Sophia Stewart, African American author of The Matrix will finally receive her just due from the copyright infringement of her original work!!!

A six-year dispute has ended involving Sophia Stewart, the Wachowski Brothers, Joel Silver and Warner Brothers. Stewart's allegations, involving copyright infringement and racketeering, were received and acknowledged by the Central District of California, Judge Margaret Morrow presiding.
Stewart, a New Yorker who has resided in Salt Lake City for the past five years, will recover damages from the films, The Matrix I, II and III, as well as The Terminator and its sequels. She will soon receive one of the biggest payoffs in the history of Hollywood, as the gross receipts of both films and their sequels total over 2..5 billion dollars.

Stewart filed her case in 1999, after viewing the Matrix, which she felt had been based on her manuscript, 'The Third Eye,' copyrighted in 1981. In the mid-eighties Stewart had submitted her manuscript to an ad placed by the Wachowski Brothers, requesting new sci-fi works..

According to court documentation, an FBI investigation discovered that more than thirty minutes had been edited from the original film, in an attempt to avoid penalties for copyright infringement. The investigation also stated that 'credible witnesses employed at Warner Brothers came forward, claiming that the executives and lawyers had full knowledge that the work in question did not belong to the Wachowski Brothers.' These witnesses claimed to have seen Stewart's original work and that it had been 'often used during preparation of the motion pictures.' The defendants tried, on several occasions, to have Stewart's case dismissed, without success.

Stewart has confronted skepticism on all sides, much of which comes from Matrix fans, who are strangely loyal to the Wachowski Brothers. One on-line forum, entitled Matrix Explained has an entire section devoted to Stewart. Some who have researched her history and writings are open to her story.

Others are suspicious and mocking. 'It doesn't bother me,' said Stewart in a phone interview last week, 'I always knew what was true.'
Some fans, are unaware of the case or they question its legitimacy, due to the fact that it has received little to no media coverage. Though the case was not made public until October of 2003, Stewart has her own explanation, as quoted at aghettotymz.com:

'The reason you have not seen any of this in the media is because Warner Brothers parent company is AOL-Time Warner.... this GIANT owns 95 percent of the media... let me give you a clue as to what they own in the media business... New York Times papers/magazines, LA Times papers/magazines, People Magazine, CNN news, Extra, Celebrity Justice, Entertainment Tonight, HBO, New Line Cinema, DreamWorks, Newsweek, Village Roadshow and many, many more! They are not going to report on themselves. They have been suppressing my case for years.'

Fans who have taken Stewart's allegations seriously, have found eerie mythological parallels, which seem significant in a case that revolves around the highly metaphorical and symbolic Matrix series. Sophia, the Greek goddess of wisdom has been referenced many times in speculation about Stewart. In one book about the Goddess Sophia, it reads, 'The black goddess is the mistress of web creation spun in her divine matrix.'

Although there have been outside implications as to racial injustice (Stewart is African American), she does not feel that this is the case. 'This is all about the Benjamins,' said Stewart. 'It's not about money with me. It's about justice.'

Stewart's future plans involve a record label, entitled Popsilk Records, and a motion picture production company, All Eyez On Me, in reference to God. 'I wrote The Third Eye to wake people up, to remind them why God put them here. There's more to life than money,' said Stewart. 'My whole to the world is about God and good and about choice, about spirituality over 'technocracy'.'
If Stewart represents spirituality, then she truly has prevailed over the 'technocracy' represented in both the Terminator and the Matrix, and now, ironically, by their supposed creators.

Stewart is currently having discussions with CBS about a possible exclusive story and has several media engagements in the near future to nationally publicize her victory. June 13th 2004. Sophia Stewart's press release read: 'The Matrix & Terminator movie franchises have made world history and have ultimately changed the way people view movies and how Hollywood does business, yet the real truth about the creator and creation of these films continue to elude the masses because the hidden secret of the matter is that these films were created and written by a Black woman...a Black woman named Sophia Stewart. But Hollywood does not want you to know this fact simply because it would change history. Also it would encourage our Black children to realize a dream and that is...nothing is impossible for them to achieve!'

Whoa! GTFO!

watch Hollywood accounting show that those films did not make 2.5 billion dollars and didn't even turn a profit

That story is from about 2004 or 5. Last I heard, her case was thrown out of court when she failed to show up.

She was allowed to later refile, but the same story with the dates omitted keeps showing up year after year on the web.

Could be a trick of the Matrix.

Mars23 said:

Yeah, I can't find even one current news item...I really want to know what the deal is. I wish I could find her book, which seems to be unavailable. If there's any truth to this it would be huge news.

babynoz said:

Don't know, but the dates change or are omitted, and she moves around the country. Some versions she is in NY some Utah.

Some stories claim the FBI has investigated her case, which seems pretty far fetched. The FBI doesn't generally investigate civil suits for private citizens.

Holy Shit Kickin Shit!!!!


Oh gosh I just hope she survives long enough to get paid cuz I'm sure these mofos will appeal. And of course a black woman wrote the matrix and terminator. Racial and sexual overtones....you blind if you didn't see it.

good for her!!!!!

DesireeNevermind said:

Except as of now it's dead. She couldn't show substantial evidence her work had been ripped off so that's that.

Fauxie said:

Dayum that was quick. where's the link that says it's dead cuz this thread title and linked article are misleading. and in disgust.

DesireeNevermind said:

Just google her name and about the case. I have a bad feeling she may be a bit of a nutcase who basically had no case. Why all the duplicate 'news' stories about her case, many of which have various small details changed or claim that she's actually won already when nothing of the sort is said in the article. Always the same article, but with different dates and minor variations. There doesn't seem to be any substance to this. Almost like an internet ruse, though it isn't.

Just all smells like bullshit, unfortunately.

Here's a post from one of the many, many forums that have picked up this news story over the last 5 years:

Inspired By You
LET ME JUST SAY THIS..MY NAME IS ANTOINETTE CREWS, NIECE AND FRIEND OF SOPHIA STEWART

IN MY HANDS ARE THE COURT STAMPED DOCUMENTS, THE AFFADAVITS, THE TERRORIST DEATH THREATS AND THE COURT APPEALS AND STATEMENTS GIVEN TO THE COURTS BY BOTH SOPHIA AND THE DEFENDANTS

TRUTH...HER BOOK THRID EYE WAS CHOPPED AND SCREWED TO GIVE THE ILLUSION THAT HER BOOK IS NOTHING LIKE THE MATRIX

HOWEVER IF U REALLY KNOW THE DEPTH OF THE SITUATIO NHER BOOK WAS SIMPLY A REFERENCE AND THE FIRST MINUTE AND 45 SECONDS OF THE TERMINATOR MOVIE IS THE PLAYED TH EXACT SAME WAY THAT IT WAS WRITTEN IN STEWARTS MOVIE TREATMENT COPYWRITTEN IN THE 80'S. SHE WAS NOT ABLE TO ATTEND A CRUCIAL COURT HEARING TO GIVE EVIDENCE THAT WOULD HAVE ORIGINALLY WON HER THE CASE BECAUSE "COINCIDENTALLY" SHE WAS HIT WHILE DRIVING HER CAR ALONE THE DAY BEFORE THE HEARING....THE "DRIVER" FLED THE SCENCE. INFORMATION THAT THE DEFENDANTS SEEMED TO HAVE LEFT OUT WHEN POSTING ALL OVER THE MEDIA THAT STEWART WAS A NO SHOW TO HER HEARING. NOT TO MENTION THAT THE LAWYERS WHO LATER DOUBLE CROSSED HER FAILED TO EVEN MENTION A HEARING WAS TAKING PLACE THE FOLLOWING MORNING IN CALIFORNIA,

WHETHER OR NOT THE HIT AND RUN WAS INTENTIONAL IS UNPROVEN HOWEVER THE MYSTERY STILL LIVES...

TO PUT IT TO REST SHE HAS VERY MUCH WON HER CASE AND WE ARE AWAITING THE FILE TO BE DELIVERED FROM THE COURTS REVELAING THE SETTLEMENT AMOUNT...


Rumours all over the place, keeps coming back again and again, but it seems the real events came and went without much media coverage because there really wasn't much to report. More of an internet urban legend at this point, I think.

Mars23 said:

I remember reading something similar a couple of years ago. I thought this was an update but apparently not.