What if you no longer agree with a play about your life?
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Dutch former television presenter Sonja Barend has chosen to distance herself from the theatrical adaptation of her book. Dirk Visser, Professor of Intellectual Property Law, comments on this in Dutch daily newspaper ‘AD’: ‘Authors have the right to say they no longer endorse the production.’
Sonja Barend and her publisher De Bezige Bij have distanced themselves from the play Sonja that is based on her book Je ziet me nooit meer terug and her life. The parties disagree on the way in which the book is represented in the screenplay of the stage production. According to Visser, it is hard to say whether there are any legal consequences: ‘In principle, anyone can make a play about anyone, as long as you stay away from libel. Only this particular play is based on Sonja Barend's book, which is also copyrighted.'
The professor suspects that the play’s directors may also have set out certain matters in a contract: ‘That usually happens with stage adaptations and film adaptations of books.’ Barend, however, may backtrack on her blessing for the play. According to Visser, authors ‘have the right to be able to say they no longer agree with the production.’