*Producer/writer/actor Tyler Perry faces federal charges in a copyright infringement lawsuit brought by a woman who claims his 2005 film "Diary of a Mad Black Woman" was copied from an original story she wrote in 1990.
Donna West, who filed the May 2007 lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Marshall, Texas, says "Diary" is based on an original story she wrote entitled "Fantasy of a Black Woman" back in November 1990.
The lawsuit names Perry individually, his company Tyler Perry Studios, and Lionsgate Entertainment, according to Marshall's KSLA News 12.
In the lawsuit West says she obtained a copyright for her story in March 2006, even though Perry's movie was released in February 2005. Perry's lawyers claim West has no legal ground because she did not register her work until after the alleged infringement.
West is seeking damages plus profits made by Perry in the movie. KSLA News 12 reported that Perry was in Marshall Tuesday for jury selection in the trial. Opening arguments in the case are set for Dec. 3 at the U.S. Federal Courthouse in Marshall.
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