Nosferatu and the fangs of copyright infringement

Estate summary

Derek Scally revisits Florence Stoker’s action against the unauthorised makers of Nosferatu for the film’s centenary, drawing on comments from Dacre. He explains that the production acknowledged Dracula while obtaining no adaptation licence, leaving Florence to pursue a costly dispute in Germany with help from the Society of Authors. The article stresses uncertainty about the surviving legal evidence and describes the difficulties created by Prana’s receivership and the circulation of prints across borders. Dacre challenges the familiar portrayal of Florence personally demanding the burning of the film: he attributes the proposal for destruction to advice from the lawyers. Scally connects this dispute with Florence’s later income from authorised adaptations. It is valuable for its focus on her position as a rights holder and for distinguishing a memorable legend from what the family’s account of the correspondence supports.

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