Spyglass Media Group LLC v. The Alterian Ghost Factory, Inc. d/b/a Alterian, Inc.

# Case Brief: Spyglass Media Group LLC v. The Alterian Ghost Factory, Inc. **Case No. 2:26-cv-1235 (C.D. Cal., filed Feb. 6, 2026)** --- **Plaintiff:** Spyglass Media Group, LLC (producer/co-financier) and Paramount Pictures Corporation (distributor/co-financier) of the *Scream* franchise. **Defendant:** The Alterian Ghost Factory, Inc. d/b/a Alterian, Inc., a California special-effects and creature-design company based in Irwindale, CA. **Core allegation:** Alterian, despite knowing for decades that Fun World licensed the "Ghostface" mask for the *Scream* franchise, waited thirty years before threatening litigation—timed to extort a multi-million-dollar payment weeks before *Scream 7*'s February 25/27, 2026 theatrical release. Plaintiffs seek a judicial declaration that Alterian holds no enforceable copyright in the Ghostface mask and that laches and the statute of limitations bar any equitable relief. **Asserted IP:** - Alterian's claimed copyright in the "Wailer" mask design (no registration number stated) - Fun World's asserted independent copyright in the Ghostface mask design (no registration number stated) **Relief sought:** Declaratory judgment that Alterian has no cognizable copyright rights in the Ghostface mask and that equitable relief is foreclosed by laches and the statute of limitations. **Why it matters:** The case tests whether a rights claimant can weaponize a last-minute copyright threat to extract a nuisance settlement against a major studio franchise on the eve of a wide theatrical release—a tactic with direct implications for how courts apply *Petrella*'s "extraordinary circumstances" laches carve-out in the entertainment industry.