Writer Sues Tupac Filmmakers, Alleges Copyright Infringement

A magazine writer has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against the creators of the new Tupac Shakur biopic, saying that portions of the film are based on his articles about the late rapper.

Kevin Powell says in the suit filed Friday that "All Eyez On Me" borrows from articles he wrote and interviews he did with Shakur in the 1990s for Vibe magazine.

The lawsuit says, for instance, the film's fictional character Nigel is based on a character Powell wrote about in one of his magazine articles. The suit says the character is based on Jacques "Haitian Jack" Agnant.

"There are stories with fictional characters and re-worked narratives that are unique to the Original Work that appear in the Infringing Work," the suit said. "Rather than contact Plaintiff, Defendants, while fully aware of Plaintiff's copyright in the Original Work, willfully and improperly developed, produced, filmed and released the Infringing Work derived from Plaintiff's Original Work."

Powell is suing Lionsgate, Program Pictures, Morgan Creek Pictures as well as producers and screenwriters of the film. A representative for Lionsgate declined to comment Saturday, and a lawyer for Powell didn't reply to an email seeking comment.

"All Eyez On Me" debuted last weekend at No. 3 with $27.1 million. Critics have panned the movie and Jada Pinkett Smith, a close friend of Shakur's, contradicted several scenes in the film and called her portrayal "deeply hurtful."

Shakur, one of the most prolific figures in hip-hop, died in 1996 from gunshots wounds.

Brien Bower, 25, an experienced mountaineer from Seattle, said there were two mindsets among hikers approaching the high Sierra: those who said everyone was going to die and those going for it.

Bower, who completed the trail two years ago, planned to turn around if he sensed danger.

He was climbing on skis near the top of 11,978-foot (3,651-meter) Glen Pass in Kings Canyon National Park in late May when he stopped to check the snow's stability and triggered an avalanche. He hardly realized what happened before it carried him 400 feet (120 meters) - and off a 20-foot (6-meter) cliff - in about four seconds.

His hip was sore, but remarkably, he stayed atop the slide and wasn't badly hurt. He left the mountains for a few days and returned farther north, where intimidating waters drove him from the trail again and he eventually quit after becoming sick.

"People are either continuing to get lucky or learning the skills on the job very fast," he said.

Jake Gustafson, 21, a McDonald's manager from Pennsylvania, was pressing with a friend despite "fear mongering" he read on social media. The worst thing he encountered were sunburned nostrils from solar reflection off snow.

"We're considered the daredevils," said Gustafson, who sends a "Not dead yet" message by satellite to his mother each night. "We like the sense of danger, I guess."

Sellsted, 31, who works at a Seattle architecture firm, lost track of how many times she used her ice ax to arrest falls on steep and slick snow. She had gotten accustomed to chilly water crossings before she nearly drowned June 5 in Rancheria Creek.

After drying her gear, she carried on. But the next crossing was too spooky after her experience, so she hiked out and returned home.

"I made some mistakes thinking I could do this," Sellsted said. "I got humbled pretty quickly."

Still, she made it farther than most in the Sierra, covering nearly 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) in California.

She resumed her hike Monday in Oregon, expecting clear trails at lower elevations. But the trail was covered in snow, and she turned back.