We would like to address inaccuracies found in recent articles published online concerning Steve Wolsh, Living Dead Media, and their claims against ROTLD Originals. As the legal copyright owner of Return of the Living Dead for the past twelve years, DragonSTUDIOS feels it is essential to set the record straight.
In June, DragonSTUDIOS officially announced plans to produce a new feature film titled Trash’s Revenge, which would serve as part of a new Return of the Living Dead Universe. Mere days after this announcement, we received a cease-and-desist notice from Steve Wolsh and Living Dead Media LLC. As a UK-based company, we were unaware of Wolsh’s claims until this point, and only after launching a crowdfunding campaign did we discover the full extent of the situation.
Upon investigation, it became apparent that Mr. Wolsh, with assistance from his attorney brother, had made numerous attempts to register licenses related to Return of the Living Dead, all of which
were unsuccessful, aside from a limited trademark for face paint and makeup. Armed with this trademark, Wolsh and Living Dead Media began approaching vendors with misleading offers to license various rights to Return of the Living Dead, gaining unwarranted confidence over the years.
When DragonSTUDIOS announced Trash’s Revenge, we became fully aware of the breadth of Wolsh’s misrepresentation. In response, we immediately contacted our legal team and informed the actors involved in the project, many of whom had signed on for roles in Trash’s Revenge. Wolsh then attempted further legal actions but refused to provide any chain of title documents to substantiate his claims, documents that, of course, we knew he did not possess, as DragonSTUDIOS holds the copyright to Return of the Living Dead.
Following another failed attempt to pressure the actors involved, Wolsh initiated court proceedings. However, this was promptly halted when entertainment lawyer Larry Zerner joined the ROTLD
originals LLC team. After reviewing the evidence we provided, a defense was formed by the actors,now known as ROTLD Originals LLC, which led to further legal actions against Steve Wolsh and
Living Dead Media.
As our initial crowdfunding campaign came to a close, DragonSTUDIOS decided to wait for the outcome of these legal proceedings before taking additional steps against Wolsh. Now, with this chapter behind us, we are excited to announce a new crowdfunding campaign for Trash’s Revenge, set to launch at the beginning of October. We hope that all fans of Return of the Living Dead will support this official new entry into the ROTLD universe and help us bring this thrilling project to life.
Thank you for your continued support.
Sincerely,
DragonSTUDIOS
