Porn has had a good run parodying box office franchises like Star Wars (Star Wars XXX).

Such hijinks are considered constitutionally protected “fair use,” so long as you're commenting and not just copying. Superstar adult producer Axel Braun (Star Wars XXX) told us last year that porn parodies attract legions of fanboys and have been a bright spot for an industry pummeled by free online content.

But one lawsuit says the makers of This Isn't Fifty Shades … (XXX) went too far:

The folks who own the rights to the smash bestseller Fifty Shades of Grey are suing Smash Pictures, the adult production house behind the forthcoming parody. (Universal Studios, which has movie rights to the story, is also a plaintiff).

The suit, reports The Hollywood Reporter, alleges that the smut-makers engaged in a “willful attempt to capitalize on the reputation of the book.”

In a piece LA Weekly's Barbie Davenporte did about the the film earlier this year, Smash executive Stuart Wall said, “We're choosing to go with a XXX adaption which will stay very true to the book and its S&M-themed romance.”

THR seems to think those are words that might haunt him.

While turning Star Wars into smut is one thing, staying true to the page for a book that already trumpets smut might be going too far.

The lawsuit claims that …

… By lifting exact dialogue, characters, events, story, and style from the Fifty Shades trilogy, Smash Pictures ensured that the first XXX adaptation was, in fact, as close as possible to the original works.

Smash was founded in 2001 and claims to be …

… leaders in the niche market of gonzo porn, has fast become known for its fetish and sex appeal, for those that like to see the girls of their fantasies dressed up as a Nurse, Nanny or Secretary.

Anyway, this case is big and could be Supreme Court material is you ask us: Where is the line between copying for a buck and making fun of something?

Fifty Shades, the XXX-parody version, is scheduled to be released Jan. 10.

See also:

*Porn Defends the Money Shot.

[@dennisjromero / djromero@laweekly.com / @LAWeeklyNews]

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