Motion Picture Association settles dispute over ‘The Butler’ movie title with a compromise

NEW YORK, N.Y. – The Motion Picture Association of America has settled the roiling dispute between Harvey Weinstein and Warner Bros. over the use of the title “The Butler.”

In a ruling Friday night, the MPAA’s Title Registration Bureau said the Weinstein Co. could not go forward with the title for its upcoming Lee Daniels’ White House drama. In the MPAA’s title registry, Warner Bros. reserves the rights to the title due to a so-named 1916 short.

But the Weinstein Co. will be allowed to use the title “Lee Daniels’ The Butler,” which the company said it would immediately switch to.

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