The Script Was The Subject Of A Copyright Lawsuit
There are some pretty legendary fights onscreen throughout Rocky IV, but there was also one behind the scenes regarding the origin of the film’s script, so much so that it went to court in the State of California. According to the lawsuit, Anderson v. Stallone, Timothy Anderson watched Rocky III and then came up with a treatment for a fourth movie in the franchise that he then presented to several executives at MGM and Sylvester Stallone before the studio passed.
Anderson argued that the version of Rocky IV that the studio released was similar to his treatment and believed that they had stolen his ideas. A judge, however, ruled that since Stallone had ownership of the characters in the treatment, Anderson’s work wasn’t protected by copyright laws. Anderson appealed but the matter was later settled out of court.
