 |
| Buppha Rights Battle: Thai Director Demands 100 Million Baht from Be On Cloud |
Thai film scene is heating up after veteran director Tome Yuthlert accused hit-making studio Be On Cloud of stepping on his intellectual property.
The dispute centres on the cult classic horror film Buppha (known in full as Buppha Ratree), which Tome insists he alone holds the copyright for.
According to Tome, Be On Cloud has no legal right to touch the property after a previous agreement was terminated.
He’s now demanding 100 million baht (314k USD) in damages, raising the stakes by warning he could take the case to the Ministry of Culture and even double the claim to 200 million baht (628k USD) if misleading documents were filed in the funding process.
 |
Be On Cloud, however, says the picture is different.
The company claims it obtained rights via Film Republic and stresses their project isn’t a sequel but a “fresh interpretation” with its own story and artistic design.
Tome isn’t buying it.
He argues that Be On Cloud’s plans clearly infringe on more than just the title – he points to characters, plot structures, and creative elements as being lifted directly from his original work.
 |
| Tome Yuthlert Accuses Be On Cloud of Copying Classic Horror Buppha |
To underline his position, he has already issued a legal warning letter with a 30-day deadline before heading to court.
The drama has a personal twist too.
 |
Tome publicly called out former friend and fellow director Ping Lumpraploeng, labelling him an “enemy” after communication between them broke down over the project.
Despite his fiery stance, Tome left one crack in the door.
 |
He said compensation demands could be reduced if Be On Cloud issued a “genuine apology.”
At the same time, he revealed the controversy has lit a spark in him to consider reviving Buppha himself after years of keeping the project dormant.
For now, it’s a tense standoff.
Be On Cloud is moving ahead, Tome is digging his heels in, and the Thai film industry is watching closely to see if this turns into a landmark copyright case.