| Company type | Holding company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Entertainment Film |
| Founded | 1962; 63 years ago (1962) |
| Founders | Albert R. Broccoli Harry Saltzman |
| Headquarters | , |
Key people | Michael G. Wilson Barbara Broccoli |
| Products | James Bond films |
| Owners | Michael G. Wilson Barbara Broccoli |
| Website | www |
Danjaq, LLC (formerlyDanjaq S.A. andDanjaq, Inc.) is theholding company responsible for the copyright and trademarks to the characters, elements, and other material related toJames Bond on screen. It is currently owned and managed by the family ofAlbert R. Broccoli, the co-initiator of the film franchise.
Danjaq S.A. was founded byAlbert R. Broccoli andHarry Saltzman after the release of the first James Bond filmDr. No, in 1962, to ensure control of all future films in the series. The new company was named Danjaq from combining the names of Broccoli and Saltzman's respective wives' (Dana Broccoli andJacqueline Saltzman).[1] The company was originally domiciled in theCanton of Vaud in Switzerland, hence the appearance of "S.A." letters in the first legal name of the company.[2] In 1962, Danjaq began its association withUnited Artists.[3]
Due to a series of failed business interests, Harry Saltzman's personal financial difficulties forced him to sell his 50% share of Danjaq to United Artists in 1975.[4]
In 1986, Albert andDana Broccoli acquired United Artists' 50% stake in the company and so assumed complete control of Danjaq.[5]John Cork claims that in exchange for the sale,MGM/UA received an exclusive distribution deal with Danjaq that is far more lucrative than when the shares were originally owned by Broccoli and Saltzman.[6]
Danjaq's legal domicile was changed from Switzerland to Delaware in October 1992.[7] The Delaware company's legal name wasDanjaq, Inc. The company was converted to a limited liability company in January 1997. In 1999, as part of a settlement of a lawsuit between MGM andSony, Sony acquired MGM's interest in theSpider-Man film rights, while Danjaq bought out the rights to the novelCasino Royale.[8]
Following the death of Albert Broccoli in 1996 and Dana Broccoli in 2004, control of Danjaq was passed to Dana's son (and Albert's step-son),Michael G. Wilson.[citation needed][9]
Although the trademarks for material related to the Bond films are held by Danjaq, the copyrights to the first twenty film properties andNo Time to Die are co-owned by Danjaq, LLC andMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (the technical successor to subsidiaryUnited Artists). The copyrights toCasino Royale,Quantum of Solace,Skyfall andSpectre, are shared between Danjaq, LLC, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., andColumbia Pictures. Danjaq, LLC also credited as one of its present copyright owners of the 1967 filmCasino Royale, the other being original production unit Famous Artists Productions.[10]
Two Bond films have been made outside the control of Danjaq: The first was the 1967 filmCasino Royale, withDavid Niven as Bond, and the second was the 1983 filmNever Say Never Again, a remake ofThunderball.Never Say Never Again was the result of a legal dispute involvingKevin McClory, one of the credited co-writers of the story used for the novelThunderball, who was awarded the film rights to the novel in a 1963 settlement withIan Fleming.
On 13 July 2009, Danjaq applied under s.69(1)(b) of theCompanies Act 2006 for a change of name of James Bond Ltd, which had been registered since 12 June 2009. James Bond Ltd was ordered by the adjudicator at theCompany Names Tribunal to change its name and to not register another company with an offending name. The respondent was also ordered to contribute toward Danjaq's costs.[11]
in 1962... Danjaq teamed up with United Artists to produce Bond films.
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