The Evil Dead sequel is dead. A California federal court awarded Sam Raimi’s Renaissance Pictures a default judgment last week in its attempt to stop Awards Pictures from making an Evil Dead 4. In the four-page judgment (read it here), Judge Dale Fisher said that Awards Pictures are “permanently enjoined” from “using the EVIL DEAD name or mark or any derivation or colorable imitations thereof, or any name or mark that is confusingly similar thereto, including but not limited to the names Evil Dead; Evil Dead: Genesis of the Necronomicon; Evil Dead: Genesis of the Necronomicon, Part 2; Evil Dead: Consequences, (collectively, the “Prohibited Names”), as or as part of the title of a motion picture, television program, video game, play, book or any other form of entertainment provided or to be provided through any media, or in connection with the promotion, development, distribution, or production of any form of entertainment.” Renaissance, which was formed in 1979 by Raimi, Bruce Campbell and Robert Tapert for the original 1981 Evil Dead film, sued the little known Award Pictures back in early May for trademark infringement and a series of other related counts over the latter’s intention to produce an Evil Dead film of their own. Awards had claimed that Raimi, who is currently producing an Evil Dead reboot scheduled to come out next spring, abandoned the trademark when he publicly stated in 2000 that Renaissance would never do another Evil Deal sequel. In his ruling, Judge Fisher also stopped Awards from “doing any other acts or things calculated or likely to cause confusion or mistake in the mind of the public or to lead purchasers or consumers or investors into the belief that the products or services promoted, offered or sponsored by Defendant emanate from or originate with Plaintiff or its licensees.” A source close to the case says that the default judgment partially came because Awards Pictures never responded to the May filing. The company never even seemed to hire a lawyer for the case, claiming prohibitive costs. Renaissance were represented by Michael D. Roth of Los Angeles’ Caldwell Leslie & Proctor and Barbara Solomon of New York’s Fross Zelnick Lehrman & Zissu.

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