system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: When a film studio like Warner Brothers purchased rights to a franchise, what is actually being purchased?
gpt
When someone writes a story, they are granted control over it from the day it's written until 70 years after their death. With some limits (for things like reviews, parody, and education), they can sue anyone who uses the story without their permission. When a film studio purchases the rights to a franchise, they are purchasing permission from the author to make a movie with those characters and their stories.