A court in Chongqing is deliberating a lawsuit involving a Chinese tour operator and the producers of Hollywood film "Transformers: Age of Extinction."
Wulong Karst Tourism, which is owned by the local government in Wulong County, which is home to the famed Karst Limestone rock formations, which are a UN World Heritage site.
The company is suing Paramount Pictures and its Chinese partner for 180 million yuan, or close to 30 million U.S. dollars, claiming the "Transformers" producers owe them that for lost revenues after a product placement deal didn't go through.
Wulong Karst paid close to 4.8 million yuan for an ad placement, where one of the scenes would have included the name "China Wulong" in Chinese characters.
However, the scene never made it into the final cut of the movie.
Paramount insists it has made reparations, noting "Transformers" director Michael Bay shot an advertisement for Wulong.
The production company also left its sets and props from the shots it took around Wulong with the company to help it attract tourists.
However, Wulong Karst Tourism insists this isn't nearly enough, and is demanding Paramount pay out nearly 20 times what it paid for the product placement agreement.
The court in Chongqing has yet to render a verdict.
Neither side is willing to make concessions for an out-of-court settlement.
