Jul 23, 2026 – 8.00pmA long-running dispute between the three wealthy co-founders of Australian video technology giant Blackmagic Design has gone public after one filed a lawsuit claiming he had not been paid dividends for years and had been thwarted in attempts to sell out to a venture capital firm.Blackmagic was founded by Grant Petty, Douglas Clarke and Peter Barber in 2001, and its DaVinci Resolve software platform has gone on to become an industry standard in Hollywood, used in blockbusters such as Avatar and One Battle After Another for editing, video effects and audio production.Subscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Fetching latest articles
Blackmagic’s wealthy co-founders feud over $1.5b venture capital deal
The video technology giant has won over Hollywood with its film production software, but one of its three co-founders says he has not been allowed to sell out.
TL;DRAI
Blackmagic Design co-founder sued for unpaid dividends and a blocked $1.5B venture capital exit. Signals governance and equity risk when founders and investors clash in mature software firms; early stakeholder returns face erosion.
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