Scandal on the screen: Indian director accuses Netflix of plagiarism

Indian director Soham Shah decided to challenge one of the largest streaming services in the world. He sued Netflix, accusing it of plagiarizing his 2009 film Luck to create the hit TV series The Squid Game.

Accusations of plagiarism: coincidence or regularity?

In his lawsuit, filed in New York, Shah claims that the plot of the series almost completely repeats his film. In both cases, a group of people take part in a series of challenges on which viewers from around the world bid. The director also noted that many plot elements, characters and atmosphere of the series are too similar to his film to be a coincidence.

"I cannot ignore such an obvious plagiarism of my work. It must be fairly resolved in court, " said Soham Shah.

Netflix denies the allegations

In turn, Netflix rejects all the accusations, calling them baseless. Company representatives emphasize that "The Squid Game" was independently written by director Hwang Dong-hyeok.

"The plot of the series is an original work and has nothing to do with Shah's film, " Netflix emphasizes.

Markets and copyrights

Shah also claims that his film was released in India, the UK, the US and the UAE, so Netflix could easily have access to his work. The director not only demands compensation, but also a ban on broadcasting the series, selling goods and creating new projects based on it.

Implications for the market of streaming services

If the court sides with Shah, it could set a precedent for the industry. Netflix and other streaming platforms will be forced to more carefully check their projects for originality, which may affect the speed of release of new series and films.

Editor: Emiliia Morozova