Netflix's 'Don't Look Up' faces fresh copyright challenge
Almost three years have passed since the premiere of "Don't Look Up," and the film still holds the second spot on Netflix's list of biggest hits in history. However, the largest streaming platform's lawyers are facing a problem as they are forced to engage in legal battles because of it.
Last month, a federal court in Los Angeles dismissed William Collier's copyright infringement lawsuit, which accused the screenwriters of "Don't Look Up." The judge explained that any similarities are too general and there are no legal grounds for claims. Is this the end of the story? Perhaps for this case, but another lawsuit has now emerged in court.
The new case once again concerns copyright infringement. This time, a certain Darren Hunter from Harleysville, Pennsylvania, claims that the plot, characters, and thematic elements of the film were taken from his novel "The Million Day Forecast," which he published in 2015.
In both cases, the lawsuit involves books that were self-published, usually resulting in very small releases. Darren Hunter is demanding compensation of approximately €2.8 million for the alleged copyright infringement.
"The themes of apocalyptic political satire, dark comedy, and the challenges of mobilising collective action in the face of imminent danger are central to both works. These undeniable similarities indicate that the movie has taken key literary elements from the book without Plaintiff’s consent and authorization," the lawsuit states.
The writer's lawyer harshly criticised the director and screenwriter of "Don't Look Up" (over 170 million views worldwide), Adam McKay, who received two Oscar nominations for the Netflix production: for best film and original screenplay. He accused him of "deceit and greed," which, in his opinion, "is unfortunate testament to the current state of some in Hollywood." So far, there has been no response from the other side to the lawsuit.
