An Indian director has accused Netflix of copying his film to make the massively successful Squid Game.
Soham Shah has filed a lawsuit in New York federal court claiming that the Korean series copies his 2009 Hindi-language film Luck.
The lawsuit names Netflix and Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk as defendants.
Newsweek has sought email comment from Netflix and Hwang.
In a statement, Netflix said: “This claim has no merit. Squid Game was created by and written by Hwang Dong-hyuk and we intend to defend this matter vigorously.”
A pink soldier guard is part of the ambiance at Netflix’s “Squid Game” Los Angeles FYSEE Special Event on June 12, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. An Indian director claims the series is a rip-off of his 2009 film.
Valerie Macon/Getty Images
In Squid Game, a group of unemployed or impoverished contestants are lured into an island where they compete for a massive cash prize—with all but the winner killed along the way. The game was created to amuse a group of rich gamblers.
It was the most successful Netflix series of all time, with more than 142 million viewers.
In Luck, a group of people are recruited by “an underworld kingpin” to take part in a series of games, with gamblers around the world betting on the outcomes.
“The main plot, characters, themes, mood, setting and sequence of events of Squid Game are strikingly similar to that of Luck, defying any likelihood that such similarities could be coincidence,” read a lawsuit lodged in court on September 13 by Shah’s attorney, Emily Kirsch.
“On September 17, 2021, Defendants Netflix, Inc. and Netflix Worldwide Entertainment, LLC (together, “Netflix”) released the streaming television series “Squid Game” to widespread critical acclaim and global popularity. The series ultimately became Netflix’s most- watched show, won dozens of awards worldwide (including six Primetime Emmy awards), and – according to Netflix itself – increased Netflix’s market value by over $900 million. Defendant Dong-hyuk is credited as the “creator” of Squid Game,” the lawsuit reads.
“Unfortunately, the Squid Game series is a blatant rip-off of Plaintiff’s 2009 Hindi-language Indian film, Luck (the “Luck Film”), and its separately copyrighted components.”
“This action seeks damages and a permanent injunction for copyright infringement and other wrongful acts by Defendant Netflix and Defendant Dong-hyuk concerning their unauthorized copying and use of Luck.”
The lawsuit says Luck “tells the story of a group of desperate, indebted people enticed to take part in a series of competitive games to win large sums of money. Only once they begin participating do the individuals learn that losing any of the challenges means death, and that the death of a participant also increases the pot of money available to the remaining contestants.”
“While wealthy onlookers gamble on the players and revel in the high-stakes competition, the participants themselves struggle to stay alive and grapple with their own morality in extreme conditions.”
It adds that, in September 2021, “Netflix released the initial season of Squid Game. Like Luck, the show centered around the struggles of several characters participating in life-or-death challenges for the chance of winning enormous riches and escaping their debt-ridden, hopeless lives. On information and belief, Defendant Dong-hyuk wrote the story and screenplay for Squid Game I.”
