‘Don’t Look Up’ Copyright Lawsuit Filed Against Netflix Rejected for Now

lawsuit filed against Adam McKayproduction company and Netflix blame them ripping up a self-published novel don’t look up progress was blocked.

U.S. District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett dismissed the case. find that many of the alleged similarities are too “generic” to constitute a claim of copyright infringement. It gave the book’s author the opportunity to correct his allegations and refile the complaint, according to the decision released Thursday.

In 2012, William Collier self-published a black comedy novel: Comet Stanley. It follows a low-level NASA scientist’s discovery of a giant comet on a collision course with Earth. Although initially the government was skeptical about whether this would be effective, it eventually planned a nuclear attack, which was canceled for political reasons. Meanwhile, the scientist rises to fame as people are divided over whether to take the threat seriously and the wealthy make alternative plans for survival.

Collier filed the lawsuit last year, claiming that his book and McKay’s film were “strikingly similar” to each other. like a novel, don’t look up It’s a black comedy about a giant comet on a collusion course with Earth, according to the complaint, which notes that the works share the same mood, themes and characters, among other things.

The court rejected the claims that the alleged similarities reached the level of violation. Garnett wrote of the mood and tone of the works: “A comedic, ironic, or satirical mood is too general to merit copyright protection.”

The judge reached the same conclusion regarding arguments that the film and book shared overlapping themes. He emphasized that critiques of the media, government, and society are “among the essential elements of modern American literature” and “cannot serve as the basis for copyright protection.”

Collier also claimed that the studies shared the same scenario: Low-level scientists discovered large comets predicted to hit Earth; appearing on talk shows to inform the public about their findings, initially met with public disinterest; and a chaotic climax as comets become visible.

The court emphasized the differences between the movie and the book on this issue. Inside don’t look upWhile the comet actually crashes into Earth, causing an extinction-level event, the comet in the novel bypasses the atmosphere, allowing everyone to survive. He added: “The discovery of the comet and the reactions of the public and various government actors, including impulsive behavior, apathy, and fear, are situations and events that flow naturally from the basic premise of each study.”

Collier has 21 days to resubmit an amended case.

According to the complaint, Collier’s daughter worked at Jimmy Miller Entertainment, a division of Mosaic Media Group, as an executive assistant to Michael Aguilar, then the company’s president of production. Aguilar reported to Jimmy Miller, who the lawsuit says was McKay’s manager until 2015. Talladega Nights, Step Siblings And Lost Landclaimed in the lawsuit.

Collier claimed that in 2007 he sent a copy of his book to his daughter’s employer to be evaluated for potential development. According to the complaint, McKay, a Mosaic customer, reviewed the novel through Miller during this process.

McKay claimed he wrote the script don’t look up It drew on multiple sources of inspiration, including a 2019 conversation with David Sirota, a former journalist-turned-political consultant who receives writing credit on the film.