Tetris is one of the most iconic and influential videogames in the gaming industry. The story of its creation and distribution is equally fascinating, so much so that it made its way to the small screen this year with a movie that premiered on AppleTV+. However, this production and its creators are now in the middle of a controversy.
The film, starring Taron Egerton, tells the story of Henk Rogers and his journey to secure the distribution rights for the popular Russian puzzle game. While it is based on real events, certain creative liberties were taken to sweeten the narrative and make it more exciting.
Now, writer and journalist Dan Ackerman has filed a lawsuit accusing The Tetris Company, Apple, and other figures of plagiarism for basing the movie's script on his book The Tetris Effect: The Game that Hypnotized the World, which was published in 2016.
THE TETRIS COMPANY AND APPLE ACCUSED OF PLAGIARISM; WRITER CLAIMS THEY USED HIS BOOK WITHOUT PERMISSION
In the lawsuit filed earlier this week in a federal court in Manhattan, the author describes his literary work as "a Cold War thriller with a political intrigue angle" and alleges that the film "liberally borrowed numerous specific sections and events of the book"
According to the information, the legal document details 22 examples of scenes from the movie that allegedly bear a strong resemblance to parts of the book. "Mr Ackerman's literary masterpiece, unlike other articles and writings, dispelled of the emphasis on the actual gameplay and fans, and instead concentrated on the surrounding narrative, action sequences, and adversarial relationship between the players" the lawsuit states.
Dan Ackerman claims that in 2016, he sent a pre-publication copy of his book to Maya Rogers, CEO of The Tetris Company; however, he asserts in the lawsuit that the company blocked his efforts to sell television and film rights based on his book, and sent him a cease-and-desist letter.
The writer accuses Henk Rogers' daughter and screenwriter Noah Pink in the legal document of copying his literary work when they began working on the movie's script in 2017.
Therefore, Dan Ackerman is suing Apple and The Tetris Company for unfair competition, copyright infringement, and unlawful interference with his business relationships. In the event that the jury rules in his favor, he is seeking monetary compensation equivalent to $4.8 million, which represents 6% of the total budget of the film.
But tell us, what do you think of this case? Let us hear from you in the comments.
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