First released in 2016, Stranger Things not only proved to be one of the most popular television series of the twenty-first century, but a major success for Netflix, which was only recently beginning to produce its own programs. There are many things to like about the show, including its mystery-filled plot, lovable characters, original directing and nostalgic homages.
Yet, the world of Stranger Things is by no means sunshine and rainbows. Recently, a little-known production company called Irish Rover Entertainment sued both Netflix and series creators Ross and Matt Duffer for copyright infringement. According to the plaintiff, Netflix stole their idea for Stranger Things from an un-produced sci-fi script.
The lawsuit, which Irish Rover Entertainment filed in the state of California, claims that Stranger Things stole its plot, characters, theme, setting and even dialogue from said un-produced script. While it can occur that two writers have similar ideas for a story...
Yet, the world of Stranger Things is by no means sunshine and rainbows. Recently, a little-known production company called Irish Rover Entertainment sued both Netflix and series creators Ross and Matt Duffer for copyright infringement. According to the plaintiff, Netflix stole their idea for Stranger Things from an un-produced sci-fi script.
The lawsuit, which Irish Rover Entertainment filed in the state of California, claims that Stranger Things stole its plot, characters, theme, setting and even dialogue from said un-produced script. While it can occur that two writers have similar ideas for a story...
- 7/17/2020
- by Tim Brinkhof
- We Got This Covered
![Winona Ryder, Tom Wlaschiha, David Harbour, Brett Gelman, Maya Hawke, Jamie Campbell Bower, Natalia Dyer, Joseph Quinn, Caleb McLaughlin, Sadie Sink, Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Charlie Heaton, Joe Keery, Noah Schnapp, Gaten Matarazzo, and Eduardo Franco in Stranger Things (2016)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMDZkYmVhNjMtNWU4MC00MDQxLWE3MjYtZGMzZWI1ZjhlOWJmXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTkxNjUyNQ@@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR13,0,140,207_.jpg)
![Winona Ryder, Tom Wlaschiha, David Harbour, Brett Gelman, Maya Hawke, Jamie Campbell Bower, Natalia Dyer, Joseph Quinn, Caleb McLaughlin, Sadie Sink, Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Charlie Heaton, Joe Keery, Noah Schnapp, Gaten Matarazzo, and Eduardo Franco in Stranger Things (2016)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMDZkYmVhNjMtNWU4MC00MDQxLWE3MjYtZGMzZWI1ZjhlOWJmXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTkxNjUyNQ@@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR13,0,140,207_.jpg)
Netflix and the creators of “Stranger Things,” Matt and Ross Duffer, are being sued by a company that says the idea for the hit show was stolen from a screenplay called “Totem.”
According to the lawsuit, filed on Wednesday in California federal court, Irish Rover Entertainment says that “Stranger Things” copies a lot from “Totem,” a screenplay written by Jeffrey Kennedy, including “plot, sequence, characters, theme, dialogue, mood, and setting, as well as copyrighted concept art.”
The lawsuit says the two projects are connected by a man named Aaron Sims, who worked closely with Kennedy during its development. Sims, the lawsuit says, was hired to create the concept art for the first two seasons of “Stranger Things.”
Also Read: 'Watchmen,' 'Fleabag,' 'Succession' and 'Stranger Things' Win 2020 Peabody Awards
Kennedy says he got the idea for “Totem” after the death of a childhood friend, Clint Osthimer,...
According to the lawsuit, filed on Wednesday in California federal court, Irish Rover Entertainment says that “Stranger Things” copies a lot from “Totem,” a screenplay written by Jeffrey Kennedy, including “plot, sequence, characters, theme, dialogue, mood, and setting, as well as copyrighted concept art.”
The lawsuit says the two projects are connected by a man named Aaron Sims, who worked closely with Kennedy during its development. Sims, the lawsuit says, was hired to create the concept art for the first two seasons of “Stranger Things.”
Also Read: 'Watchmen,' 'Fleabag,' 'Succession' and 'Stranger Things' Win 2020 Peabody Awards
Kennedy says he got the idea for “Totem” after the death of a childhood friend, Clint Osthimer,...
- 7/16/2020
- by Daniel Goldblatt
- The Wrap
![Winona Ryder, Tom Wlaschiha, David Harbour, Brett Gelman, Maya Hawke, Jamie Campbell Bower, Natalia Dyer, Joseph Quinn, Caleb McLaughlin, Sadie Sink, Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Charlie Heaton, Joe Keery, Noah Schnapp, Gaten Matarazzo, and Eduardo Franco in Stranger Things (2016)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMDZkYmVhNjMtNWU4MC00MDQxLWE3MjYtZGMzZWI1ZjhlOWJmXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTkxNjUyNQ@@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR13,0,140,207_.jpg)
![Winona Ryder, Tom Wlaschiha, David Harbour, Brett Gelman, Maya Hawke, Jamie Campbell Bower, Natalia Dyer, Joseph Quinn, Caleb McLaughlin, Sadie Sink, Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Charlie Heaton, Joe Keery, Noah Schnapp, Gaten Matarazzo, and Eduardo Franco in Stranger Things (2016)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMDZkYmVhNjMtNWU4MC00MDQxLWE3MjYtZGMzZWI1ZjhlOWJmXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTkxNjUyNQ@@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR13,0,140,207_.jpg)
The plaintiff of a lawsuit against “Stranger Things” creators Matt and Ross Duffer has withdrawn the complaint claiming that the brothers stole the idea for the hit Netflix show from a pitch meeting five years ago.
In the lawsuit, plaintiff Charles Kessler claimed that he pitched the idea for a paranormal sci-fi show set in a small town to the Duffers during a meeting at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival, and that the brothers took the idea and turned it into “Stranger Things.”
Last month, a judge rejected the Duffers’ request for a summary judgment, with the defendants arguing that sending the case to trial would do damage to both the show and Netflix by revealing confidential financial information and plot points for future seasons of the show.
In the lawsuit, plaintiff Charles Kessler claimed that he pitched the idea for a paranormal sci-fi show set in a small town to the Duffers during a meeting at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival, and that the brothers took the idea and turned it into “Stranger Things.”
Last month, a judge rejected the Duffers’ request for a summary judgment, with the defendants arguing that sending the case to trial would do damage to both the show and Netflix by revealing confidential financial information and plot points for future seasons of the show.
- 5/5/2019
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
![Winona Ryder, Tom Wlaschiha, David Harbour, Brett Gelman, Maya Hawke, Jamie Campbell Bower, Natalia Dyer, Joseph Quinn, Caleb McLaughlin, Sadie Sink, Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Charlie Heaton, Joe Keery, Noah Schnapp, Gaten Matarazzo, and Eduardo Franco in Stranger Things (2016)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMDZkYmVhNjMtNWU4MC00MDQxLWE3MjYtZGMzZWI1ZjhlOWJmXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTkxNjUyNQ@@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR13,0,140,207_.jpg)
![Winona Ryder, Tom Wlaschiha, David Harbour, Brett Gelman, Maya Hawke, Jamie Campbell Bower, Natalia Dyer, Joseph Quinn, Caleb McLaughlin, Sadie Sink, Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Charlie Heaton, Joe Keery, Noah Schnapp, Gaten Matarazzo, and Eduardo Franco in Stranger Things (2016)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMDZkYmVhNjMtNWU4MC00MDQxLWE3MjYtZGMzZWI1ZjhlOWJmXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTkxNjUyNQ@@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR13,0,140,207_.jpg)
The guy who was suing the Duffer Bros. for allegedly stealing the idea for "Stranger Things" from him is doing a complete 180 and yanking his lawsuit ... right before their trial was set to begin. Charles Kessler reportedly withdrew his suit against Matt and Ross Duffer Sunday, issuing a statement as well that completely recanted any and all claims of plagiarism he'd made against them over the past year. His reasoning is a bit odd, as...
- 5/5/2019
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
![Winona Ryder, Tom Wlaschiha, David Harbour, Brett Gelman, Maya Hawke, Jamie Campbell Bower, Natalia Dyer, Joseph Quinn, Caleb McLaughlin, Sadie Sink, Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Charlie Heaton, Joe Keery, Noah Schnapp, Gaten Matarazzo, and Eduardo Franco in Stranger Things (2016)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMDZkYmVhNjMtNWU4MC00MDQxLWE3MjYtZGMzZWI1ZjhlOWJmXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTkxNjUyNQ@@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR13,0,140,207_.jpg)
![Winona Ryder, Tom Wlaschiha, David Harbour, Brett Gelman, Maya Hawke, Jamie Campbell Bower, Natalia Dyer, Joseph Quinn, Caleb McLaughlin, Sadie Sink, Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Charlie Heaton, Joe Keery, Noah Schnapp, Gaten Matarazzo, and Eduardo Franco in Stranger Things (2016)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMDZkYmVhNjMtNWU4MC00MDQxLWE3MjYtZGMzZWI1ZjhlOWJmXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTkxNjUyNQ@@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR13,0,140,207_.jpg)
Just days before Stranger Things creators the Duffer Brothers were set to face a trial on claims of plagiarism for the origins of the Netflix hit series, the whole thing has ended today.
Plaintiff Charles Kessler has withdrawn his wide-ranging damages suit against Matt and Ross Duffer.
“After hearing the deposition testimony this week of the legal expert I hired, it is now apparent to me that, whatever I may have believed in the past, my work had nothing to do with the creation of Stranger Things,” said Kessler in a statement Sunday.
“Documents from 2010 and 2013 prove that the Duffers independently created their show. As a result, I have withdrawn my claim and I will be making no further comment on this matter.”
Netflix was quick to respond to the end of what could have been a revealing case and trial for all concerned.
“We are glad to be able...
Plaintiff Charles Kessler has withdrawn his wide-ranging damages suit against Matt and Ross Duffer.
“After hearing the deposition testimony this week of the legal expert I hired, it is now apparent to me that, whatever I may have believed in the past, my work had nothing to do with the creation of Stranger Things,” said Kessler in a statement Sunday.
“Documents from 2010 and 2013 prove that the Duffers independently created their show. As a result, I have withdrawn my claim and I will be making no further comment on this matter.”
Netflix was quick to respond to the end of what could have been a revealing case and trial for all concerned.
“We are glad to be able...
- 5/5/2019
- by Dominic Patten and Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
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