Did the Tetris Movie Copy the Work of this Author?
Last Updated on August 17, 2023
The movie Tetris, released on March 31st by Apple TV+, has recently become the focus of a copyright lawsuit filed in the New York feral court.
Daniel Ackerman, editor-in-chief of Gizmodo and author of the book “The Tetris Effect,” claims the “Tetris” movie was adapted from his work without his knowledge, consent or authorization.
Plaintiff Ackerman states that the film is “substantially similar in almost all material aspects,” to his book from several years before and is seeking compensatory and punitive damages thought to equal at least 6% of the film’s US$80m production budget.
He alleges that he sent his book The Tetris Effect to the Tetris Company in 2016, prompting them to firstly copy it for the movie, followed by threats to sue him if he pursued his own film or television spin-offs.
Ackerman’s attorney, Kevin Landau, said that the lawsuit “aims to right a wrong and provide the respect and justice to the work, diligence and ownership of someone who is entitled to such respect and acknowledgement under the law”.
An origin story for the game set in 1998, starring Kingsman’s Taron Egerton, Tetris is inspired by true events, whereby Henk Rogers risked his life travelling to the Soviet Union to outsmart the KGB and bring Tetris to the masses.
