A screenwriter has filed a lawsuit against Netflix, LeBron James, and his production company, accusing them of ripping off his original script as the basis for their latest basketball film, Rez Ball.
Well, the writer claimed that there was an "eerie" similarity between Rez Ball and his original work.
The Allegations: A Stolen Script?
(Photo : Harry How/Getty Images)
The Year of the Dog," a drama by filmmaker and screenwriter Rob Grabow, hidden behind his 2023 drama, is one where he claims that Netflix and James' SpringHill Company adopted his screenplay called "The Gift of the Game, according to TMZ.
The script is an inspiring story about a Native American high school basketball player struggling to help his team win a state championship while dealing with deep issues of poverty, race relations, and community challenges.
Grabow says that much of his work, even some of the key plot points and the dramatic end game-winning scenes, was used and reworked for Netflix's 2024 film, Rez Ball. He feels the movie Rez Ball is a closer adaptation of his original screenplay than Rez Ball was meant to be from his novel.
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A Case for Copyright Infringement
The lawsuit, filed in a California federal court, presents many similarities between The Gift of the Game and Rez Ball. Grabow is correct in pointing out the most egregious similarities: namely, that both stories hinge upon the climactic moment in which the hero is fouled while shooting what would be the winning shot for his team.
According to Grabow, these similarities are indicative of intentional replication, indicating that Netflix and SpringHill Company have infringed upon their copyright and breached the contract. He is suing for some undisclosed form of damages on the premise that his intellectual properties have been misused.
"There are numerous substantially and strikingly similar concrete and expressive elements in the two works' plot, theme, dialogue, mood, setting, pace, characters and sequence of events," Grabow wrote in the lawsuit.
Broader Impact on Hollywood
This creates many important questions about creative integrity in entertainment. As massive companies like Netflix keep expanding their original content, allegations of script misappropriation draw more attention to the plight of small creators who find it difficult to protect their work.
What Next?
So far, Netflix, LeBron James, and their attorneys have not made a public response to the lawsuit. If Grabow's claims bear up in court, perhaps this case may set a precedent for the way Hollywood manages and navigates intellectual property disputes during the era of streaming.
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