Netflix has found itself at the center of a plagiarism lawsuit after Indian filmmaker Soham Shah accused the streaming giant of copying key elements of his 2009 film Luck in the globally popular Korean series Squid Game. Shah filed the lawsuit in a New York federal court, claiming that the South Korean show, created by Hwang Dong-hyuk, mirrors the concept and storyline of his Hindi-language movie. Netflix has strongly denied the allegations, asserting that Squid Game is an original work created by Hwang and that Shah’s accusations lack merit.
The Plagiarism Accusation
Soham Shah alleges that Squid Game lifted its concept from his 2009 film Luck, which revolves around a group of individuals playing deadly games for the chance to win a substantial prize. In Luck, with every player’s death, the jackpot grows larger—a premise that Shah argues is echoed in Squid Game, where contestants risk their lives in lethal challenges for the chance to win a massive cash prize. Shah has emphasized that the timeline of Hwang developing the script in 2009, coinciding with the release of Luck, is suspicious.
Similarities Between ‘Squid Game’ and ‘Luck’
In both Squid Game and Luck, desperate characters are lured into a life-threatening competition with the prospect of a huge financial reward. Shah highlights the central plot where the increasing death toll corresponds with a growing prize pool, a similarity that is integral to both works. Additionally, both stories focus on themes of survival, moral dilemmas, and extreme human behavior in the face of dire financial need.
Are the Squid Game plagiarism accusations valid?
Netflix has firmly rejected the plagiarism claims, stating that the lawsuit has “no merit.” The streaming giant has pointed out that Squid Game was created by Hwang Dong-hyuk, who began developing the series in 2009. While both works share thematic elements, Netflix argues that these similarities are coincidental, given that battle-royale-style survival stories have existed in various forms for decades. Shah, however, believes the overlap is too significant to be dismissed as a coincidence, alleging that the main plot, characters, and sequence of events in Squid Game are “strikingly similar” to his film.
The lawsuit comes as Squid Game prepares for its second season, set to be released in December 2024. As the case unfolds, the court will ultimately decide whether the similarities between the two works are purely coincidental or a case of intellectual property infringement.
