US Court Acquits M. Night Shyamalan Of Copyright Infringement In 'Servant' Trial
Italian-born director Francesca Gregorini had sought $81 million in damages;
By: : Daniel
Update: 2025-01-25 08:00 GMT
US Court Acquits M. Night Shyamalan Of Copyright Infringement In 'Servant' Trial
Italian-born director Francesca Gregorini had sought $81 million in damages
Filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan got a breather after a jury in the US District Court, unanimously ruled in his favor along with Apple, in a copyright trial.
The defendants were accused of stealing elements from an independent feature in the writing of the streaming series 'Servant.
The seven-day trial, which began on 14 January in the Riverside, California court, saw the Italian-born director Francesca Gregorini seeking $81 million in damages.
She alleged that Shyamalan and collaborators had lifted narrative elements of her 2013 film, 'The Truth About Emanuel', without giving credits.
Gregorini's movie portrayed a delusional mother treating a baby doll as a real infant and a nanny who corroborates that false reality.
Gregorini claimed similarities between her film and 'Servant'.
On the other hand, Shyamalan testified that he and the other creators of the show never saw or heard of Gregorini's film before the litigation. He stated that the situation was "a misunderstanding."
He added, "The accusation is the exact opposite of everything I do and try to represent. I would have never allowed it. None of the people that I work with would ever do anything like that."
Recently, Gregorini testified that she was ‘shocked’ when she first saw the trailer for 'Servant’ and believed that her film had been stolen.
Additionally, a series of shots and scenes in 'Servant' had been lifted, including when the nanny treats the doll as real even though she's alone, and another when the nanny faints.
Gregorini said she was advised not to sue and faced career repercussions because of it, but she wanted to take a stand against the theft, alleging it is prevalent in the industry.
She said in her testimony, "I wanted to hold the defendants accountable for what they did and to do my part so that this doesn't happen to anyone else in my industry ever again.”
However, the defense lawyers argued there were many differences between the two projects. 'Servant' was a supernatural thriller, whereas 'The Truth About Emanuel' was a coming-of-age drama.