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Are the Events That Inspired ‘Stranger Things’ Copyrighted?

An alien stands inside a bio tank of fluid.
Credit: Pixabay.com




I saw Ready Player One last Sunday and it was a real trip! I know, I said I would have a review of it for you this week, but I decided to postpone it because I felt that something else was more important. It’s concerning the infringement lawsuit filed against the Duffer brothers, creators of the Netflix series Stranger Things.



Filmmaker Charlie Kessler filed a lawsuit against the Duffer brothers claiming that they stole his idea for his short film, “The Montauk Project”, to make Stranger Things. But the Duffers’ lawyer said the brothers never saw Kessler’s film or talked about any projects with him. There are some similarities between it and Stranger Things. Stranger Things is centered around a teenage boy who goes missing in connection with a military laboratory, the top secret experiments performed there and strange phenomenal activity. In “The Montauk Project”, according to the Los Angeles Times, a boy also goes missing after he approaches a closed-down military base that a mysterious force leads him to.



However, neither Kessler’s movie or the Duffers’ series initiated the idea for their stories. Variety reports that the events in both projects come from real-life claims of mysterious activity involving a government facility in Montauk, New York. So is Kessler trying to claim ownership on other people’s claims and alleged experiences? Unless the specific events in both stories are depicted similarly using similar characters, there isn’t much of a case.



I’ll review Ready Player One in the next post. In the mean time, do you think Kessler will have enough evidence to sue the Duffer Brothers?

Until next time . . .

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Comments

  1. Alex J. CavanaughApril 15, 2018 at 5:30 AM

    I don't think he has a case. How can you copyright an event? The series Dark is similar to Stranger Things but I doubt the Duffer brothers will go after them for copying the idea.

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    Replies
    1. Steven Arellano Rose Jr.April 16, 2018 at 7:26 PM

      They probably wouldn't. There are a lot of knock-offs of TV shows and movies but you rarely hear of law suits over them, especially if the movie or TV series being "imitated" is already making millions. But as far as "Montauk Project" goes, as you said there's really no way to copyright a real-life event (unless that event is a concert or performed play, maybe). So events are up for grabs as far as storytelling goes.

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