Abstract:
Apple and director M. Night Shyamalan have won another victory in a copyright dispute surrounding the Apple TV+ series "Servant." The U.S. Federal Court of Appeal recently issued a ruling that upheld the jury’s previous verdict in favor of Apple and related defendants.
According to a ruling issued by the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on October 22, the court rejected the grounds of appeal filed by filmmaker Francesca Gregorini. She argued that there were problems with the jury instructions in the original trial and that a question raised by the jurors was not answered, so the previous verdict should be overturned. However, the Court of Appeal did not adopt these views.
This lawsuit was first filed in January 2020. Gregorini accused the first three episodes of "Paranormal Activity" of infringing the copyright of her 2013 film "The Truth About Emanuel." She sees similarities in the core settings of the two works, including the story of a mother grieving the loss of a child who cares for a doll as if it were a real baby, with a young caregiver involved.
After years of trial, the jury unanimously ruled in favor of Apple, Shyamalan and other defendants on January 24, 2025. The final judgment found that the plaintiff failed to prove that the defendant had committed copyright infringement.
One of the key points of contention in this appeal is whether the jury was given clear enough legal guidance to determine whether the creative team of "Paranormal Maids" had access to Gregorini's films, thus constituting "evidence of access" within the meaning of copyright law. The Court of Appeal held that the trial judge's instructions to the jury were sufficiently clear and sufficient. At the same time, the court also found that the trial judge's acceptance of the unanimous verdict before responding to jurors' questions seeking clarification did not constitute a procedural error.
In fact, this case has experienced many twists and turns. The lawsuit was initially dismissed by the court in 2020, but Gregorini subsequently successfully appealed, allowing the case to regain eligibility for trial in 2022, and eventually entered the formal trial stage.
Paranormal Activity is an original thriller series for Apple TV+ starring Lauren Ambrose, Toby Kebbell, Nell Tiger Free and Rupert Grint, with M. Night Shyamalan serving as executive producer. With the appeal unsuccessful, Apple and Shyamalan scored another key victory in a years-long copyright dispute when the original jury verdict was upheld.
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