Do you remember the hugely popular Netflix series Squid Game? Well, it turns out that it might be a rip off of another series…which on the one hand means that somebody got screwed, but also means there’s an entirely new series out there for fans to watch.
Netflix is facing a copyright infringement lawsuit from Indian filmmaker Soham Shah, who alleges that the platform’s global hit Squid Game is a direct rip-off of his 2009 film Luck. The lawsuit, filed in New York federal court on Sept 13, accuses Netflix and Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk of copying the core plot and themes from Luck, which also revolves around a group of desperate people who participate in deadly games with high-stakes financial rewards.
Shah claims that the similarities between Squid Game and Luck—including the characters, mood, setting, and sequence of events—are too striking to be mere coincidence. He argues that both stories involve contestants lured by large sums of money, only to discover that losing the games results in death.
Squid Game made history as the first foreign-language drama to win top honors at the Emmy Awards in 2022 and became Netflix’s biggest launch ever, with 1.65 billion hours watched within its first four weeks. The show, which cost $21 million to produce, remains one of Netflix’s most popular series. The streaming giant plans to release the second season on December 26, with a third and final season coming in 2025.
In response to the lawsuit, a Netflix spokesperson stated, “This claim has no merit. Squid Game was created by and written by Hwang Dong-hyuk, and we intend to defend this matter vigorously.”
This isn’t the first time Netflix has faced legal challenges over its content. In 2023, the company settled a copyright lawsuit involving Stranger Things after a writer claimed the show used elements of his earlier screenplay, Totem, without permission.
In case you didn’t catch the series the first time, here’s how the storyline goes:
“Squid Game follows Seong Gi-hun, a financially desperate man, who enters a deadly competition with 455 other players to win a massive cash prize. The contestants must survive six children’s games, where losing means death, starting with “Red Light, Green Light” and progressing through games like “Tug of War” and “Marbles.” Gi-hun forms alliances with key players, including his childhood friend Cho Sang-woo and North Korean defector Kang Sae-byeok, as the brutal nature of the games tests their morality.
The competition is secretly run by wealthy elites betting on the contestants’ lives for entertainment. As Gi-hun fights to survive, he uncovers shocking truths about the game’s origins and faces a life-altering decision after winning. The series explores themes of class disparity, greed, and survival in a capitalist society.
