Director Soham Shah has sued Netflix for allegedly copying his 2009 film "Luck" to make the Korean series "Squid Game," a claim the streamer on Sunday said holds no merit.
"This claim has no merit. 'Squid Game' was created by and written by Hwang Dong Hyuk and we intend to defend this matter vigorously," a Netflix spokesperson said in a statement.
According to documents of the lawsuit obtained by American outlet TMZ, "Squid Game" -- which became the most watched series on Netflix when it premiered last year -- is a "rip-off" of the movie starring Imran Khan, Shruti Haasan and Sanjay Dutt.
Directed, written by Hwang Dong Hyuk, "Squid Game" is an exclusive tale following 456 players - all of them deep in financial debt brought to a play in secret to play a deadly game for a chance to win the prestigious prize of 45.6 billion won.
On the other hand, Luck is centered on an underworld kingpin who recruits people who are supposedly endowed with 'luck' from all corners of the globe to participate in a series of challenges that would test their chance factor as gamblers around the world wager on them.
in 'Luck' it is only after characters start competing that they realize losing any of the challenges means death -- and that the death of a fellow participant also increases the pot of money available to the remaining contestants".
The documents further reveal that Soham Shah further claimed that the story of the film was written by him in around 2006 and the film came to release in July 2009.
In multiple interviews, Hwang said he first thought of the Netflix series in 2008.
Over a year ahead of season two of "Squid Game," which opens December 26, presented by Korean superstar Lee Jung-jae, a contemporary novelist has accused one of South Korea's most distinguished authors of plagiarizing parts of at least one of his best-selling novels.
Read also| Elizabeth Debicki Wins Primetime Emmy for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama
Read also| Lucy Hale Opens Up About Turning to Alcohol Due to Feeling 'Misunderstood'
