Netflix, for its part, claims that it employs industry-standard security measures, attributing the film’s loss its makers decision to share an unencrypted copy.
Netflix is facing a $105 million lawsuit over claims that it lost the “master copy” of a Nicolas Cage movie that took seven years to produce, exposing the unfinished film to piracy, leaks, and other potential harm.
The lawsuit, filed on behalf of Op-Fortitude Ltd and its owner, Swiss film producer Simon Afram, also accuses Netflix of covering up the alleged security breach that led to the film being leaked.
FOX News notes that the film, “Fortitude,” is based on the real-life Operation Fortitude, a campaign by the Allies in World War II to deceive Nazi Germany into believing that the D-Day invasion would occur elsewhere. The operation relied heavily on subterfuge, using a fake army, double agents, and misleading radio traffic.
Attorneys for the plaintiffs say that Netflix’s alleged negligence led to devastating financial losses, forcing Op-Fortitude and Afram to temporarily pause marketing and sales efforts ahead of the award season. “Fortitude,” the lawsuit claims, scored high on test screenings and was projected to raise at least $112.5 million in revenue, roughly twice its production budget.
“The film’s value depended in significant part on its exclusivity as an unreleased, first-to-market work,” the lawsuit alleges. “By losing control of the film, Netflix destroyed that exclusivity and materially, if not completely, impaired the film’s marketability.”
“It is not fathomable that a sophisticated buyer would invest tens of millions of dollars to acquire the film—and tens of millions more to market it—while facing the constant risk that it could appear online to be viewed widely for free at any time,” the lawsuit says.
Netflix, for its part, claims that it employs industry-standard security measures, attributing the film’s loss its makers decision to share an unencrypted copy.
“Netflix disputes any claim that it bears the risk of loss for a film delivered without the proper industry-standard safeguards,” Netflix told FOX News in a statement. “While we do not own the rights to Fortitude, we take content security seriously and have taken extra measures to support the filmmaker and his team. This includes conducting a thorough investigation and offering to monitor known piracy sites for any unauthorized distribution or sale.”
Netflix also responded to allegations that it refused to answer basic questions about the status of its internal investigation into the breach, saying the plaintiffs demanded more than $165 million in compensation without waiting for an update.
“We have declined to share anything about our ongoing investigation with the law firm representing Simon Afram, given their hostile attempts to extort money from Netflix over this situation—including immediately demanding $165 million from the firm rather than work with us in good faith,” Netflix said.
Sources
Netflix sued for $105M after Nicolas Cage WWII thriller goes missing, exposing leak risks
Netflix sued for $105 million for allegedly losing “master copy” of unreleased Nicolas Cage movie
Join the conversation!