And the Tetris Company right along with it.
A movie adaptation of Tetris has long been bubbling in the rumor mill, but then Apple snatched up the film rights and brought the flick, starring Taron Edgerton, to Apple TV Plus in March 2023.
The Cuprtines did so to the chagrin of one man in particular, as the script for the film was reportedly based on a book he published in 2016.
Accused of copyright infringement
What happened? Dan Ackerman, editor-in-chief of the English-language tech blog Gizmodo, has sued Apple and The Tetris Company, among others. They allegedly infringed on the copyrights of his own book, according to (Reuters).
Ackerman claims that the movie Tetris
resembles his 2016 book The Tetris Effect
in almost all essential respects. He speaks of copyright infringement.
Author received cease and desist letter
Even before publication, Ackerman sent an advance copy of his book to Tetris Company CEO Maya Rogers, the author states in the (Complaint) complaint. That same year, Ackerman’s agent received a reply that he should just not get the idea of having the book made into a movie.
For the author, a clear case. Rogers had taken content from the book, along with screenwriter Noah Pink, without Ackerman’s consent to self-publish a movie about the Tetris story.
Ackerman demands participation
For authors, film adaptations of their works are the biggest source of income, and Ackerman knows it. That’s why he’s demanding six percent of the production budget.
The author sees the whole act as an economic attack on his company and the unauthorized use of his property.
For the court, it is now a matter of finding out what is historical fact, and what was really borrowed from the book.
Below is the trailer for the movie Tetris on Apple TV Plus.
More (sometimes absurd) stories from the world near and far:
- Near: Maxe’s desk chair kept turning off a screen
- Distant: A Canadian woman keeps getting packages of shoes sent to her
If you want a more sober look at the Tetris story, I recommend The Story of Tetris
by YouTuber Gaming Historian
The backstory of how Tetris came to be and how the game made it to us from behind the iron curtain is as amazing as it is worth reading. Do you know the whole story? Have you watched the movie on Apple TV Plus yet? Or does this belong to the “party knowledge” category? Feel free to type it in the comments.
