Turkish writer sues Netflix over the popular series ”The Gift” for plagiarism

The renowned Turkish author, Buket Uzuner, has brought legal proceedings against the popular media service provider Netflix over its successful Turkish series “The Gift.” Uzuner has claimed that Netflix copied the protagonist featured in the show from her novel without her consent.

The development was made right after the second season of Atiye (The Gift) premiered on Netflix.

Atiye (The Gift)

The popular Turkish actress Beren Sarat plays the leading role in the series. She is also well known in Pakistan for her characters in the Turkish series Kosum Sultan and Ishq e Mamnoon and ranks among the highest-paid actors in Turkey.

In the series, she plays the role of a young Istanbul artist called Atiye. She encounters a life-changing event when she meets an archaeologist over an ancient site’s discovery.

The entire story of the series is established around the discovery made by Atiye at Göbeklitepe, which turns out to be the world’s first temple dating back to 10,000 B.C, a place where the secrets of her past are buried.

The lawsuit

Buket Uzuner filed a lawsuit in the Istanbul national court. According to her claim, the character used in Atiye was taken from her novel ‘’Toprak’’ in the “Adventures of Defne Kaman” series. She claims that they have ‘’plagiarized’’ without her consent or a formal contract.

Several reports state that the novelist seeks an injunction to stop broadcasting the series and $6,600 in compensation along with the legal interest. Uzuner further reveals that she was in contact with a producer for eight months for shooting a Netflix series, which intended to feature one of her female character Defne Kaman.

”When I watched the series, I saw that the characters in the book were copied exactly,” She said.

 “We have to fight for theft of ideas just as we fight for freedom of thought,” she further added.

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