Apple Wins Lawsuit Accusing It of Stealing Tech Journalist’s Idea for ‘Tetris’ Movie on TV+

Apple has successfully dismissed a lawsuit claiming that the “Tetris” documentary on Apple TV+ borrowed heavily from a book by tech journalist Dan Ackerman. As reported by Reuters, U.S. District Judge Katherine Failla ruled that the similarities between the “book and the film were not significant enough to validate Ackerman’s claims.”

Ackerman, who previously served as editor-in-chief at Gizmodo and currently holds that title at MicroCenter, initiated the lawsuit in 2023. The suit alleged that the “Tetris” documentary was “substantially similar in nearly all crucial aspects” to his 2016 book titled “The Tetris Effect.” The lawsuit named Apple, screenwriter Noah Pink, Marv Studios, the Tetris Company, and other parties as defendants.

We detailed the situation previously:

Ackerman contended that he provided a pre-release copy of “The Tetris Effect” to the Tetris Company in July 2016. However, Tetris Company CEO Maya Rogers supposedly directed the company not to “license any Tetris intellectual property, including its name and image, for any film or television project.”

Additionally, the lawsuit claims that the Tetris Company issued a cease and desist letter to Ackerman’s agent, threatening legal action if Ackerman “continued to seek” any licensing opportunities, such as TV shows and films, for his book.

Furthermore, the lawsuit asserts that the Tetris Company launched its own film project concerning the company’s history, allegedly utilizing Ackerman’s work as a foundation for the screenplay.

In March 2023, when the “Tetris” trailer was released, Ackerman “immediately noticed the significant similarities” to his book. A cease and desist letter was dispatched, demanding that “the film not be aired until specific legal matters were resolved.” According to the lawsuit, Apple was aware of the cease and desist but went ahead with the movie’s release on Apple TV+ the following week.

Judge Failla ruled that since Ackerman’s book is a non-fiction work, the defendants “were entitled to utilize” the factual content from the book when producing the “Tetris” documentary “as long as they did not replicate his unique interpretation of those facts.”

The complete ruling from Judge Failla can be accessed here.

Since its release in 2023, the “Tetris” movie on Apple TV+ has received positive reviews, boasting an 81% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Check it out on Apple TV+.