Tech

Netflix will face ‘Queens Gambit’ defamation lawsuit, trial rules


Netflix is ​​learning that careless dialogue in its fictional shows can have serious consequences. Its bid to get a defamation lawsuit was recently dismissed Was rejectedwhich means confronting the plaintiff – Georgian chess legend Nona Gaprindashvili – in court.

In September, Gaprindashvili file a lawsuit against the streaming giant, accusing the company of defamation and “invasion of privacy with false light”. As The world’s first female grandmasterGaprindashvili was mentioned in Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit – a historical drama about a chess prodigy.

In a scene from a chess matchOne radio commentator said: “The only unusual thing about her, really, is her gender. And even that’s not unique to Russia. There’s Nona Gaprindashvili, but she’s her. is a women’s world champion and has never faced a man.”

According to the lawsuit, not only was the allegation that Gaprindashvili failed to confront men at the time “obviously false”, but also that it was “too sexist and condescending.” It states that “By 1968, the year this episode was set, she had competed against at least 59 male chess players (28 of them concurrently in a single game), including at least ten Grandmasters. generals at the time.”

Georgian chess player and female world chess champion, Nona Gaprindashvili of the Soviet Union, poses for a game at the International Chess Congress in London on December 30, 1964. (Photo by Stanley Sherman / Daily Express / Hulton Archive / Getty Images)

Stanley Sherman via Getty Images

The show is based on a 1983 novel by Walter Tevis that also deals with Gaprindashvili. However, the part on which Netflix seems to have based this particular piece of script says, “The only unusual thing about her is her gender; and even that is not unique to Russia. There’s Nona Gaprindashvili, not up to the level of this tournament, but a player who has met all these Russian Grandmasters many times before.” Netflix’s version is clearly different.

Streaming service provider moved to attack the case in November, the filing states, “The series is a work of fiction that a reasonable viewer would not construct as conveying the truth.” It also said that “a reasonable viewer would not draw the negative implication that Plaintiff alleges.”

However, US Judge Virginia Philips denied that suggestion today, writing that “the fact that the Series is a work of fiction does not relieve Netflix of libel liability if all factors defamation is present.”

The ruling also stated that “at the very least, this line negates achievements that are important to the reputation of the Plaintiff.” It also points out that, in filing the motion for dismissal, “Netflix’s own evidence demonstrates a knowledge of the truth in its choice to deviate from the content of the Novel, which states that Plaintiff has faced the Russian grandmaster ‘many times before.’ “

Gaprindashvili is seeking at least $5 million in damages, as well as asking Netflix to remove her claim that she never played male roles from the show.

All products recommended by Engadget are handpicked by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.



Source link

news7f

News7F: Update the world's latest breaking news online of the day, breaking news, politics, society today, international mainstream news .Updated news 24/7: Entertainment, Sports...at the World everyday world. Hot news, images, video clips that are updated quickly and reliably

Related Articles

Back to top button