Judge Dismisses 'Servant' Copyright Lawsuit Against Apple and M. Night Shyamalan

A lawsuit that accused Apple and M. Night Shyamalan of copying 2013 film "The Truth About Emanuel" for the "Servant" Apple TV+ series has been dismissed, reports Variety.


A federal judge today threw out the copyright lawsuit, which had been levied against Apple and Shyamalan by director Francesca Gregorini, who claimed that "Servant" appropriated the plot of her movie and used the same "cinematic language," resulting in a "substantially similar feeling, mood, and theme."

Gregorini also claimed that Servant featured "strikingly similar-and highly idiosyncratic-characters, scenes, directorial choices, and modes of storytelling."


Released in 2013, "The Truth About Emanuel" told the story of a 17-year old babysitter looking after a doll that's a replacement for a baby that died, which is also a plot point used in "Servant." The judge ultimately decided that the TV show is not similar enough to the film to merit a lawsuit, and that Gregorini overstated the similarities between the two works.

"In sum, the alleged similarities between the works pale in comparison to the differences in the plot, themes, dialogue, mood, setting, pace, characters, and sequence of events, and the Court concludes that the works at issue are not substantially similar as a matter of law," reads the ruling.

Shyamalan and "Servant" show creators have said that "Servant" was in development prior to the release of "The Truth About Emanuel." Gregorini was aiming for unspecified damages profits Apple made from the show, and an injunction to prevent "Servant" from being further distributed.

"Servant" wrapped up its first season earlier this year and has already been renewed for a second season.

Popular Stories

AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Friday April 18, 2025 5:16 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday April 17, 2025 4:12 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Triad

Apple's 20th Anniversary iPhone May Finally Go All Screen

Tuesday April 15, 2025 6:31 am PDT by
Apple is preparing a "bold" new iPhone Pro model for the iPhone's 20th anniversary in 2027, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. As part of what's being described as a "major shake-up," Apple is said to be developing a design that makes more extensive use of glass – and this could point directly to the display itself. Here's the case for Apple releasing a truly all-screen iPhone with no...
maxresdefault

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Sunday April 13, 2025 7:52 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and ...
CarPlay Hero

Apple Releases Wireless CarPlay Fix

Wednesday April 16, 2025 11:28 am PDT by
If you have been experiencing issues with wireless CarPlay in your vehicle lately, it was likely due to a software bug that has now been fixed. Apple released iOS 18.4.1 today, and the update's release notes say it "addresses a rare issue that prevents wireless CarPlay connection in certain vehicles." If wireless CarPlay was acting up for you, updating your iPhone to iOS 18.4.1 should...
top stories 2025 04 19

Top Stories: iPhone 17 Pro Rumors, CarPlay Bug Fix, and More

Saturday April 19, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
This week saw rumor updates on the iPhone 17 Pro and next-generation Vision Pro, while a minor iOS 18.4.1 update delivered not just security fixes but also a fix for some CarPlay issues. We also looked ahead at what else is in Apple's pipeline for the rest of 2025 and even the 20th-anniversary iPhone coming in 2027, so read on below for all the details on these stories and more! iPhone 17 ...
iOS 18

iOS 18.5 Includes Only a Few Changes So Far

Monday April 21, 2025 11:00 am PDT by
Apple seeded the third beta of iOS 18.5 to developers today, and so far the software update includes only a few minor changes. The changes are in the Mail and Settings apps. In the Mail app, you can now easily turn off contact photos directly within the app, by tapping on the circle with three dots in the top-right corner. In the Settings app, AppleCare+ coverage information is more...

Top Rated Comments

moabal Avatar
64 months ago
A better lawsuit against M Night Shyamalan would be ruining people’s favorite childhood cartoon ”Avatar the Last Airbender” in his crappy live action movie.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nutmac Avatar
64 months ago

Has Shyamalan ever done any other kind of movie. He seems to have type-cast himself into only one genre.
He directed few non-horror/supernatural films

* Unbreakable: superhero thriller
* The Last Airbender: action-adventure fantasy
* After Earth: post-apocalyptic action
* Glass: superhero thriller
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mtneer Avatar
64 months ago
Has Shyamalan ever done any other kind of movie. He seems to have type-cast himself into only one genre.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MacGizmo Avatar
64 months ago
They really should just get rid of this particular type of copyright infringement regarding movies. It's virtually impossible to make a movie in this day and age that hasn't been done similarly several times in the past. I haven't seen an original storyline in decades. Done differently, of course, but still the same basic plot, etc.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
now i see it Avatar
64 months ago
Scandals make for good publicity
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jakewilk Avatar
64 months ago

They really should just get rid of this particular type of copyright infringement regarding movies. It's virtually impossible to make a movie in this day and age that hasn't been done similarly several times in the past. I haven't seen an original storyline in decades. Done differently, of course, but still the same basic plot, etc.
Inception stands out to me as being first of it’s kind
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)