In 2018 a plagiarism complaint was filed as the film ‘The Shape of Water’ was substantially similar to the tape ‘Let Me Hear You Whisper’
It was reported that after three years of dispute, the lawsuit for plagiarism against Guillermo del Toro and his movie The shape of water. The copyright issue started before voting for the 2018 Oscar was to end.
In 2018, Paul Zindel’s son took legal action against the Mexican filmmaker because his film was substantially similar to the film. ‘Let Me Hear You Whisper‘, work of 1969.
“The Shape of Water (2017) has been presented to the public as an original work of fantasy and science fiction. When in fact it is a copy of the elements, themes and characters of the work of the Pulitzer Prize winner, Paul Zindel ”, declared David Zindel.
However, months later the authorities considered that there was insufficient evidence against The shape of water. And the concept was considered too general to be protected.
Despite some superficial similarities and some basic points of the script that they share. The stories of the film and the play are different, ”stated Percy Anderson, United States Judge for the Central District of California.
In 2020, a US court agreed to take up the complaint. But after a few months the case would have been dismissed by the plaintiff of The shape of water.
Lawsuit for alleged plagiarism against The Shape of Water is withdrawn
The Hollywood Reporter reported that last Friday, representatives of Disney’s Fox, Guillermo del Toro and other defendants presented court documents indicating that the parties to the litigation had reached an agreement to dismiss the case.
A Searchlight spokesperson explained that the plaintiff acknowledges that the similarities between The shape of water and ‘Let Me Hear You Whisper‘are coincidences and a plagiarism.
“David Zindel, the son of Paul Zindel, author of Let Me Hear You Whisper, acknowledges, based on confidential information obtained during the litigation process, that his claims of plagiarism are unfounded. He recognizes Guillermo del Toro as the true creator of ‘The Shape of Water’. Any similarity between the two works is a coincidence “
The shape of water won 4 statuettes at the 2018 Oscars, including Best Director and Best Film.
