Overview
- In mid-June an associate producer says he hand-delivered an unencrypted digital cinema package of Fortitude to Netflix and the company told him by June 25 that multiple drives, including that DCP, were stolen.
- Producer Simon Afram sued Netflix in late July for at least $105 million for breach and negligent handling and added a defamation claim on Aug. 4 after Netflix publicly called his lawyers’ demands extortionate.
- Afram’s lawyers filed a police complaint with the Hollywood Community Police Station and reporters say the LAPD is now investigating following that filing.
- Netflix says it is conducting an internal probe, has offered to monitor piracy sites and to reimburse or recreate the DCP, and disputes liability for a copy delivered without industry-standard safeguards.
- The case highlights how unencrypted DCPs can harm a film’s marketability and insurance position because an unsecured master can undercut sale negotiations, complicate claims and threaten awards campaigns.