Netflix Wins Lawsuit Filed by Journalist Over Copyright to "Narcos"

It took several attempts to prove that the series is not based on her memoir.

Just a few days before the trial, a federal judge concluded that the series "Narcos" is not sufficiently similar to the memoirs of Virginia Vallejo, who sued Netflix for copyright infringement. This is reported by THR.

It took several attempts, but Netflix and Gaumont Television finally defeated the Colombian journalist, who claimed that "Narcos" was based on her memoirs about Pablo Escobar. Today, November 8, a federal court in Florida granted the defendants a summary judgment. The ruling makes it possible to avoid a trial that was due to begin this month.

The plaintiff in the case is Virginia Vallejo, who wrote about her relationship with the notorious drug lord in the 1980s. Journalist Virginia wrote a memoir titled "Loving Pablo, Hating Escobar", which became the basis for the 2017 film "Escobar", starring Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz.

The defendants tried to dismiss her claim by arguing that Vallejo's deal with film producers for the rights to her memoir deprived her of the right to pursue a copyright claim. However, the judge then ruled that Netflix released "Narcos" in 2016, when the film had not yet appeared in cinemas, so Vallejo had the right to file a lawsuit.

The court reviewed many scenes from the series to identify similarities with scenes from Vallejo's memoir. In the end, the judge determined that the similarities were minimal and insufficient for legal proceedings.