A British creator claimed Netflix canceled Meghan Markle’s animated present after she despatched a authorized letter declaring “hanging similarities” between the proposed collection and her kids’s books.
Markle introduced in July 2021 that she and the streaming big deliberate to launch “Pearl,” which might have adopted a younger lady of the identical title “as she learns to step into her energy and finds inspiration from influential girls all through historical past.”
The present was a key part of the huge $100 million deal that she and her husband, Prince Harry, signed with Netflix one yr prior.
Nonetheless, in Could 2022, the streamer introduced it had axed the collection — which creator Mel Elliott now believes was resulting from a letter she despatched suggesting plagiarism.
“Meghan is a feminist who sticks up for different girls, so I used to be disenchanted and confused to see how related Netflix’s proposed present ‘Pearl’ was to my very own Pearl Energy, who had been created seven years earlier,” Elliott advised the Every day Mail on Saturday.
“After all, I can’t know if anybody on her group had seen it and been impressed by it, however the similarities have been too nice for me to disregard. The world of arts and media are very aggressive, and I’m afraid it’s fairly widespread for highly effective to individuals to tear off the work of much less well-known creatives — though I’m not saying that’s what occurred right here.”
In the summertime of 2021, Elliott’s authorized group wrote to the Duchess of Sussex concerning the “similarities between [her] proposed animation collection and [Elliott’s] work,” which they said have been “too many and too hanging to be mere coincidence.”
“It additionally seems that there’s a danger that your proposed collection might infringe mental property rights belonging to my consumer and/or might give rise to a declare in passing off (or within the US, some type of unfair competitors,’” the letter, obtained by the outlet, said.
Elliott, 51, discovered success within the 2010s after making a collection of youngsters’s books about a bit of British lady named Pearl Energy.
The creator and illustrator revealed three books within the collection from 2014 to 2016 earlier than pitching a possible animated TV present in early 2019.
The unique books centered on themes of feminine empowerment and equality. Nonetheless, Elliott wished to take it one step additional within the animated collection by including historic parts.
She advised the Every day Mail that she deliberate to have the titular character current a challenge about one well-known lady, similar to Billie Jean King, Maya Angelou and Amelia Earhart, per episode.
She allegedly posted her first check animation on-line and likewise shared her concepts on a “web site that allows creators to attach with movie and TV producers.”
“In that itemizing, my consumer says: ‘I’d love to show Pearl Energy into an animated collection sometime, educating kids about inspirational girls from trendy historical past (in addition to just a few males),’” the letter despatched by Elliott’s legal professional said, per the Every day Mail.
The letter mentioned Elliott had “been discussing this proposed collection along with her agent for greater than two years” earlier than Markle introduced her model.
Elliott’s authorized group despatched a complete of three letters to Markle and Netflix about their considerations — a second in October 2021 after which once more in February 2022 — however declare they by no means bought a response.
The creator advised the outlet that she additionally despatched a number of private letters to these concerned and by no means heard again.
Markle’s “Pearl” was canceled resulting from “price range cuts” lower than three months after the final letter was despatched, Elliott claimed.
The author mentioned she was “glad that Meghan’s ‘Pearl’ present was dropped” and hopes she “had one thing to do with it.”
“However what I actually wished was for it to have gone forward and for me to have been acknowledged or invited to work as a collaborator on the collection,” she mentioned. “Pearl was my dream challenge and now, annoyingly, if I reprise my very own creation, it’s going to seem like I’ve copied the concept from another person.”
Elliott mentioned what “saddened [her] most” was that her “objection was by no means acknowledged.”
“Neither Netflix nor Archewell responded to me after I would have cherished to have contributed and collaborated,” she mentioned, referencing Harry and Markle’s firm.
Elliott lastly felt compelled to talk out after a few of Markle’s different initiatives, similar to her “With Love, Meghan” collection and As Ever branding, have been referred to as out for seemingly taking inspiration from different sources.
Reps for Markle didn’t instantly reply to Web page Six’s request for remark.
