Netflix Hit With $105 Million Suit After Losing Nicolas Cage Film

Key Points:

• Simon Afram, a Swiss film producer, sued Netflix for $105 million after the company lost an unencrypted copy of his World War II film "Fortitude," starring Nicolas Cage and Ben Kingsley, which he spent seven years and $45 million to produce.
• The film was delivered to Netflix in June for consideration, but was stolen from the company's office desks, as confirmed by Netflix's director of original film, Sean Berney, who stated that security teams have been unable to recover the stolen drives.
• Afram claims Netflix failed to follow proper security protocols despite his team following Netflix's instructions, arguing the company was negligent in storing the unencrypted film and has harmed its market value by jeopardizing exclusivity.
• Netflix disputes responsibility for the loss, stating the film was delivered without industry-standard safeguards, and has criticized Afram's legal approach as hostile and extortionate, while also conducting an internal investigation and monitoring piracy sites.
• There is currently no evidence that the film has leaked online, and Afram's lawsuit also accuses Netflix of refusing to share investigation details or confirm if the theft was reported to law enforcement.