Netflix and Outer Banks sued over claims hit series copied author Jeff Wilson’s novels

Author Jeff Wilson is suing the streaming giant for similarities between his debut novel and the hit teen series. Photo / Instagram

A novelist is suing Netflix over a copyright claim regarding its hit teen series, Outer Banks.

Jeff Wilson, author of Queen Anne’s Revenge and Oklahoma Ghost Dance, is taking the streaming giant to court over similarities between his debut novel and the three-season series, according to TMZ.

The plot of Queen Anne’s Revenge, which hit shelves in 2013, follows four friends as they embark on a treasure hunt along the North Carolina coast after archeologists discover relics from a pirate ship that crashed many years ago.

The author claims that the characters, their arcs, parts of the plot, and multiple settings in the series have an uncanny resemblance to the book that he wrote.

Wilson confirmed that his novel was promoted by Discovery and History Channel and believes that the creators of the hit teen series, Josh Pate, Jonas Pete and Daniel Burk, used his books as inspiration to write Outer Banks.

The co-creators of the show told the Wilmington Star-News that Outer Banks was inspired by “third-party adventure novels”, as well as their personal experiences living in Wilmington.

Outer Banks released its third season last month after its successful debut on the streamer in 2020. Photo / Instagram

If Jeff Wilson is proven right and wins the lawsuit, Netflix will have to hand over any profits made from Outer Banks and Netflix will no longer be allowed to distribute the adventure series.

The series was hit with a similar lawsuit in 2021 after author Kevin Wooten sued Netflix and the Outer Banks co-creators for stealing the storyline from his novel. The teacher and novelist from North Carolina claimed that the series copied his 2016 novel Pennywise: The Hunt for Blackbeard’s Treasure. The lawsuit was later dismissed after substantial evidence couldn’t be found to back Wooten’s allegations.

According to News Observer: Judge Timothy C Batten Sr said: “To be sure, both works involve shipwrecks and treasure hunts. But to analyse their plots at such a high level of abstraction would render every work involving a hunt for buried treasure susceptible to copyright infringement.”

Madelyn Cline and Chase Stokes star in Outer Banks, which has three seasons since it debuted on the streaming service in 2020, the latest season hitting screens last month. The show has gained a huge fanbase who call themselves pogues - the show’s nickname for the working-class locals in Outer Banks.

Kayla Cobb from the Decider has maintained that the series is a “perfect show”.

Cobb wrote: “As ridiculous as Outer Banks gleefully is, there’s an honesty to it. Being a teenager is one of the most stressful periods of people’s lives. The emotions are big, and the stakes feel huge, and that’s what ridiculous teen dramas capture.”