In an unexpected turn of events, the estate of renowned writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has sued Netflix over one of its upcoming films which will apparently depict the world famous fictional detective character Sherlock Holmes in ways that violates Doyle's copyright by portraying his character as one that has too many feelings and respects women.
Enola Holmes, which is scheduled to release in 2020, is an upcoming mystery film that's based on the book series of Nancy Springer and portraying a newly created character, sister of the famous detective.
As per a set of rulings in 2010, 10 Sherlock Holmes stories are still owned by Doyle’s estate, despite the character of Sherlock Holmes being a public domain figure. Enola Holmes, however, features elements from these stories elements from Doyle's book which are not covered under the copyright of the estate.
The film has been hence sued as it will show Sherlock Holmes expressing emotions and respecting women, for which the creator needs to pay up.
According to a report by The Verge, the estate is not only suing Netflix, but Springer, her publisher Penguin Random House, and the film’s production company for unspecified financial damages.
In a similar argument, which was made five years ago, the estate had noted that initially Holmes was and is still famously known to be “aloof and unemotional.” Eventually, with the onset of some real-life experiences of Doyle, the character development was altered where Holmes besides being "the most brilliant rational and analytical mind needed to be human". A previous complaint stated that "the character needed to develop human connection and empathy."
Hence, in its latest allegation, the estate states that Springer and Netflix have based Enola Holmes on the personality traits of Sherlock, that’s still protected under Doyle's copyrights.
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