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Has Agatha's estate ever sued?

Ms_Kylie_Menage 26 Jun 09 at 11:09 a.m. GMT

The mess that is Harper's Island makes me ponder if the estate of Agatha Christie has ever launched a law suit. I feel it is terrible her name is linked with this dreadful television programme.

I recall Jessica Adams was accused of plagiarism for a short story she wrote for The Big Issue, which was a blatant copy of one of Dame Agatha's. Was there ever a law suit about this? I suppose Jessica Adams didn't profit from it, as I seem to think the story was for charity.

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johnwaynefreak 06 Jun 10 at 11:27 a.m. GMT

For a much closer link than "Harper's Island" to "Ten Little ...s", one could compare "Ten Little ...s"'s basic premise to Anthony Berkeley's earlier (1934) "Panic Party / Mr. Pigeon's Island [US]".

Similarly, as has often been noted before, "The ABC Murders" follows *A*nthony *B*erkeley *C*ox's "The Silk Stocking Murders" which in turn follows Chesterton's "The Sign Of The Broken Sword" - I don't think a proper whodunnit could ever be completely unique, especially after the Queen of Crime had covered virtually every possible angle at the time of her death.

And I really enjoyed "Harper's Island" - I think there were far too many characters in the first three episodes but as the number decreased  I found it easier to get into - glad I stuck with it. And I found the ending quite satisfying, not being a cop out and having a sense of completion to it quite lacking in shows like "Lost" which just went on and on and on... It was nice to see a show where there wasn't the slightest chance of a sequel and what had gone before was all there was - end of.

GKCfan 27 Jun 09 at 2:24 a.m. GMT

I have not seen "Harper's Island," but from what I can tell, the show is not directly based on Agatha Christie or "And Then There Were None," although it is definitely inspired by it.  You cannot legitimately sue for using a similar premise under many circumstances.  You cannot hold the exclusive rights to a murder mystery set on an island where many people are killed.  You can claim plagiarism if 1) passages from the book are copied word-for-word or at least rather closely, 2) characters are very similar to the originals, or 3) the plot follows another book too closely.  An exception to this is parody, which is allowable under the U.S. First Amendment.  "And Then There Were None" has inspired many knock-offs, affectionate parodies, and different takes over the years, ranging from the musical comedy "Something's Afoot" to the mystery comedies of Fred Carmichael, to "Harper's Island."  I don't know if "Harper's Island" is close enough for a lawsuit, derivative as it may be.  

In the Jessica Adams case, her story copied the basic plot of "The Idol House of Astarte" almost exactly, used language very similar to Christie's in many cases. and had similar crimes and solutions.

The Christie estate has issued cease and desist orders when Christie's intellectual property has been violated.  A little over a year ago, a Milwaukee theatre company produced an unauthorized new adaptation of "Death on the Nile," and the Christie estate sent a letter informing them that it was an illegal production.  I don't believe that the case ever went to court.

jolley74 26 Jun 09 at 6:10 p.m. GMT

What is it about the world and lawsuits?

If thats the way everyone goes we might as well not have an opinion for fear of the backlash