Ukrainian director won the case against HBO
Director announced on Facebook.
"The agreement with HBO has been reached. As a result of the proceedings in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, the parties reached a settlement. This is a significant precedent when it was possible to defend a Ukrainian's copyright in a U.S. court in a case against one of the largest American (and global) media companies," — wrote Pryimachenko.
The post states that the director's priority was to restore justice. "No matter what company it is, from which country it comes — whether the USA or China — you cannot take someone else's work and pretend nothing happened," he added.
Andriy Pryimachenko clarified that the case was settled with a one-time financial compensation.
«According to the agreement, the settlement is confidential, and I cannot disclose the amounts of compensation and the terms», — he added.
Praymachenko filed a lawsuit in 2019, shortly after the series premiere. During this time, the COVID-19 pandemic occurred and a full-scale war began, which, according to the director, complicated the process that lasted 6 years.
The case concerned Pryimachenko's video, which was made publicly accessible in 2013. It recorded a telephone conversation between a dispatcher of the central fire communication station and firefighters of the armored fire brigade of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (ChNPP) and the fire department management. The conversation took place immediately after the fire at the fourth power unit of the ChNPP on April 26, 1986.
This video was shown in the first episode of the series "Chernobyl" without the director's permission and without his knowledge.
Praymachenko noted that initially he wanted to resolve the matter without involving legal authorities, but after a "friendly appeal to the series production company, I received quite insolent responses." Therefore, the director "decided to pursue legal action."
