Apple and M. Night Shyamalan win copyright appeal over 'Servant

A federal appeals court has upheld a jury verdict in favor of Apple and executive producer M. Night Shyamalan regarding a copyright dispute over the Apple TV series ‘Servant’. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected arguments from filmmaker Francesca Gregorini, who claimed the series copied elements of her 2013 film ‘The Truth About Emanuel’.

Gregorini’s lawsuit, filed in January 2020, alleged that the first three episodes of ‘Servant’ mirrored her work, specifically involving a grieving mother who treats a doll as a living infant alongside a young caregiver. A jury had unanimously ruled in favor of Apple and Shyamalan in January 2025.

The appeal centered on whether the jury received sufficient guidance to determine if the show’s creators could have had access to Gregorini’s film. The court ruled that the instructions provided were adequate and that the presiding judge was permitted to accept the unanimous verdict despite unanswered questions from the jurors.