Outer Banks: North Carolina Teacher Files Copyright Infringement Lawsuit Against Netflix, Says Stole His Story

A North Carolina English teacher and author has filed a lawsuit against Netflix and the creators of their hit show Outer Banks, claiming copyright infringement.

According to Variety, “the official complaint was filed on Dec. 21 by Kevin Wooten, who is the author of the 2016 novel “Pennywise: The Hunt for Blackbeard’s Treasure.” Wooten claims that Netflix and the creators of “Outer Banks” — Josh Pate, Jonas Pate and Shannon Burke — got the plot for the show from his book.”

“The suit alleges that both the show and the book share striking similarities, including that they take place in the Outer Banks, have the same amount of main characters that share similar storylines, feature antagonists “consisting of a rich benefactor and a corrupt member of law enforcement” and discover similar clues leading them to buried treasure, which is then stolen by said antagonists.”

Here’s Amazon description of Wooten’s book:

“Benjamin and Nathaniel Pennywise, along with their uncle, Ottaway Burns, discover a clue while diving off the coast of Ocracoke that takes them on an adventure spanning two continents. They must outwit a sinister group of treasure hunters who will stop at nothing to lay hold to the chest so they can use its contents to further their agenda.”

The description sounds eerily similar to the show. We’ll continue to follow this story and keep you posted, as there hasn’t been much news on Season 2.

Outer Banks dropped a teaser image for Season 2 all the way back in July.  Since then, we’ve heard nothing about the second season.  However, the return is confirmed and the image gives us a few clues.

Possible spoilers ahead!

We’ll sea you again! 🌊 #OBX pic.twitter.com/XlCVQaSrgr

— Outer Banks (@obxonnetflix) July 24, 2020

This image appears to confirm that we’re headed to the Bahamas for Season 2.

Created by Jonas Pate, Josh Pate, and Shannon Burke, the show stars Chase Stokes, Madelyn Cline, Madison Bailey, Jonathan Daviss, Rudy Pankow, Austin North, Drew Starkey, Deion Smith, and Charles Esten.

All will reprise their roles in the series, which premiered on April 15 on the streaming service. Pate, Pate and Burke will all return as showrunners and executive producers.

Outer Banks follows the lives of a group of teenagers — called the “pogues,” describing the working class locals who live on the island — in the beach town of the Outer Banks in North Carolina. They live alongside the “kooks,” the wealthy residents who have second homes in the scenic area and with whom the pogues often get into scuffles over socioeconomic politics.

In Season 1 of the teen drama, the close-knit group of friends discovers a sunken boat that leads them on a hunt for their ringleader’s missing father and a treasure hunt for $400 million in gold.

What do you think about the potential lawsuit? Does it sound similar to the teacher’s story? Let us know in the comments below!