Netflix drops copyright lawsuit against the creators of 'Unofficial Bridgerton Musical'

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Washington: American subscription-based streaming service Netflix has dismissed a copyright lawsuit that was filed by them against `The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical` creators.

According to Variety, it was not mentioned in the court filing whether the two parties reached a settlement. The creators of the musical are Emily Bear and Abigail Barlow. After Netflix sued them in July, they cancelled a performance of the musical at Royal Albert Hall in London, which was to take place this week.

In the lawsuit, Netflix alleged that Barlow and Bear had infringed on its copyrights by putting on a for-profit stage show at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. The service argued that their conduct "stretches `fan fiction` well past its breaking point.

"Bear and Barlow gained fame on social media when they started to release songs based on the TV series before eventually putting out a full album on Spotify. At first, Netflix praised the duo on its social media accounts and did not stand in the way until the Kennedy Center performance, which was held in July. According to the complaint, the performance included Broadway actors. Ticket prices ranged from USD 29 to USD 149, and there was also merchandise for sale that included `Bridgerton` trademarks, reported Variety.

Netflix vigorously objected and said the performance had crossed a line that the streaming service had previously tried to establish with Barlow and Bear and their representatives.

"Netflix supports fan-generated content, but Barlow and Bear have taken this many steps further, seeking to create multiple revenue streams for themselves without formal permission to utilize the `Bridgerton` IP," Netflix wrote in a statement, at the time.

As per Variety, they added, "We`ve tried hard to work with Barlow & Bear, and they have refused to cooperate. The creators, cast, writers and crew have poured their hearts and souls into `Bridgerton` and we`re taking action to protect their rights."

Barlow and Bear had not responded to the lawsuit in court. Though the response was due on Thursday, instead Netflix filed the dismissal on Friday "with prejudice," meaning the suit cannot be refiled, according to Variety.