Unpacking the law surrounding 'The Holdovers' plagiarism allegations

Screenwriter Simon Stephenson claims Alexander Payne's movie "The Holdovers," which was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars this year, is a knock-off of Stephenson's unproduced screenplay "Frisco." But Stephenson says the plagiarism isn't line-by-line. Instead, he claims the film, set and filmed in Massachusetts, steals his broader structures, themes and character dynamics.

Intellectual property law experts Peter Karol of the University of New Hampshire's Franklin Pierce School of Law and Bhamati Viswanathan of New England Law Boston join Radio Boston along with film critic Ty Burr to dissect the allegations.