Brian Damage
12-15-2007, 08:19 PM
Earlier, we posted an item about a former judge who is suing David Chase for using his idea to help make "The Sopranos."
These "idea theft" suits are quite in vogue. Though not often very successful.
New York District Judge Denise Cote has dismissed a lawsuit against NBC Universal that claimed the show "Heroes" was a rip-off. Judge Cote didn't see it that way, ruling that "Nearly every instance of alleged similarities between Heroes and the plaintiffs' work relates to unprotectable ideas rather than protectable expression, and viewed more broadly, the 'total concept and feel' of these works is profoundly different."
Judge Cote went on to call the allegations by plaintiffs Clifton Mallery and Amnau Karam Eele "absurd." She didn't comment on whether they were more absurd than the plot lines of season 2 of the show.
http://reporter.blogs.com/thresq/2007/12/heroes-suit-is.html
These "idea theft" suits are quite in vogue. Though not often very successful.
New York District Judge Denise Cote has dismissed a lawsuit against NBC Universal that claimed the show "Heroes" was a rip-off. Judge Cote didn't see it that way, ruling that "Nearly every instance of alleged similarities between Heroes and the plaintiffs' work relates to unprotectable ideas rather than protectable expression, and viewed more broadly, the 'total concept and feel' of these works is profoundly different."
Judge Cote went on to call the allegations by plaintiffs Clifton Mallery and Amnau Karam Eele "absurd." She didn't comment on whether they were more absurd than the plot lines of season 2 of the show.
http://reporter.blogs.com/thresq/2007/12/heroes-suit-is.html